Most Hyped, Most anticipated shaw brothers dissapointments.

[THE BASTARD]

Opium and the Kung Fu master was a total piece of trash i dont think even Ti Lung was fully
commited to the role. In fact i think he did not even like the film. Playing someone weak and
addicted to Opium. This movie was the Most talked about Shaw Brothers re-release/remaster
so far. What are some of the others.

I also think that Kung Fu instructor was a total waste of money, i sent my copy back free.
It had to do with Ti Lung saving his sons balls or something if i remember correctly. Very
weak... I believe Ti Lung did a better Job acting in this film but still the film was just plain NUTS.

Anyways:
Most Hyped, Most anticipated shaw brothers dissapointments.

#1 Opium and the Kung Fu master
#2 Kung Fu Instructor

[chen lung]

pretty much all of them :) .

It had to do with Ti Lung saving his sons balls or something if i remember correctly.
That was 'The Master Strikes Back', the sequel ;) . Actually, I kinda liked it. Ti Lung was pretty good towards the end. Won't say anymore to spoil it :) .

[killer meteor]

Probably Five Venoms or Challenge Of The Masters.

[chen lung]

where is that hideous photo on your avatar from?
it's from 'God of Cookery', not me ;) .

It's meant to be hideous >D !

[Barsader]

Death Valley- not a bad film, but nowhere near as good as i
thought it would be,going on some threads.

Bells of death-yet to see the re-mastered version yet but.zzzz

[Feng Gang]

I was pretty disappointed in 5 Superfighters and although there wasn't any hype that lured me in, I was disappointed like a mofo in Magnificent Wanderers.

[GwaiLoMoFo]

By far the most dissappointed I have been with any Shaw film is "Boxer's Omen". Had some quirky stuff, but was not impressed overall. Also "Shaolin Avengers" and "5 Shaolin Masters" were both kinda of blah to me. They were'nt BAD by any means, just thought they were average at best. Neither came close to living up to my expectations.

[tino]

GwaiLOMoFo I agree with you on Boxer's Omen. I recieved it a few days after release and started watching it as soon as I got but didnt watch it all and still havent finished it to this day. I will give it another chance one day.

[fabhui]

For me it would be Avenging Eagle. All the hype made it sound like the second coming and when I sat down to watch it I guess my expectations had been set way too high.

Still a good movie though! 8)

[Ivy Ling Po]

Yes....I was bitterly disappointed with Boxer's Omen. Haven't played it since.

[vengeanceofhumanlanterns]

Five Deadly Venoms, Death Valley, Bells Of Death, Challenge Of The Masters, as the biggest disappointments? That's four damn good films right there. Oh well, different strokes for different folks.

Boxer's Omen was a unique and highly entertaining film. It's ridiculous of course, but that's why it was so cool.

Avenging Eagle!!! WT#$%holy#@&*$!!!???

As far as biggest disappointments, speaking for myself, I'd have to say Portrait In Crystal was something I's hoping would've been a little better.

Lust For Love Of A Chinese Courtesan is just god awful! That film I can safely say was my biggest disappointment so far.

What Price Honesty (the leads are just too damn naive for the story to be taken seriously) and oh The Long Chase (the cat and mouse VERY LONG chase was a bit too much to enjoy watching the film and Yueh Hua's disguising himself in such subtle ways, like putting a fake mustache on or changling his clothes so the when Lo Lieh catches up to him he's not entirely sure if he's got the right guy. This ridiculousness happens repeatedly.) I was very let down by those two flicks. Considering the cast of each film, I must say, I had really high expectations for bothe films.

The Silent Swordsman was a bit of a let down as well, I guess.

[Chen Zhen]

hands down:

Crippled Avengers and Invincible Shaolin

crippled avengers had a very interesting premise, but i thought the film was very avg, and nothing i saw justified the RIDICULOUS level of critical acclaim/hype to me. ditto for invincible shaolin

[goliamoto]

Dirty Ho and Kung Fu instructor

[natoral]

5 Element Ninja's

I thought it was alright but nowhere near as good as people would lead you to believe.

[sammofan]

14 Amazons
Gangmaster
Rendezvous with Death
Pursuit of Vengeance
Tiger Killer

[peringaten]

It's all subjective... Personally Boxer's is one of my favourites, but I can see why it won't go for others - at least it's packing a vivid imagination.

This thread's starting to get a bit silly...

I've come to initial heads with a few movies where we didn't agree and expectations weren't met, for instance say the afforementioned Portrait In Crystal and fare such as Snake Prince, but eventually after the pissed off chemical imbalance offsetting an impartial view in me old noggin, I can come to terms with even the most lesser production, or see an initially misread decent one for what it is, having bypassed for that I expected from it, that which it actually delivered - richer for having seen it at least; the whole studio and output is worthily fascinating I think - I'd like to take each film upon its own merit accordingly; sometimes hard to do from the off. I love Shaws, each has their place regardless of general perception of creative success.

I liked Opium a lot, I think Mak's decent too - the fag comment's unnecessary. The whole may not have matched the sum of the parts, but some of the parts made up for the whole - a case with many individually-perceived wonkier Shaws I believe; I cannot think of one TRULY beyond redemption for at least a sequence or two.

Some of Opium's set-pieces are fantastic - the fire-backdrop, opening sequence and even in some respects the finale are undeniably great achievements within the genre - Tang Chia was more than a hack.

[Iron Boat]

I must admit I am having some difficulty getting through GangMaster

[SunChien2004]

I try not to listen to other people's reviews as you'll be overhyped and then when you see it, you'll be dissapointed.

But I bought Teahouse in downtown Bklyn last year was severely dissapointed, maybe because I saw Chen Kuan Tai on the cover and was interested, but a waste of time as I wasn't a fan of that particular type of movie.

