Rise of the Legend 黃飛鴻

Martial Media, Culture and Other Arts Martial Media and Popular Culture
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[QUOTE=GeneChing;1279764]FIRST FORUM REVIEW!

I enjoyed this film thoroughly. I look forward to seeing it again with subtitles and hope it gets U.S. release soon. I really wish I could have seen it in 3D as there were several eye-popping scenes that were clearly orchestrated for that medium. It’s hard not to compare RotL to Batman Begins as not only is it a reboot, but it’s a much darker vision of the franchise. Set on the docks of Guangzhou, it’s world is that of gambling halls, prostitute boats, opium dens and human trafficking. It’s sanguineous. :cool:

But like Unbeatable, there’s a lot less martial arts than I would have liked. The fights choreography is by Corey Yuen, who I usually think of as a cartoonish choreographer - in a good way. His stuff exemplifies Kung Fu physics, defying logic like a Looney Tunes cartoon, but it still works. The fights are one-move/one-shot, heavy on the wirework and CGI, an absurd, all qualities I usually disdain in fight choreography, but somehow, Yuen makes it work. This is some of the best work he’s done in years. The opening fight sequences are great - at first, I thought the initial rain fight was poached off The Grandmaster, but then it took on a life of its own. Actually, there’s some homage to precedents (or maybe I’m just getting jaded that way nowadays as some readers have commented on my Taking of Tiger Mountain review). I wasn’t sensitive to any callbacks the original Kwan Tak Hing series, but there are some clear nods to OUATIC and even more so for Iron Monkey. Like Casino Royale, the Wong Fei Hung theme is withheld until just before the finale battle, and that works well. It’s only then where Eddie shows a little Hung Gar-ish flair, but by then, RotL has become its own new thing.

The film gets off to a rollicking start, but then there’s a lot of plot development before the action comes back, perhaps too much for most fans of the genre, but it might work as a cross-over. That’s the downside. It could have really used more fights, especially in the middle of the film. Sammo is freakin huge, larger than life, so big that his gravitas might be actual gravitational pull from his massive girth. But he’s still got the moves. And Angelababy’s impossibly long neck is still like a bug-lite for nuzzling.

Where this film really shines is it’s cinematography. Not only are the fight scenes shot with a new visionary feel, the whole film is spectacular. The CGI backdrops of old Guangzhou are stunning and the set pieces are well worn and textured. It’s a beautiful film and that’s probably what hooked me in more than anything else. It’s got style. There’s an opening scene that’s an amazing continuous shot as the camera navigates the serpentine environment of the bustling docks that reminded me of Birdman (great film, btw, especially if your a cinephile). So many sweeping crane shots and bird’s-eye views, it made the film a visual treat. I hope to see it on the big screen.

And yea, lots of sword fights. Some amusing slicing off of heads and hands. Lots of ratchets and hatchets, Chinese gansta style.

This joins my top three films of 2014 - the other two being Raid 2 and Kung Fu Jungle.[/QUOTE]

Hey, you should do a list of top 3 movies so we can chime in too…
Just saying :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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This looks like another must-see for me!

I’m usually very mixed about Corey Yuen’s choreography. Sometimes his choreography is hot; other times he seems to phone it in. It’ll be interesting to see how he MA directs a Wong Fei-Hong movie. Corey Yuen usually over-emphasizes flexibility/kicks/leg maneuvers, wire work, etc., at the expense of variety in hand techniques, and he’s also usually better at choreographing women in action than men. But this looks good from the trailer, at least.

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[QUOTE=Jimbo;1279769]This looks like another must-see for me!

I’m usually very mixed about Corey Yuen’s choreography. Sometimes his choreography is hot; other times he seems to phone it in. It’ll be interesting to see how he MA directs a Wong Fei-Hong movie. Corey Yuen usually over-emphasizes flexibility/kicks/leg maneuvers, wire work, etc., at the expense of variety in hand techniques, and he’s also usually better at choreographing women in action than men. But this looks good from the trailer, at least.[/QUOTE]

One of the things I miss about Shaw brothers was how they would do close ups of hand formations and the distinctiveness of a particular style ( Eagle claw, Mantis, PE fist…).

