Jet Li played the Shaolin monk, Zhi Ming, from one of the northern schools. When he hears that the tyrant who killed his parents is having an extravagant birthday bash, he determines it's time to take a short vacation from martial arts training and meditating to kill the man. Little does he know that two members of the southern Shaolin school with a grudge against the evil Big Bad have chosen the same event for their assassination attempt. One of the southern Shaolin would be assassins was a woman dressed as a man which I've ceased to have a problem with after watching a number of kung fu movies and Cdramas. She of course, has a childhood connection to Zhi Ming. The three don costumes to perform in the lion dance spectacle only managing to get in each other's way and failing in their mission. They managed to escape together arguing and fighting until it became tedious. Fortunately, once they realized they were all part of the larger Shaolin family the bickering toned down.
The early "comedic" parts were a bit tiring for me. The plot development was also extremely sparse, leaving huge gaps in the storytelling. I wanted to tell everyone to take a deep breath as the pacing was frenetic at times as well. People ran everywhere, horses were sped up, every movement outside of the fights made it seem as if the actors' pants were on fire. Sometimes the audience needs a little "white space" to process the story and take a breath along with the actors. My other complaint with this movie is the OST. The same awful music is repeated ad nauseum until it made my ears bleed. I've truly never heard a worse soundtrack in a kung fu movie, any movie for that matter.
A favorite of mine, Lau Kar Leung, directed this Chinese movie with a Shaw Brothers crew and it showed. With the exception of the stunning mainland China outdoors scenery including the Great Wall and temples, this felt like it could be a Hong Kong production. I imagine Lau Kar Leung was thrilled to be able to choreograph fight scenes for Jet Li and the extremely capable actors/martial artists in this film. There was very little wire or trampoline work, the huge fight scenes were executed with grace and finesse. The fists, kicks, and swords were swift and accurate. The story was secondary in every way to the incredible fight choreography. Jet Li was in his prime and most likely had to slow his movements for the camera to pick them up, they were shockingly fast as it was. I loved the mantis fighting near the end of the movie.
I wouldn't recommend Martial Arts of Shaolin for the music, story, or acting, but the fight scenes and a lightning-fast Jet Li are definitely worth the price of admission for any kung fu enthusiast.
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