Memorable, crazy movie

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Review: I quite enjoyed this movie, mainly because of the little Shaolin boys and there great martial art techniques. After Jet Li finds his village completely destroyed, he goes on a quest with his son to the find the killers. Its quite a basic storyline but it's easy to loose the plot. I liked the old lady in the movie but I didn't get the pizza looking guy who looked like he had bits of kebab all over his face. The film seemed cheaply made and some of the jokes weren't that funny but the kids were great and fun to watch. Average!Round-Up: Although this movie was made in 1994, it seemed very dated and the camera work was shoddy. That's not a total bad thing because some of the greatest Kung Fu movies were made in the 70's, but this movie should have looked better for that period. With that aside, you can't help enjoying the kiddie monks, especially when there battling each other. It won't go down as an all time classic, but it's a watchable Kung Fu movie which is authentic and amusing in parts.I recommend this movie to people who are into their Jet Li movies about a man who travels with his son to find out who destroy,ed his village and brutally killed his wife. 4/10

Well this movie is another Hong Kong action movie staring the kungfu legend Jet Li. There is nothing deep about this movie, all it is is an action packed romp with strange enemies, unreal fighting maneuvers, and a dash of the Hong Kong spice that make these movies more exciting than those one sees in America.The New Shoalin is about Hung and his son. He is betrayed by a brother Shoalin who kills his family and then tries to kill him. Hung defeats him and then wonders the land to deal with the new oppressive regime. Seven years on, Hung is still following is quest and his son has become a very competent martial artists. In a city he is betrayed again, but as he has no money, he is forced to bodyguard an unscrupulous rich man. At the same time, two thieves, the notorious mother and notorious daughter, have latched onto him. Hung knows these thieves' intention, but he cannot convince his master of it.When the Shoalin Temple is destroyed they believe that he is be dead so his brother attempts to find the location of a large treasure horde, the map of which is tattooed on the back of five children. These children wind up in the same place as Hung, and when his nemesis, now known as the poison man, appears, he must protect the kids and the two thieves, the younger of which has fallen for him.As I previously said, there is not much depth in this movie, but one watches it for the action. Things are quite predictable, but the stunts, or rather the moves, are quite extraordinary, especially since they are performed quite unrealistically. This does not matter because Hong Kong cinema generally does not want to be purely correct. They appreciate a bit of fantasy in their movies.

Man. I've seen too many kung fu movies because they are all blending together in my head. As I'm watching this one the opening scene was identical to an 80's samurai movie. Then as the movie progressed I realized that everything was looking very familiar... I had seen this movie under another title: "Legend of the Red Dragon" except a bit choppier.The movie was OK. I like Jet Li, but I especially like the boy playing his son. I found it hard to believe that the movie was from 1994 when it looked like it was from 1984. The story was very rough, broken, and amateur, the fights were nothing special either. The boy saved the movie from being unwatchable.

A very cute martial arts movie that displays a lot about contemporary Chinese perceptions of family. Some beautiful imagery, taken from folklore and traditional Chinese figure painting. Of course it is violent, as one would expect from the genre, but it would be among the first I would let kids see because of the familial and comedic aspects of the film (it is not unmitigated violence).