They sure don't make martial arts movie the way they used to. Sure, you can see elements of it incorporated into virtually any kind of movie; may it be science fiction like The Matrix [1999] to the newer James Bond movies. What I'm talking about here are martial arts movie in the truest sense of the genre;
Martial arts movies are really about an alternate universe where authority figures doesn't seem to exist, and regardless of the nature of dispute, everything can be solved by the good ol' street justice. Whoever can kick ass in ways cooler than the opponent (usually the protagonist) wins, and they can rest assured that there will be no repercussions whatsoever.
The Mafia is extorting your restaurant for money? Don't call the police, just call for backup in the form of a kung-fu master from Hong Kong. Poachers stole your elephant? Don't call for the wildlife authority, try tracking it down yourself, yell "where's my elephant?!" in every room you break into and proceed by breaking the bones of everyone who give you quizzical looks.
Caught my drift yet?
Nobody watches martial arts movies to get awed by the story, or to be blown away by some critical social commentaries. Instead, it's really about watching people who are very light on their feet doing things that makes us look down on our flabby stomachs with shame. If you're watching it for the story, you are missing the point, and not to mention missing out on the spectacular human feats. However, you will notice the complete absence of wuxia movies because... well, even I draw the line somewhere.
Martial arts movies are really about an alternate universe where authority figures doesn't seem to exist, and regardless of the nature of dispute, everything can be solved by the good ol' street justice. Whoever can kick ass in ways cooler than the opponent (usually the protagonist) wins, and they can rest assured that there will be no repercussions whatsoever.
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| "Lawsuit? What's that?" |
Caught my drift yet?
Nobody watches martial arts movies to get awed by the story, or to be blown away by some critical social commentaries. Instead, it's really about watching people who are very light on their feet doing things that makes us look down on our flabby stomachs with shame. If you're watching it for the story, you are missing the point, and not to mention missing out on the spectacular human feats. However, you will notice the complete absence of wuxia movies because... well, even I draw the line somewhere.
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