[venomchamber]

I'd say I'd have to agree with SunChien2004...

After waiting years and years to finally see the "lost kung-fu movies of Chen Kuan-Tai" The Tea House, Big Brother Cheng, and Iron Bodyguard, they did not live up to their infamous underground cult status and I was surprised by how little martial-arts were displayed by the reknowned "S.E. Asia Champion of 1969" in these films.
...and why on Earth did IVL give Big Brother Cheng a huge Cat. III warning which was very misleading and made me expect something extreme!
I don't dis-like these films, they're just not among my favorite and often re-watched SB films.

[killer meteor]

The Catatory III is for the depiction of Triad activities, one of the most taboo subjects in HK cinema

[venomchamber]

oh, I thought Category III was for sex and violent content.
There have been a lot of other triad and gangster films that did not get such a rating. Big Brother Cheng is tame by today's standards.

[morgoth]

5 Element Ninja, Dirty Ho, Crippled Avengers, AVENGING FREAKING EAGLE?!?!?!? I don't know whether this is a dream or if people really listed these titles. I can understand the cult thing and how Boxer's Omen could be grouped into being overrated if you were expecting a kung fu flick or something. I loved the movie, but I can see hwo it would be too crazy for some people, but those other movies are some of the best overall kung fu movies ever. 5 Element Ninja is probably the worst out of those 4 movies I listed, but the action is super hot and there are a lot of good cheese moments. I think that a lot of people view the word overrated differently. Some people seem to expect the movie to be on an epic level like Gladiotor or Braveheart. I just think this whole overrated topic is overrated. But I do have to agree with you Bastard about Flag of Iron. I heard it was one of the best Venoms films, but I thought it was average at best.

[Chen Zhen]

i wasnt expecting anything 'godly' from crippled avengers. i expected a movie that would be on par with kid with the golden arms, which i loved.

however i thought it pretty average, and the fighting was WAY too circus-y for my liking. too much flipping and tricking just for the sake of it. i just couldnt buy any of it.

i can see y ppl love it, but id give it no higher than 3.5/5.

[morgoth]

I would actually only give it a 4/5, but it is still one of my favorites. It is unique in tons of ways and has great comedy. The fighting was the only thing that I found lacking. there were some good fights, but I would have liked it to be a bit more realistic. The training scenes and the interactions between the characters is why I love it so much.

[Chia Ling AKA Judy Lee]

I think that a lot of people view the word overrated differently.

How do you view it?

If people generally rate a film 'one of the best ever' and you watch it and don't think it's anything special, you would think it's overrated.

Avenging Eagle, Shaolin Prince, and 5 Venoms are a few of the titles that come to mind when I think overrated. I just didn't think they lived up to the hype.

I've never read anyone saying Boxer's Omen was in the league of the films I just mentioned, but that it can be a highly enjoyable cult classic. If you didn't enjoy it, it doesn't mean it's overrated, it means you didn't get it as it's a cult film.

[Ivy Ling Po]

My biggest disappointment is when after buying an IVL DVD, I discover Celestial has served us a cut print either in frame cuts or censored scenes. Speeded-up action is also very annoying especially when it is not in the original movie but engineered by Celestial.

[Live Wire]

IMO a lot of the venom movies are overhyped. E.g. Two Champions of Shaolin and Rebel Intruders are average at best. Especially the storytelling and the directing of Chang Cheh is bad. Ten Tigers of Kwangtung is another example for this.

[killer meteor]

I enjoyed Ten Tigers because I went in knowing it was going to be rather incompetant in the story department. Had I gone it expecting one of the greatest kung fu films ever, I would have been very disapointed

You know, for a film critc, Chang Cheh really lacked common filmmaking sense at times. Unless, the poorly constructed flashback stuff was done by other hands.

[venomchamber]

You know, for a film critc, Chang Cheh really lacked common filmmaking sense at times. Unless, the poorly constructed flashback stuff was done by other hands.

Exactly. ;)
Ten Tigers Of Kwangtung is essentially two films in one.
Chang Cheh started production on 10 Tigers back in late 77/early 78 and the film was shelved due to Fu Sheng's injury and Wei Pai's abrupt departure.
When filming resumed during 1980, his stable had changed. Gone were Wei Pai, Sun Chien & Lo Mang who had since been replaced by Wang Li, Chien Hsiao-Hao (2 Champions), and Lung Tien-Sheng (The Spearman) among others. Ti Lung was busy with Chu Yuan at the time and Fu Sheng (now recovered) began working with Liu Chia-Liang and would only work with Chang's gang one more time in Brave Archer & His Mate the following year.
So the previously filmed sequences became flashbacks told by the new younger group resulting with a sometimes incoherent film filled with acrobatic and pugilistic fighting.
Chang was older and would often snooze on the set |I leaving the directing to his assistant Chao Kang-Sheng (Chiang Sheng).
The result is one of Chang's weaker efforts, but still manages to be entertaining. :D

[morgoth]

Hey Chia Ling, I didn't get your post. Are you saying that you view the word overrated the same as the word cult?

[Iron Boat]

Okay this aint Shaw Brothers but I was highly disappointed with Secret Rivals, I thought this was going to be one of the greatest Kung Fu films ever, not even in my top 25.

[Iron Boat]

You know what, I think the Celestial Version of Avenging Eagle is overrated....to me, the old dubbed video was better. I dont know, I guess it appearing so clean ruined the grundgy look and emotion of the film to me. However the extras on that release, the pieces on Fu Sheng and Ti Lung were great.

