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.