Review #1086: Kung Pow! Enter the Fist.
Cast:
Steve Oedekerk (The Chosen One), Hui Lou Chen (Master Tang), Fei Lung (Master Pain aka "Betty"), Ling Ling Tse (Ling), Lau Kar-wing (Wimp Lo), Jennifer Tung (Whoa), Chi Ma (Master Doe), Tad Horino (Chew Fat Lip), and Nasty Nes (Boombox Henchman) Directed by Steve Oedekerk (#525 - Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls)
Review:
Parody movies, when done right, can be good experiences to watch. Whether it is something like The Great Dictator (1940), or Our Man Flint (1966), or Blazing Saddles (1974), the amount of fun one can have with a spoof depends on how far the filmmakers are willing to go get some laughs and make a meaningful time for the viewer. This film certainly has its own way of trying to get laughs, doing so by parodying martial arts movies. It utilizes footage of the Hong Kong film Tiger and Crane Fist (1976), which also was directed by its main star, who in that case was Jimmy Wang Yu. In most scenes, Wang Yu was replaced by Oedekerk through post-production chroma key techniques, with every character (except for Tung's) being re-dubbed by Oedekerk. The idea of using footage from a prior film or show and adding re-dubbed dialogue or new imagery isn't too particularly new, with one big example being Power Rangers and its use of footage from Super Sentai but also films such as Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982). It's easy to admit that the film has a pretty low bar when it comes to doing jokes, so can I really give a movie flak for being making jokes out of silly voices an even more silly effects? Sure, because I didn't think this movie was really that funny. While the film does have some moments that generate some chuckles, the gag does tend to wear a bit thin after a while, feeling more like something that would've worked better as a sketch, not an 81 minute feature (this rings particularly true after a gag involving The Lion King). It has the kind of quirks you'd expect, such as nonsensical dubbing (intentional, of course) and effects that certainly stick out when they need to. For the most part, it's a mild experience that certainly won't stick out as anything too dreadful, and some will likely get a real kick out of it. It is evident that Oedekerk really wanted to bring this passion to fruition, since he also wrote and produced the film, and while I don't think that the end product was successfully funny enough to merit a positive rating, I'll give him credit for getting said passion to film. I can't say I hated watching this, but I also can't say I really "liked" doing so, either. Whatever you expect from the film likely won't live up to the eventual product. What other film has a fight sequence with a cow? It is likely that the best time to watch this is with either a group of friends or to watch it when there are no real options - for better or worse. The film is absurd in every sense of the word, but there is at least some sort of entertainment one can get from what it does, and I can't fault the movie for setting a low bar and then proceeding to clear it. Can I recommend it? Well, if you want something as "inspired" as this, go right on ahead. I probably won't ever see this film again, but I won't stop someone from doing the same.
Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.