[TheRover]

Kung Fu Instructor has to the most disappointing of all the Shaw films. It took 4 or 5 different times to watch the film fully.

peace

the rover

[Feng Gang]

Silent Flute summed it up well. I believe alot of confidence is lost in the films because we quickly get over those fond memories. With the quality being better than ever there's really no question about what you saw "back then." It's just a matter of whether it still appeals to your tastes. Personally, my taste in kungfu movies hasn't changed much in 20 years as I am pretty much exclusive to Shaw and uninfluenced by anything else from back then to now. If anything I have a greater respect for what they accomplished and also for lesser actors and extras.

I don't know, when I was a kid I really liked traps and seeing things get broken (doors, walls, signs, chairs) and by traps I mean ambushes, arrows, darts, spears, whatever...

[johnnydragon]

I watch these on channel 5 & USA and before that at the local movie theater then got them on VHS when
they came available then DVD everybody's talking like it's the first time they saw 5 masters of death or two of my personal fav's Kung Fu instructor & Avenging Eagle

are you guy's too young or what? every collector has these movies, for me to see them truly remastered was
all most like watching a new movie! I could see if we
were talking about this at the end of the year and were talking about> lifes gamble,tigress of shaolin, the winged tiger,house of traps(some have bad copies of this)
the pirate (not in German) the young vagabond W/wang yu, gordan liu and so so many more in 07


how are you disappointed with movies you already saw!!!!

at least we have subtitles and DVD's right joysales!!!!
all the titles we voted on to get no subtitles or DVD's

[Chia Ling AKA Judy Lee]

Hey Chia Ling, I didn't get your post. Are you saying that you view the word overrated the same as the word cult?

Hey Morgoth, not at all. I think cult films are difficult to overrate, as people talking about these films have a specialist interest in them so it won't neccesarily appeal to all. I was saying overrating is when everyone regards a film very highly and you feel that it is unwarranted. This will often happen with so called 'classics' of the genre, as fans build up a perception of what they hope the film will be and it falls short.

[Chen Zhen]

kung fu instructor wasnt THAT bad.......it was a good movie, nothin special tho

well, i guess in that sense it is overrated

[venomchamber]

hmmmm...
could it be that Flag Of Iron is disliked because it is a remake of The Duel (Of The Iron Fist)?

I've seen worse films, like Journey Of The Doomed.

[sevenhooks]

#2 Kung Fu Instructor (because of ti lungs sons balls)

That's definitely "The Master Strikes Back", NOT "Kung Fu Instructor".
I dug both of 'em on different levels, but "Kung Fu Instructor" was by FAR the better flick.
GREAT flick actually. One of Sun Chung's best IMO.
Unfortunately, the Celestial/ILV disc all but ruins the film with one of THE worst soundtrack remix jobs EVER.
Sadly, it makes the film all but unwatchable.
Far better to see the vcd or an english dubbed boot.
The one saving grace is the inclusion of the original trailer.
And the only reason I still own the dvd.


And speaking of the kid who plays Ti Lung's son in Master Strikes Back, apparently he grew up to play the title role in "Story of Ricky".
Also the real-life son of "White Powder Ma" (the drug dealer who lost his head in Mickey Rourke's "Year of the Dragon"), aka Fan Mei Sheng.




"Boxer's Omen", "Black Lizard", "14 Amazons" and "Come Drink With Me" stand out as some of the bigger let downs for me.

[Chen Zhen]

^^^thats Fan Siu Wong

hes an INCREDIBLE martial artist....its too bad he never got his due props.....he rocked in Death Games (97).....hes also the wimpy kid in Righting Wrongs

[morgoth]

It was funny to see Fan Siu Wong and his dad in Story of Ricky.


Hey Chia Ling, I guess I don't look at the word overrated the same as you. If someone tells me that a movie is one of the greatest ever, and I only give it a 8 or 9/10, I wouldn't say it is overrated. I would say it is a great movie, and if someone thinks that it is one of the best ever, then they saw something that appealed to them more than it did to me. Now a movie like flag of Iron I would consider overrated. I enjoyed the flag fighting very much, but all of the fights were too short and the movie was very boring. That movie was very disappointing for me. Maybe if they chopped about 45 minutes off the running time I would have liked it more.

[killer meteor]

When I think of overrated, I'm talking about a film many have raved about but to me is medicore - 5/10 - at best

It can depend on which film you see first. The older posters probably saw them as they came out, so the pioneers stand out more, whilst people like me see them in a random fashion. That's why Snake & Crane Arts Of Shaolin stands out for me - it was my first old school film - whilst Five Venoms doesn't do much for me

[jmungus]

interesting for me to hear about ppl`s disappointment with FLAG OF IRON.
ive got the celestial but aint watched yet (cuz ive watched my old FoI copy just a couple of months before the ivl release and i know it by heart from many previous viewings anyways).
now ive always considered FoI one of the venoms`better movies (easily one of their better movies), but that was a version cut by 20, 25 mins.
sounds to me like its those 'new' segments and how they`d influence structure and pace (2 things CC simply never mastered) that make this complete FoI a disappointing affair.
?!?!?

[oldeschool17]

i dont know bout all that. maybe the dont like it cause it just simply didnt appeal to them. I have the IVL release and i liked the movie. Im not one of those people to say the typical, "oh it suffered or could have been better had lo meng and sun chien been in the movie".

[morgoth]

No, I didn't have a problem with any of the actors. I had a problem with the fights being too short and the story. The story moves along with no point to it. We all know Lu Feng is the bad guy cause he is bad in every movie. They didn't try to hide that one bit. The whole plot with the Rambler is really stupid. There is just not much thought put into the movie. For me it doesn't come close to comparing with other venom classic like Golden Arm, Crippled Avengers, 5 Venoms, Invincible Shaolin and Shaolin Rescuers.

