A different way of telling a story

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Rise of the Legend is another of those neo-actioners from Hong Kong which deliver the Kung Fu/martial arts goods but we're forced to watch some 'epic' building in the process. With choreography by the peerless Corey Yuen & a rare villainous turn by his Peking Opera classmate Sammo Hung, Legend has a lot going for it but taking events which happened, in this case, the oppression of wharf gangs on the poor & ungainly mating this storyline in a chop socky format, the seams definitely feel the bulge.

Sammo Hung and Eddie Peng star in what is clearly an attempt to renew the success of Once Upon a Time in China's extended series about revolutionary hero and martial artist Wong Fei-Hung. A lot of money was spent on this, the casting pretty decent and the cinematography and sets are lush; what lets the film down is the choppy editing and the lack of ambition when it came to things like the final fight sequence which looked like somebody had set the stage for a battle to the death between two seasoned champions only to have the comic relief fight the third string henchman.The Plot centres on Fei-Hung and his childhood friends long drawn out revenge against a powerful gang they blame for destroying their lives and those around them. Fei infiltrates the gang and orchestrates bit by bit the spectacular downfall of his new family and betrayal of his adopted father, culminating in a showdown with Sammo Hung who plays the crafty mob boss. Melodramatic and tragic in tone, the film is choked with moments designed to elicit pained expressions of grief and frustration from Eddie Peng who we assume will have to carry the inevitable sequels should this be deemed good enough. Sadly Eddie Peng even on a basic pot boiler 70's Shaw Brothers scale is not quite there yet. Perhaps I'm being harsh on Eddie Peng, but when Jet Li first broke out ,there was never any doubt of how good he was and how big he would become, Peng however is no Jet Li. Sammo Hung of course plays Sammo, to be critical of this would be unfair. Rise of the Legend suffers somewhat to the earlier and definitive, version of the hero's life.As a martial arts film it highlights key fighting techniques and sets up action sequences that are if not as complex as Jet Li or Jackie Chan's works, are at least well filmed and hold your attention. Furthermore, several of the fight sequences recall earlier films both in use of sets and obstacles presented. In so doing we are asked to judge the homage to film makers past and conclude sadly that if we are looking for jaw dropping choreography and extended displays of original or at least well executed complex battle scenarios, we should set our expectations to medium. As a cognoscenti of the genre I will admit to not being bored by the fight scenes and looked forward to the next one, in fact you could count on them breaking out fairly regularly. Fighting being half of what you'd expect from such a film, it hits the right notes well enough to entertain.The other half of the story, in which we explore the motivations and machinations of the heroes and villains is pretty textbook and predictable, interspersed with sometimes annoying intrusions and cut aways of back story told in the form of flash backs to Fei-Hung's childhood, training at a monastery and the occasional sudden personal moments that are far too brief. More Shaw brothers than Crouching Tiger, in this regard the film is let down by sloppy story telling and relies on the next fight scene to forgive it.Rise of the Legend isn't as good as it could have been, but is good enough to entertain for two hours.

Before I can really discuss "Rise of the Legend", I need to give you some background. This isn't especially clear in the film and for non-Chinese audiences, the setting might be confusing. In the 19th century, various nations forced the weak Chinese Ch'ing leaders to accept their presence in the country. Countries like Britain, Russia, France and even Japan carved out portions of the country to be used as bases for trade and one of the ways they made money was in the opium trade. Additionally, Chinese warlords and gang leaders worked with these foreigners to exploit the country and its wealth and, not surprisingly, the common people resented this. But these foreigners and their Chinese partners were getting rich and had little regard for the damage they were causing. This led to a variety of wars (such as the Opium Wars and, later, the Boxer Rebellion) and eventually to unification and the abolishment of the Emperor--who seemed to care little about the plight of the people or the weakness of his country. One hero during this period of civil war and chaos was Wong Fei-hung (also known as Huang Feihong). His prowess with martial arts made him a rallying point and many of his exploits have been celebrated and exaggerated in movies over the years, such as Jet Li's "Once Upon a Time in China" and Jackie Chan's "Drunken Master" films. The latest in a long line of semi- biographical films is "Rise of the Legend".In this version, the earlier part of Wong Fei-hung's life is explored by director Roy Hin Yeung Chow and the legendary man himself is played by Eddie Peng. While Peng is not exactly a household name, his martial arts skills are superb in the film-- mostly because they are both incredible to watch and generally believable. Little so called 'wire fu' is used in the film and heroes DO bleed and get the snot kicked out of them from time to time. The only really difficult to believe part for me was watching the familiar actor Sammo Hung fighting the hero to nearly a draw. While Hung has made a ton of martial arts films (many with his friend Jackie Chan), he is in his 60s and, well, a bit rotund (I have NO reason to talk in this department)--and seeing him battle Peng did take some suspension of belief, though Hung did amazingly well and surprised me with his performance.The film is a bit difficult to follow, as some things in the plot the film assumes the viewer will know. Additionally, the storytelling is occasionally non-linear. So, as I watched, I found that I really needed to pay attention, understand the context and piece it all together in my mind as I watched. What you slowly come to realize is that the evil leader of the Black Tiger Gang in Canton, Lei Gong (Hung), has just made Wong Fei-hung his fourth adopted son after Wong single-handedly kills one of Gong's rivals and takes out a HUGE number of the guy's soldiers. You can only assume Wong is evil, as Lei Gong is rich from his profits in selling opium and slavery. However, as the film progresses, you realize that Wong is playing a very deep plan--one that aims to eventually free the slaves, destroy the opium warehouses and aid the common man. Considering that Lei Gong is ruthless, evil, has an army of his own and has three other adopted sons who are amazing with their martial arts skills, Wong's task seems monumental to say the least!So is this any good? Well, generally yes. The action is first- rate. While not quite as wild as you might find in many films, the martial arts fighting looks real and it will keep you on edge. Additionally, there are many story elements that work well. My only qualms are the way the story is presented. As I alluded to above, the film can be a bit hard to follow and sometimes I got the feeling that I've seen many similar films--and I have considering how many Wong Fei-hung films have come out of China in the last few decades! My verdict is that if you are a fan of the genre and understand the context, by all means watch this one. If not, then it's not exactly a must-see film...though you certainly can't go wrong watching it.

special effect, in addition to overly told repetitive boring storyline, totally unnecessary long and tiresome fighting scenes. the only impression of this bad movie is boring, boring and boring. why the Chinese movie industries in mainland china and hong kong so obsessed with this hwang legend. the dialog either done by the actors or voice over by some other people solely doing such line of work, but either turned out to be naturally enough just because of the contrite dialog. it's such a boring storyline with randomly inserted flash backs of the teenage kids or used some westerners for background extra purpose. there is nothing interested enough to keep the interest or focus. every scene in this film looked staged including the costumes and the make-up. the dialog is just so boring and the tempo of the most part of the film is too slow with suddenly explosive fighting scenes, but then again, the off screen narration by the main character also making the viewer like me feel unnecessary and awkward. i know this actor from taiwan is now a rising star, quite hot because he's been showing himself in so many films in recent years, but he actually is not an unique find but a regular and blended guy. all in all, this film is marginally watchable flick, if you have other better choice to kill the time, don't waste it on watching this, it's just so boring.