Good concept, poorly executed.

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Martial arts movies are full of great action and well choreographed fights, from the days of Bruce Lee to the stunning visuals we have with todays wire work and cgi. But Kung Fu is not a martial arts movie/series.....Kung Fu is about a shaolin monk; Kwai Chang Caine. He travels around the wild west, seeking to help others and avoiding bounty hunters. The amazing thing about kung fu is that the flashbacks show Caine's past, we see that he has been trained to use kung fu, but he is a monk and would not harm a fly if it wasn't necessary. Caine chooses not to fight but when he has no other choice he proves that he can take anyone. The character is really brought to life by David Carradine, it would have been great to use Bruce Lee (Another of my idols) but I don't think the energetic Bruce would have been able to pull of the calmness of Caine.I was expecting to see a martial arts series in the wild west but kung fu is its own genre. The teachings of Masters Po and Khan are wonderful and make you think about life. Apparently after seeing the series people seeked more information because they wanted to raise their children under the same morals. It doesn't matter if you don't like martial arts or westerns, you need to see this. It has changed my life and the way I think about life.

The concept of the series is of a quiet humble man who avoids action at almost any cost… Caine (David Carradine) was taught a good soldier is not violent, a fighter is not angry, and a victor is not vengeful…Caine runs a long way with a price on his head for murder… He comes to the American West where he travels the countryside facing many pillars of violence… He effectively inspires the character with infrequently found qualities for an action hero: grace and self-control, suppleness and rhythmic endurance, speed and patience, tenacity and power… For several years in the Shaolin Temple, Caine learns to exercise and develop his inner strength… He learns to make powerful the force of his body… Yet he was taught to reverence all against whom he may use such force… He comes to know how weakness prevails over strength, how gentleness conquers, how he seeks victory in contention… With an emphasis on Buddhist philosophy, "Kung Fu" is a morality play, a magic show, combining the Western genre with martial arts

I think the original 'Kung Fu' was the best show ever on t.v. It was wonderfully made, superbly acted and taught me so many wonderful lessons. I truly was (o.k. still am) in love with David Carradine's 'Kwai Chang Caine'. No man can hold a candle to him. He was the perfect man. Beautiful, gentle yet strong, kind, insightful, skilled...at practically everything. What gentle, kind men were Master's Po and Khan as well....and I believe if there were more programs like 'Kung Fu' on t.v. the world would be a much better place. I still watch my old tapes of the show and am now going to buy the DVD sets. The show is timeless and the scenery was great too. The movie? A must see. David Carradine is thee greatest actor to ever grace us with his magnificent presence.~I love you David~~ Your Inner Beauty Changed My Life ~

It's a shame that the martial arts craze that this show created (in conjunction with the ascendant popularity of Bruce Lee in the early 1970s), in conjunction with the somewhat cheesy '90s spinoff, has served to somewhat obscure what a gem it truly was.It's heartbreaking to think that a lot of people who haven't seen the show lump it in as old, campy action television, like "The A-Team" or "Charlie's Angels" or something like that. The fact is, any given hour-long episode of "Kung Fu" probably contained about 45 to 60 seconds of actual action--if not less. The fact is, David Carradine was as good a leading man as any TV drama has ever had. And the fact is, far from being a cheap exploitation of martial arts and Eastern philosophy, "Kung Fu" was created and written in true reverance to those concepts. Meticulous research was conducted, and the lessons that Masters Kan and Po (wonderfully rendered by Philip Ahn and Keye Luke, respectively) teach Caine, and that Caine in turn teaches those he encounters, are routed in authentic Shaolin philosophy.Nor was the show cheesily made. It involved lush cinematography by televisual standards and innovative use of devices such as forced perspective and slow motion (this was the first show or movie to use different gradations of speed within a single take--the shot would move at normal speed until Caine made contact with an elbow or a fist, and then suddenly switch to delicate, poetic slow motion).Caine was a true archetype of television--a complete reversal of basically every American screen hero that went before. Not just peaceful--but passive and serene. As Caine described it--"Kung Fu" was an "anti-revenge television show"--an amazing concept when you think about it.Remember, the American public was not even acquainted with the phrase "kung fu" before this show. Zen Buddhism was gaining popularity in the late '60s and early '70s, but no one had ever heard of Shaolin monks. The creators of this show took a big risk on an untested concept and came up with TV gold.I hope that the DVD release will serve to remind us all what a special show this was, and of the lessons it has to teach us.