[Stuntman Jules]

I'm starting to think most of Chang Cheh's films are quite overrated and overhyped.

A few exceptions would be the stunningly brutal VENGEANCE and THE BOXER FROM SHANTUNG, but the latter is just as much Pao Sueh Li's baby as Chang's as Chang only shot the night footage. THE BLOOD BROTHERS is great too, since it is one of his more character driven films. THE ONE ARMED SWORDSMAN movies are also decent and I did like FIVE SHAOLIN MASTERS too.

But everything else, not so good. His historical epics are pretty messy and hilariously inaccurate (part of their charm, I know, but still). His Venoms movies are terrible (they totally lack the charisma of David Chiang and Ti Lung) and SHANGHAI 13, one of his last films, is one of the worst Hong Kong martial arts films I've ever seen.

Another overrated SB director is Lau Kar Leung. Blasphemy, I know, but the only Lau films that really did it for me were THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN and EIGHT DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER. Those two movies are superb, but everything else he's made is really way too silly.

Sun Chung is the best Shaw Brothers director, by far. HUMAN LANTERNS is my favorite Shaw Brothers movie and AVENGING EAGLE and THE SEXY KILLER are close behind. Though Chor Yuen, when he's not making confusing as hell Gu Long movies, is great too and Kuei Chih Hung's made some real masterpieces as well.

[Linn1]

but the latter is just as much Pao Sueh Li's baby as Chang's as Chang only shot the night footage.

this is not correct according to the DP of the film itself. Pao only shot a small amount of footage for Boxer, more or less second unit. And that film was completely Chang's baby from execution to art direction, the HKFA have his notes for the film and it was NOT a film thrown together to give Pao some experence like others were. Part of the big problem with Chang Cheh is this very thing, he gave too much of a chance to young directors. While it made him a great man, loved by everyone, in many cases his name was attached to films that were brought down by his co-director's lack of experence and the fact that Chang was often filming two films at once.The sloppyness of most of his historical epics IMO is down to this as well, as the other director's segments were often the messy bits. Like the ship scenes in All Men Are Brothers, etc.

[Stuntman Jules]

That's weird, because Chen Kuan Tai said in an interview that Pao Sueh Li shot all the day stuff and Chang Cheh shot only at night. Maybe his memory isn't that great.

[morgoth]

I don't know where to start with chang Cheh, but since Lau didn't direct near as many movies I will focus on him. Only 2 movies from him are superb in your opinion? What about Shaolin Mantis, Heroes of the East, Executioners of Shaolin, Dirty Ho and Return to the 36th Chamber? There was comedy, but it wasn't too silly. All of those movies had something very special about them. IMO they are every bit as good as 8 diagram Pole Fighter and 36th Chamber because of how unique they are. Here is what I am talking about.

Shaolin Mantis- great love story and probably David Chiang's best kung fu performance.

Executioners- bedroom kung fu! And Kuan Tai and Lo Lieh are badass.

Heroes of the East- do I really need to point out all the great things about this movie?

Dirty Ho- you have to see Kara Hui's fight if you haven't already and Lung Wei, Wilson Tong and Lo Lieh are superb in this.

Return to 36th chamber- one of my favorite comedies. Not nearly as over the top as Disciples. There are also some touching moments. But of course this movie is one of the best cause of the end fghts.

[oldeschool17]

Disciples of 36 Chambers and Martial Arts of Shaolin pissed me off with too much juvenile comedy/angst.
I thought Clan of the White Lotus was overrated too. It was a lil too "gay" for me in certain spots(i understand the point of feminine touch etc, but meh) and the constant training/get asswhooped/training more/go back to fight get asswhooped process was boring to me. The final with the acupuncture scenes were cool though.

[Chen Zhen]

Shaolin Mantis- great love story and probably David Chiang's best kung fu performance.

i thought the story was pretty subpar actually.....i guess i was disappointed that Lau chose to fictionalize things and not follow the actual formation of the Mantis Fist kung fu style..David Chiang is great as always, but i think Lau Kar Wing stole the show.

Executioners- bedroom kung fu! And Kuan Tai and Lo Lieh are badass.

i love this movie.....but i can see why ppl dont like it. its a lil slow moving....and the guy playing CKT's son is annoying beyond belief..

Heroes of the East- do I really need to point out all the great things about this movie?

cosign 100%. in my opinion, this was Lau Kar Leung's best all around movie.

Dirty Ho- you have to see Kara Hui's fight if you haven't already and Lung Wei, Wilson Tong and Lo Lieh are superb in this.

this is personally my fav LKL movie...altho i must admit, the bit in the middle with Wong Yue fighting those weird ppl while in exile was pushin it....otherwise, fantastic action, especially the scene with johnny wang.


Return to 36th chamber- one of my favorite comedies. Not nearly as over the top as Disciples. There are also some touching moments. But of course this movie is one of the best cause of the end fghts.

not one of my favs..but a great movie. i enjoyed the action a lot, what little there was. not crazy about the pacing, but a good movie, and WAY better than the 3rd.

[morgoth]

I kinda agree with you on Shaolin mantis. I actually thought there was too much fighting! It was all good fightign though. My favorite part of the movie is the interaction between David Chiang and the girl.

[Iron Boat]

Why does everyone keep saying Shaolin Mantis was David Chiang's best Kung Fu Performance?! IMO, The Loot is his best Kung Fu, and its a better movie to.

[morgoth]

Just my opinion. He is also good in The Loot, but in Mantis it seemed like he was working harder and was more precise in his movements.

[theportlykicker]

From what I've seen (thanks to rdenn) his best kung fu was on tv.