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Shaw Brothers were Kung Fu films made by Kung Fu masters for Kung Fu fans

I’ve been loving seeing them again on EL REY (and that’s not just because EL REY advertises with us now ;))

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Shaw Brothers were Kung Fu films made by Kung Fu masters for Kung Fu fans

I’ve been loving seeing them again on EL REY (and that’s not just because EL REY advertises with us now ;))

I should reiterate that RotL is a little lacking in martial arts. There are a few really good fights, particularly the ones in the beginning and Sammo’s stuff. Even with all the wirework and CGI, Sammo is old skool - NUF RESPECT! The martial arts aren’t very Hung, but then again, neither was OUATIC or Iron Monkey. Nevertheless, I did like Yuen’s work on this. There’s something about these fights that’s really fun - it’s not realistic at all, more like superhero fights, but still fun. Jimbo, I totally agree with you on Yuen’s work. Sometimes he’s awesome. Sometimes he’s mediocre at best. This was an example of his awesome stuff. I just wish there were more fights. The film really needed a good fight or two in the middle of it, not just bookends in the intro and finale. But still, I thought the look of the film made up for that. It’s sumptuous scenery.

Here’s your Top-Martial-Arts-Movies-of-2014 thread, s_r. :smiley:

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[QUOTE=GeneChing;1279778]I’ve been loving seeing them again on EL REY (and that’s not just because EL REY advertises with us now ;))

I should reiterate that RotL is a little lacking in martial arts. There are a few really good fights, particularly the ones in the beginning and Sammo’s stuff. Even with all the wirework and CGI, Sammo is old skool - NUF RESPECT! The martial arts aren’t very Hung, but then again, neither was OUATIC or Iron Monkey. Nevertheless, I did like Yuen’s work on this. There’s something about these fights that’s really fun - it’s not realistic at all, more like superhero fights, but still fun. Jimbo, I totally agree with you on Yuen’s work. Sometimes he’s awesome. Sometimes he’s mediocre at best. This was an example of his awesome stuff. I just wish there were more fights. The film really needed a good fight or two in the middle of it, not just bookends in the intro and finale. But still, I thought the look of the film made up for that. It’s sumptuous scenery.

Here’s your Top-Martial-Arts-Movies-of-2014 thread, s_r. :D[/QUOTE]

Iron monkey had SOME Hung:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_rETHa2Egk

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Sure, sure…

…OUATIC did too. Or at least, I think Jet flashed a Kiu Sau somewhere in that series. Eddie does a little Hung-ish stuff in one sequence. But it doesn’t compare with the amount of Hung in the original Kwan Tak Hing films or even in so many Shaw Brothers films. After all, it’s Wong Fei Hung. It should be soaking with Hung. :wink:

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:slight_smile: Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IR0PeODjUk

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[QUOTE=GeneChing;1279783]…OUATIC did too. Or at least, I think Jet flashed a Kiu Sau somewhere in that series. Eddie does a little Hung-ish stuff in one sequence. But it doesn’t compare with the amount of Hung in the original Kwan Tak Hing films or even in so many Shaw Brothers films. After all, it’s Wong Fei Hung. It should be soaking with Hung. ;)[/QUOTE]

Agree, 100%.

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[QUOTE=GeneChing;1279783]…OUATIC did too. Or at least, I think Jet flashed a Kiu Sau somewhere in that series. Eddie does a little Hung-ish stuff in one sequence. But it doesn’t compare with the amount of Hung in the original Kwan Tak Hing films or even in so many Shaw Brothers films. After all, it’s Wong Fei Hung. It should be soaking with Hung. ;)[/QUOTE]

Absolutely. And in that sense, IMO, the best Wong Fei-Hong movies (kung fu-wise) were Challenge of the Masters and Martial Club, both featuring Gordon Liu as a young Fei-Hong. These were saturated with Hung! Of course, being directed by Lau Kar-Leung, you could expect no less.

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It’s a slippery slope

The WFH genre has become its own beast, quite independent of any historical basis. As a Kung Fu practitioner whose first Sifu was a Hung exponent, I totally agree with this sentiment. But as a Chinese cinephile, there’s no way I’m going to exclude the non-Hung Gar flicks featuring WFH. Take Drunken Master (1978) for example - not Hung, not even based on WFH at all beyond the name, but a great film.

