Is there such a thing as a film being TOO much fun? I dunno, it's a thought that has been running through my head whilst watching some of my recent sicko feasts. Some films may have a slow but steady build up with a wicked pay off, such as Re-Animator, Evil Dead and Braindead. These seem to get the balance right, courting the line between suspense, character, and balls out grossness with expert precision. However, if ever a film was said to be TOO much fun, The Boxer's Omen is sure to be it.
The second of my recent Shaw Brothers viewings, The Boxers Omen is somewhat simple in terms of story. So there is this Chinese kick boxer in the ring with the dirtiest Thai fighter on the block. The Thai guy cripples our Chinese hero, and his brother swears revenge on the other scumbag. That night however, the brother is saved from a gang by the spirit of a Buddhist monk, who sends him on a mission to find a special temple. When he eventually finds it, he finds that the visiting spirit is in fact his 'kind of' dead brother from a past life, and he must now save this spirit from eternal damnation as his own fate is sealed to a premature death otherwise! In order to save the Buddhist he must battle wizards, demons, tentacled flying heads, re-animated crocodile heads, vomit eels, skeleton bats, skin a witch and THEN, kick the Thai guy's ass and travel to the Himalayan mountains! And this isn't even the half of it. I ain't kidding. Throw into that mix a fine pair of breasts being squished up against a window pane for 5 minutes and you got yourself a party.
The Boxer's Omen literally rips along at a ridiculous pace. There was so much crazy stuff going on every two minutes that you will either throw your arms in the air, drop your pants and fire off several rounds of hot sticky love glue onto your remote control in pure glee, or else get extremely frustrated by the clear lack of regard for pacing and plot structure. But you know what? If this all doesn't sound like fun to you, I don't know what will. There is a good healthy heap of gore that runs non stop throughout, along with the ample nudity of curvy Chinese ladies. The boobs against the glass scene I mentioned was worth mentioning again. Simply sublime! It's also worth mentioning the eel vomiting scene again, this moment actually made me gag, which is saying something. In fact, there were dozens of vomiting scenes here, go figure.
In terms of acting, I can't really say much, I don't remember any particular performance being bad, mostly just kinda OTT in a good way. They all seemed to do a fine job. Directing wise, imagine somebody mashed up The Holy Mountain, The Evil Dead and a big pile of vomit, and you pretty much get the idea. I must say though, the film looked damned pretty for its type, and the subs were spot on. The f/x are kinda hit and miss, but that won't stop you enjoying it as the sense of fun gets behind them and makes em work.
The bottom line is this, get your hands on this and Seeding of a Ghost, and have yourself a party. Invite friends over, put some beers in the fridge. Expect pats on the back for such quality entertainment. I dare anyone not to like this one. Enough said.
The second of my recent Shaw Brothers viewings, The Boxers Omen is somewhat simple in terms of story. So there is this Chinese kick boxer in the ring with the dirtiest Thai fighter on the block. The Thai guy cripples our Chinese hero, and his brother swears revenge on the other scumbag. That night however, the brother is saved from a gang by the spirit of a Buddhist monk, who sends him on a mission to find a special temple. When he eventually finds it, he finds that the visiting spirit is in fact his 'kind of' dead brother from a past life, and he must now save this spirit from eternal damnation as his own fate is sealed to a premature death otherwise! In order to save the Buddhist he must battle wizards, demons, tentacled flying heads, re-animated crocodile heads, vomit eels, skeleton bats, skin a witch and THEN, kick the Thai guy's ass and travel to the Himalayan mountains! And this isn't even the half of it. I ain't kidding. Throw into that mix a fine pair of breasts being squished up against a window pane for 5 minutes and you got yourself a party.
The Boxer's Omen literally rips along at a ridiculous pace. There was so much crazy stuff going on every two minutes that you will either throw your arms in the air, drop your pants and fire off several rounds of hot sticky love glue onto your remote control in pure glee, or else get extremely frustrated by the clear lack of regard for pacing and plot structure. But you know what? If this all doesn't sound like fun to you, I don't know what will. There is a good healthy heap of gore that runs non stop throughout, along with the ample nudity of curvy Chinese ladies. The boobs against the glass scene I mentioned was worth mentioning again. Simply sublime! It's also worth mentioning the eel vomiting scene again, this moment actually made me gag, which is saying something. In fact, there were dozens of vomiting scenes here, go figure.
In terms of acting, I can't really say much, I don't remember any particular performance being bad, mostly just kinda OTT in a good way. They all seemed to do a fine job. Directing wise, imagine somebody mashed up The Holy Mountain, The Evil Dead and a big pile of vomit, and you pretty much get the idea. I must say though, the film looked damned pretty for its type, and the subs were spot on. The f/x are kinda hit and miss, but that won't stop you enjoying it as the sense of fun gets behind them and makes em work.
The bottom line is this, get your hands on this and Seeding of a Ghost, and have yourself a party. Invite friends over, put some beers in the fridge. Expect pats on the back for such quality entertainment. I dare anyone not to like this one. Enough said.