[Chen Zhen]

The Loot >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Shaolin Mantis

in every way.

[shaolin student]

I thought Dirty Ho was pretty good especially the end fight scene. A matter of fact I think it was one of the best fight scene ever made.

[venomchamber]

Part of the big problem with Chang Cheh is this very thing, he gave too much of a chance to young directors. While it made him a great man, loved by everyone, in many cases his name was attached to films that were brought down by his co-director's lack of experence and the fact that Chang was often filming two films at once.

Exactly.

John Woo was one of Chang's first assistant directors along with Pao Hsueh-Li, followed by Wu Ma.
It is interesting to note that they achieved much of their later success with rival studios such as Golden Harvest at Chang Cheh's expense. Woo has made this claim himself on several occasions.

Chiang Sheng was often his assistant director during his venoms-cycle where they were churning out between 3 & 5 movies a year! But still, it would appear they were popular enough at the time to warrant such an output to appease the masses.

Why does everyone keep saying Shaolin Mantis was David Chiang's best Kung Fu Performance?! IMO, The Loot is his best Kung Fu, and its a better movie to.

The Loot is not a Shaw Brothers production and this thread is a Shaw Brothers post, so I assume they implied during his Shaw studios period?
Liu Chia-Liang is an expert on traditional kung-fu and a marvellous director as well. However, I too wish he toned down the comedy in some of his films, but comedy was a popular draw in the Cantonese film market at the time & made for good box-office. I believe we can thank Jackie Chan's success over at Seasonal Films for that. ;)

Incidentally, The Loot had some comedic goofiness in it as well.

[venomchamber]

It was a lil too "gay" for me in certain spots

...don't forget Pai Mei's bathing scene complete with Lo Lieh's flying butt! :rollin

Seriously, great film though! :D

[venomchamber]

....and the guy playing CKT's son is annoying beyond belief..

That was Wang Yu (or Huang Yu or Wang Yue or Yung Wang Yu)...Dirty Ho himself in one of his earlier roles. I'm surprised you didn't recognize him! ;)

[morgoth]

actually, I said Shaolin Mantis is my favorite Chiang performance, and other people said the Loot was their favorite. I repect that cause Chiang is pretty awesome in that movie, I just don't agree with it:D

[Chen Zhen]

ah! thats right that was him..

i think i knew that from somewhere b4, but at least he wasnt 1/10th as annoying in dirty ho as he was in executioners.....lord he almost ruined what was otherwise one of LKL's best films.

[pigmode]

When I first discovered the Shaw Forum the main title I was waiting for was Black Tavern, one of the last Shaws I watched (sub-titled) in a theater. It has since been released, and its a winner.

[shaolin student]

There are a lot of bad shaw brothers movies , but the one that is most disappointing for me so far is Rendezvous with Death. I was looking do forward to seeing this movie. I've heard so many good things about the movie that I just knew it was going to be great. Not only was it boring, but the action was weak as well. This is just my opinion, so I do not need a bunch of crap from anybody.

Even though I've given the movie a bad review...shaw brothers is still my favorite company for martial arts movies. they also have a great library of classic kung fu movies!!!

[chingdog]

I am looking at this from the other side...I never did like Shaw movies that much although a few of the ones I had seen were very good. However, celestial has turned me on to alot of movies I would not have given the time of day. I can't say I like Shaw movies as well as some Taiwan flicks but I have to admit I was missing out on some good stuff. I really like the sword flicks alot better now than I did and also have become a HUGE fan of Yueh Hwa and Ti Lung. I still am not a Venoms supporter but maybe I will come around on them as well. I just try to go in with an open mind....

[Iron Boat]

I agree, Rendezvous With Death, is definitley not one of the best films ever made, but at least its not Chor Yuen styled Clan Fiction.

[DAJIZZARIZZA]

it's funny to me ,.. as i read all these titles put out by shaw bros. as disapointments ,..lol

these were movies made by the bunch ,.. these actors should had been exhausted ,.. they did not have stunt doubles .

anyway ,.. most of you guys that say these movies were disapointing ,.. what are you comparing them too ? lol

these movies were exactly what you would see in the operas ,.. but here you go ,.. it's on a large screen . i think you compare these movies to the new stuff out or something ... i read somewhere on this forum where people said "the kid with the golden arms" was disapointing ,.. what ?
that movie was tight ,.. down to the end.

only shaws i do not like are the horror ones ,.. they don't scare me ,.. and i can only imagine if i was high, off some drugs ,.. thier horror movies would crack me up ,..hahaaaha.

the only one i was disapointed in was the destroyers ,.. only because i hate seeing the good guys die. but the movie was excellent as always.

[Iron_Jinon]

We all know Lu Feng is the bad guy cause he is bad in every movie.but he was good in shaolin daredevils;).I enjoyed flag of iron a lot,it`s even better than I expected.fighting is superb and although shaws have always great costumes,extra mention to them in this case..."the water margin" was very disappointing for me.best cheh movies from early seventies are definitely new one armed swordsman&deadly duo...IMO

[Morgoth]

I still have to see daredevils, but Flag of Iron I found to be way overrated. I don't see how people can say how Flag of Iron is one of their favorites. There is just no thought put into it. The finale is good, but pretty much all of the other fights are too short. I don't think I can name a worse Chang Cheh Venoms movie.

[Iron_Jinon]

few my friends who know their stuff feel about same as you,thatz why my expectations were not sky high but I enjoyed it more than them(or you)anyway.almost total lack of outdoor scenes is one thing which I dun like so much...hmm,I cannot really name worst venom movie,like them all more or less(house of traps and legend of the fox still unseen).

[NoNiceTime]

Dirty Ho and Lion Vs Lion.

