Dragon From Shaolin

Good entertainment but not suitable for kids

I watched the uncut official DVD of this, so it has an extra minute of the most gross-out sicko bathroom humor ever devised by sick minds. Very strong R-rate material. This is actually rated a light R equivalent, because certain body parts and partial nudity are considered less taboo in Hong Kong than in more puritanical societies. As for the story, it is very entertaining, and a good action comedy. Would have been a great family comedy, but with the R rating material mixed with a lot of kid humor, it has a limited range of interest to most adults. There is a light romantic banter between Yuen Biao and Vivian Hsuen which redeems the movie some, and overall it is pretty good anyway. May 1, 2006

More like a Family Flick!

First off, I would like to say that it would'nt be 100% correct to list Dragon from Shaolin as a Kung Fu flick. It's more like a family comedy.

The story takes place in modern times, and centers around a boy monk in training. He's sent on a journey to find Budda, mainly because the Abbot of his tmeple finds him to be immature. While in the city, he is seperated from his two older monk chaperones, when he takes off to catch a pick pocket. Later he teams up with a riff raff scammer kid about his age. Together they try to raise money at the Great Wall by displaying Shaolin Kung Fu techniques.

THe sub plot involves YUen Biao, who is trying to recover a stone head from a statue of Buddah. His scheming brother (who has a kung fu fighting girl friend), are also competing to recover the stone head. Biao and the boys meet at the Great Wall, after Biao saves Vivian Hsu from a group of low lifes. The plot progresses and several humurous situations pop up involving the boys, Yuen, and Vivian Hsu trying to recover the head from the villians. The finale involves a train fight, and chases through the cabins.

The kung fu in this film is not spectacular. Also, Yuen Biao's ability as a kung fu fighter and acrobat are not capitialized on. The Kung Fu actress known as "Auntie", from the Shaw Brothers days, is also in the film sporting a bright yellow doo! Her kung fu skill is not shown well either.

In the end I gave Dragon from Shaolin 3 stars for adding some light hearted family kung fu to the genre. This movie could be approprate for kids, and for those who are interested in different types of Hong Kong Cinema. I would'nt suggest that hard core Kung Fu fans try this. You'll probally feel cheated. I only wish "Auntie" and Yuen could have had a better sparring scene. They're both capable of doing one. December 18, 2002

One Great Movie

If you love Kung-Fu movies you will love this one.
Not to mention the ever so cute Vivan Hsu is in it.
Grab this today esp for the super low price. November 5, 2001

Please avoid this film!

It's a great pity that I have to write this about a Yuen Biao film. I really wanted to like a film which features Yuen Biao in a pseudo-Indiana Jones role, but it was impossible. Biao has starred in some classics like Kid From Tibet, Kickboxer, Project A and Millionaires' Express, but this easily ranks as his worst. The popularity of the Shaolin kids films was clearly the inspiration here, therefore you know that weak and crude comedy is the order of the day. In fact, the comedy makes Wong Jing look like Noel Coward in terms of subtlety. I at least expected good action, but Biao is totally wasted there as well. If you haven't got the message yet, DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM! December 23, 1999

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