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KungFu Movie Theater: Shaolin Legend

//youtu.be/pzFkp_hwoYc

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Rise of legends

[QUOTE=Zombie King;1286133]
//youtu.be/pzFkp_hwoYc
[/QUOTE]

This is rise of the legend, wong fei hung movie reboot

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U.S. Theatrical release in March

Very limited - from WellGoUSA

//youtu.be/MiXruCzh81U

US THEATER LOCATIONS

March 11, 2016
LOS ANGELES

Arena Cinema
1625 N Las Palmas Ave
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 306-0676

AMC Atlantic Time Square
450 N Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 407-0240

CHICAGO

AMC River East 21
322 East Illinois Street
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 596-0333

HOUSTON

AMC Studio 30
2949 Dunvale
Houston, TX 77063
(713) 977-4431

SAN FRANCISCO / BAY AREA

Four Star
2200 Clement St
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 666-3488

CANADA THEATER LOCATIONS

March 11, 2016
OTTAWA

Mayfair Theatre
1074 Bank St
Ottawa, ON K1S 3X3, Canada

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Opens today!

Very limited release above (maybe it expanded - I have not checked)

Review: ‘Rise of the Legend,’ a Kung Fu Period Film
Rise of the Legend
By ANDY WEBSTER MARCH 10, 2016


Eddie Peng in “Rise of the Legend.” Credit WellGo USA

The blending of vast sets and digital effects is not quite seamless in Chow Hin Yeung’s kung fu period extravaganza “Rise of the Legend,” but it’s close. Revisiting the story of Wong Fei Hung, a martial arts master whose life has passed into Chinese folklore, “Legend” takes place in 19th-century Guangzhou, where two crime factions vie for control of the docks. This movie’s Guangzhou is a marvel: sprawling, detailed, abounding in narrow alleys and vivid street scenes.

Alas, the plot and subplots are variations on time-honored Hong Kong cinema devices: The young Fei (played as an adult by Eddie Peng) grows up training alongside a buddy, Fiery (Jing Boran); both pine for the same woman, Chun (Wang Luodan), a minder of street waifs. Fei, a formidable warrior, is adopted by the kingpin Lei Gong (the kung fu movie veteran Sammo Hung), only to subvert his empire. When Chun and Fiery lead an insurrection and torch Lei Gong’s opium dens, furious but graceful brawls (orchestrated by the renowned fight choreographer Corey Yuen) erupt.

Mr. Peng has charisma, though his moves are less convincing than those of an earlier Fei: Jet Li, in Tsui Hark’s 1991 classic “Once Upon a Time in China” (and less humorous than those of Jackie Chan, who played Fei in “The Legend of Drunken Master,” a.k.a. “Drunken Master 2,” from 1994). But “Legend” does offer the hefty authority of Mr. Hung, who at 64 can still — almost — hit, kick and do wire work with the best of them.

Rise of the Legend

Not rated

In Mandarin and Cantonese, with English subtitles

Running time: 2 hours 11 minutes

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Our winners are announced!

See our WINNERS: Rise of the Legend on DVD thread.

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Rise of the Legend

Gene, I know there was already a thread about this somewhere but I couldn’t find it, and I’m sure you’ll merge this post with that thread.

I enjoyed this movie. The action is pretty good, and I liked that it’s set in the Qing Dynasty, like so many of the old-school KF films were. IMO, this was one of the more unusual takes on the Wong Fei-Hong story. I hadn’t realized that the star Eddie Peng is not an experienced MAist, but had only trained MA for 6 months in preparation for the film, until I looked up his info. He was pretty convincing, although like most newer MA films, this one lacks the long, complex, single-shot sequences that require a relatively high degree of performance skill, as was often seen in the old Shaw Brothers films. The quick-shot nature of the fight scenes makes lots of sense if the star’s actual MA abilities are limited.

The film is beautifully shot, even including some shots from the fighters’ POV. Action choreography-wise, this is some of Corey Yuen’s best work, IMO. Corey Yuen isn’t exactly one of my favorite choreographers, as he often runs hot and cold; sometimes his work is spectacular, but often it seems uninspired. Also, his fight scenes usually focus on mostly fancy leg maneuvers/kicking, and his fights often start off well but end inconclusively or in unspectacular fashion. In Rise of the Legend, Corey Yuen does not limit the action to kicking, but also features handwork, swords, staffs (staves?), etc. IMO, one of the best scenes in the movie features Wong Fei-Hong’s best friend armed with a broadsword in an alleyway.

Sammo Hung looks good as the villain and, while he obviously can’t perform like he did at his peak, he still moves well and is convincing. He is assisted by wirework, which IMO he would have been better without. It looks a bit funny to see such a heavyset man floating about.

I never felt that the film dragged too long at any point. Its story moves along at a fairly brisk pace. The cinematography is beautiful. Although I can’t say I liked it as much as, say, the old Shaw Brothers flicks, in spite of its much bigger budget; that is mostly my own personal bias.