[will91XingYu]

For me was probably was 36th Chamber of Shaolin, as i put in my review i liked it it but it wasn't personally the classic everyone had said it was.

[tarim69]

Heres some I think are really overrated

Executioners From Shaolin
Legendary Weapons Of China
8 Diagram Pole Fighter
Vengeance(I think its a good movie, but ALOT of people will put it in their top 10s. I prefer The Duel)
5 Elemental Ninja
Masked Avengers,Daredevils and most other later Venoms films.
New Tales Of The Flying Fox

[Morgoth]

Dirty Ho, 36th Chamber, 8 DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?:eek::eek:

[will91XingYu]

Sorry but 36th Chamber is for me overhyped and the other two in the series underappreciated as they're much better than the first one IMO.

[Morgoth]

Sorry but 36th Chamber is for me overhyped and the other two in the series underappreciated as they're much better than the first one IMO.

Maybe you don't like slower paced films, I dunno, but as you can see from my post I was much more surprised by 8 Diagram Pole FIghter being on the list of overhyped movies. I just need to breath in, and breath out, and I think I will be ok.

[will91XingYu]

lol 8 Diagram Pole Fighter is one my favs but it's all personal opinion, for me another one was Chinatown Kid, it had all the venoms, Fu Sheng and Dick Wei and i found it really boring.

[Morgoth]

I have only seen the 90 minute version, but Fu Sheng kicks serious ass in Chinatown Kid. He made Wang Lung Wei and Lo Meng look like weaklings.

[will91XingYu]

Thats another reason why i didn't like it because Lo Meng, Wang Lung Wei and even Philip Kwok don't get to show off much, but i guess it was a Fu Sheng movie.

[Morgoth]

Thats another reason why i didn't like it because Lo Meng, Wang Lung Wei and even Philip Kwok don't get to show off much, but i guess it was a Fu Sheng movie.

Yeah it is a fu Sheng movie, and he is on fire in his fights. definitely one of his best performances.

[sammofan]

Heres some I think are really overrated

Executioners From Shaolin
Legendary Weapons Of China
8 Diagram Pole Fighter
Vengeance(I think its a good movie, but ALOT of people will put it in their top 10s. I prefer The Duel)
5 Elemental Ninja
Masked Avengers,Daredevils and most other later Venoms films.
New Tales Of The Flying Fox

Since when was New Tales Of The Flying Fox hyped?:confused:
I thought I was the only one on this forum that really likes it. :D
I know that Peringaten really hates it! :p

[tarim69]

Sammo
Mark Polard gives it a above average rating, but I had read a very good review of it elsewhere which is what made me mark it down to see. I dotn rememebr where since Im constantly lookign things up and its easy to forget where I saw this that or the other thing.

I hadent seen it before and was pretty disappointed by it.

Yea I know that 8 Diagram Pole Fighter is a popular movie.

[Morgoth]

Yea I know that 8 Diagram Pole Fighter selection is a popular movie.

So, you were just looking to cause trouble:p;)

[tarim69]

Nah.

I tried watching it twice and really didnt like it either time.

I ended up trading it away.

[Morgoth]

Well it is definitely not your typical kung fu flick. Maybe the fact that is was all done on sets bugged you?

[Drunken Monk]

I'm shocked to see a lot of these on people's lists. "Invincible Pole Fighter?" "Dirty Ho?" "Fight Element Ninja?" Still, whatever floats your boat.

I can understand getting criticized for my choice. I was disappointed somewhat with the over-hyped "Avenging Eagle." I was expecting an absolute weapons extravaganza and while, yes, there are lots of weapons I just felt the choreography fell flat for me in places.

"Heroes Two" let me down too. Granted, it was a well told tale but the whole film felt boring to me and the early kung fu action was blocky and awkward.

[Morgoth]

AVENGING EAGLE?!???!?!?!?!?

I need to stop reading this thread before I have a heart attack:p

[Iron_Jinon]

8 diagram is very good IMO,best liu movie..from start it is fine but it gets better when raving insane fu sheng character disappears(sad reason for that though:().scene where gordon shaves his head is cool and final showdown in room with coffins is extremely impressive.

[Drunken Monk]

AVENGING EAGLE?!???!?!?!?!?

I need to stop reading this thread before I have a heart attack:p

Haha, yeah. Don't get me wrong, I still like the movie but it's hyped as being one of the best weapons films and me? I didn't see it.

[Morgoth]

Well I guess its not the best weapons movie, but there is a hell of a lot more to Avenging Eagle than weapons.

[oldeschool17]

Haha, yeah. Don't get me wrong, I still like the movie but it's hyped as being one of the best weapons films and me? I didn't see it.
I'll agree with this. Morgoth, pull up to the front of the hospital, they will valet park your car.
Granted there was a variety of weapons involved, but I dont think this was a technically skilled weapons bonanza by any means. Ti Lung is no Gordon Liu on the 3 sectional staff(if i recall, he didnt do any figure 8's or spinning behind the back action or did he?). What Avenging Eagle does have is an engaging plot and cool characters.

[Morgoth]

Yeah I am not saying Avenging eagle is one of the best weapons movies ever(although it doesn't get better than Tong Gai using a spear), but I just don't see how it could be listed on a thread titled "most hyped, most anticipated shaw brothers disappointments". It won't be long before all of the very best Shaw Brothers movies are listed on this thread. My head is spinning so fast right now it feels like it is going to fly right off.

[Drunken Monk]

Well it depends on the meaning of the thread. I admittedly was a little disappointed in "Avenging Eagle" simply because I was expecting a weapons bonanza. I was not let down its characters, plot, acting or back drops. In fact I think it's a good 4/5 film.

However, if this thread means what films were highly anticipated and hyped only to be completely shit movies then I'd have to change my original post.

I expected Gary Daniels' "Fist of the North Star" to be fantastic. Alas, it was the opposite.

[clfnole]

Hate to disappoint but when Lau Kar Fai (Gordon Liu) is doing the flowers with the 3-sec behind his back (most notably in Heroes of the East) it isn't him it is Lau Kar Leung. If you read interviews with LKF he says he never even used the weapon before filming 36 Chambers.

As for this topic for me it was "Gangmaster" very hyped but Wai Ying Hung's brother in the lead didn't do it for me. Plus the overall story and action was just okay, kinda had an indy feel rather than a traditional Shaw feel. The movie was okay but it was really hyped by many, maybe becuase it was rare or there wasn't a good copy floating around.

[oldeschool17]

Hate to disappoint but when Lau Kar Fai (Gordon Liu) is doing the flowers with the 3-sec behind his back (most notably in Heroes of the East) it isn't him it is Lau Kar Leung. If you read interviews with LKF he says he never even used the weapon before filming 36 Chambers.

As for this topic for me it was "Gangmaster" very hyped but Wai Ying Hung's brother in the lead didn't do it for me. Plus the overall story and action was just okay, kinda had an indy feel rather than a traditional Shaw feel. The movie was okay but it was really hyped by many, maybe becuase it was rare or there wasn't a good copy floating around.

hmm, thats interesting to know. ill have to view that again to see how they shoot that

[Endsang]

Check Heroes of the East.. you can see that Gordon is doubled there, and it's probably his brother... typical LKL move. :) Gotta give to Gordon though, because he really handles the three-sectional staff well, and better than Ti Lung in Avenging Eagle in my opinion. Ti Lung wasn't bad, but he didn't look as confident as Gordon always does when performing some of the moves.

[D_Davis]

I'm shocked to see a lot of these on people's lists. "Invincible Pole Fighter?" "Dirty Ho?" "Fight Element Ninja?" Still, whatever floats your boat.



This thread makes me sad. So many amazing movies seem to disappoint so many people. I don't get it. It's probably because I don't really have any hype at all regarding most of these. Most of the "popular" ones I've seen at one time or another when I was younger, and the ones I've never heard of before the remaster (like Five Superfighters which is an amazing movie) weren't really hyped at all. I just walk into the shop, pick up the new releases, take them home, and hope to have a good time. Sure, I've seen some real clunkers, but this is not due to any hype or disappointment, it's just due to the fact that some of them are simply bad films! :)

[teako170]

Regarding the body double in HOTE...

A few years back I started a thread on this topic after watching the IVL disc for the first time. I posted a screenshot of the "double" and the consensus was that it was Lau Kar Wing. The giveaway that it was someone else was Gordon's bad hairpiece.

Nonetheless, a great film. One of Pop's best and I don't find this a distraction. Actually, just the opposite as its fun to discover new things about these films.

[iron flag]

I dont know how hyped or anticipated it was by everyone else, but Return of the Bastard Swordsman was a big dissapointment to me.

[wuxiawuxia]

Don't mean to be a pain but I honestly think these three movies are overrated

1. 8th Diagram Pole Fighter (a bore for me, i seriously fell asleep)
2. Five Deathly Venoms (nothing spectacular, Masked Avenger is better)
3. King Boxer (Chinese Boxer which came out first was better)

[Mr. Vampire]

This thread makes me sad... Sure, I've seen some real clunkers, but this is not due to any hype or disappointment, it's just due to the fact that some of them are simply bad films! :)

I dunno, I don't get it either, and I don't have a list like this. Then again, I guess I don't pay attention to the "hype" as that would take away time better spent watching films.

I have seen 98% of the SB that Celestial has put out on DVD (all genres) and my list of "just didn't like it" is up to a whole four films now: Mr Funny Bone, Mr Funny Bone Strikes Again, The Bastard, and Blood Brothers.

[Morgoth]

Blood Brothers with Ti Lung and David Chiang? Seriously, you didn't like that movie? This has to be the most mind boggling thread on this forum. So many great movies listed on here, it is just crazy.

[oldeschool17]

Thats life man. The same movies i like, others will hate and vice versa.

[GhostFaceKiller]

Yeah man,

There are so many amazing movies on here it hurts my heart. We shouldn't do this again. It's too painful.

[Iron_Jinon]

3 evil masters..humour is out of control and in most cases it`s dire one(most irrating scene is where yun tak dresses as girl and goes after money),plot has been seen 10000 times before and fights except opening kuan tai against masters and end where tak has great bout with wang lung wei are nothing special...but it`s the comedy which really kills this movie for me,director seemed need to add some comedy to the very last seconds.
this movie sure has it`s army of fans but 2/5 from me.

[teako170]

Here's the screen cap I mentioned on the prior page:

http://www.teako170.com/heroeast1.jpg

[Sifu]

To me, probably the most disputed Kung Fu movie by way of opinion are, and have always been The Five Deadly Venoms series! But of course, this isn't the thread for that :D

[Morgoth]

3 evil masters..humour is out of control and in most cases it`s dire one(most irrating scene is where yun tak dresses as girl and goes after money),plot has been seen 10000 times before and fights except opening kuan tai against masters and end where tak has great bout with wang lung wei are nothing special...but it`s the comedy which really kills this movie for me,director seemed need to add some comedy to the very last seconds.
this movie sure has it`s army of fans but 2/5 from me.

Wow when I predicted that eventually all of the very best Shaw movies would be listed on this thread I didn't think it would come true.

[Drunken Monk]

"3 Evil Masters" did have a lot of comedy in it but, for me, it worked. I loved it.

[Morgoth]

I love that brothel scene. Yuen Tak had me cracking up when he was trying to make it seem like he had boobs.

[D_Davis]

Wow when I predicted that eventually all of the very best Shaw movies would be listed on this thread I didn't think it would come true.

The Master aka 3 Evil Masters is a damn masterpiece. Some of the best on screen kung fu ever filmed.

[iron flag]

True. But if you're not into the comedy I could see where it may be dissapointing. I was bummed that CKT didn't fight again after that amazing opening sequence.

[clfnole]

The Master is a great movie but you have to admit Yuen Tak is very annoying. :D

[Morgoth]

True. But if you're not into the comedy I could see where it may be dissapointing. I was bummed that CKT didn't fight again after that amazing opening sequence.


he actually had 2 more fights, but they were too brief.

[D_Davis]

he actually had 2 more fights, but they were too brief.

Plus, the film shows a great pair of tits.

[iron flag]

One of those "fights" consisted of him getting his ass kicked all over the place by the 3 evil masters, right? ;)

[Morgoth]

Plus, the film shows a great pair of tits.

Actually, great pairs of tits. :D


One of those "fights" consisted of him getting his ass kicked all over the place by the 3 evil masters, right? ;)

Yeah, they cheated:mad:

[D_Davis]

Yeah, they cheated:mad:


And ouch, what a landing! Hello Mr. Foot, meet Mr. Taint!

http://genrebusters.com/images/master14.jpg

[Morgoth]

hey nice pics and review you put up for this movie. I haven't commented on that thread because I am just sittin back and enjoying it:D

[D_Davis]

hey nice pics and review you put up for this movie. I haven't commented on that thread because I am just sittin back and enjoying it:D

Oh thanks mate! Glad you are liking it.

[Mr. Vampire]

Blood Brothers with Ti Lung and David Chiang? Seriously, you didn't like that movie? This has to be the most mind boggling thread on this forum. So many great movies listed on here, it is just crazy.

There were aspects of the film that were, in fact, good, if not great. However, there was a major plot device that I found annoying to no end. And she didn't even have the decency to jump out the window towards the end...

But hey, four out of hundreds of films, not a bad curve. I even liked Crazy Shaolin Disciples.

[Iron_Jinon]

The Master aka 3 Evil Masters is a damn masterpiece. Some of the best on screen kung fu ever filmed.
^that statement I find really hard to agree but then again these are just opinions,not ultimate truths.fight with wang lung wei is cool one but then again I do not remember seeing bad punch&kick exchange by him.his evil charisma and ultimate skill make every fight he is featured worth seeing and this is still not among his best.scenes where yuen tak wipes out wipes 2 other masters are very average.have seen worse but a lot better also.
between beginning and end what we have?kuan tai slaps taks original sifu and is killed by 3 masters.3 masters kick ass of fellow students of tak whose skill seem to be so poor even guy with no training would prolly kick their ass:p...and scene tak takes on 2 henchmen after they leave restaurant.what we have besides those?some training.not much I think,rest of the time is used for comedy...would humour has been toned down and have fu sheng instead of tak this`d be lot better movie.

[Morgoth]

There were aspects of the film that were, in fact, good, if not great. However, there was a major plot device that I found annoying to no end. And she didn't even have the decency to jump out the window towards the end...

But hey, four out of hundreds of films, not a bad curve. I even liked Crazy Shaolin Disciples.

Yeah 4 out of 100's means you can stand just about anything, but I couldn't believe I saw Blood Brothers on your list. I loved everything about that movie, even Cheng Li's role. I escpecially love the scene where David Chiang and Ti Lung are fighting and she has to stand there and watch the trouble that she has caused. That movie hit me hard. it is definitly one of my favorite Shaw Brothers movies.



^that statement I find really hard to agree but then again these are just opinions,not ultimate truths.fight with wang lung wei is cool one but then again I do not remember seeing bad punch&kick exchange by him.his evil charisma and ultimate skill make every fight he is featured worth seeing and this is still not among his best.scenes where yuen tak wipes out wipes 2 other masters are very average.have seen worse but a lot better also.
between beginning and end what we have?kuan tai slaps taks original sifu and is killed by 3 masters.3 masters kick ass of fellow students of tak whose skill seem to be so poor even guy with no training would prolly kick their ass:p...and scene tak takes on 2 henchmen after they leave restaurant.what we have besides those?some training.not much I think,rest of the time is used for comedy...would humour has been toned down and have fu sheng instead of tak this`d be lot better movie.

I enjoyed the training in 3 Evil Masters. The relationship between Yuen Tak and Chen Kuan Tai was very well done. And while Yuen Tak may not be as good of an actor as Fu Sheng, I thought he played his part perfectly. I guess you either like his comedy or you don't. Like you said, it is just opinions.

[vengeanceofhumanlanterns]

The opening fight between Chen Kuan Tai and the 3 Evil Masters is awesome. Extremely well choreographed fight scenes right there. Beyond Chen Kuan Tai's scenes in the film I have to admit I'm not that interested in the film, though it is a decent film overall.

Blood Brothers is an epic masterpiece for Shaws standards.

[Iron_Jinon]

Lion Vs Lion.
I will second to that...while fighting is good,rest of movie is total mess.it looks like very cheap movie,not effort used to sets.lion dance scene appears suddenly and seems to be not part of plot...if there is such....
wong yus clownmanouvers are as always in use,people who fight in opening credits dun seem to appear later.not at least in action scenes.wang lung wei is easily best character in movie but seems scripwriter did not create him strong personality.and lo meng desperadly needs his venom mates,outside fightscenes he looks like orphan...hell,waste of 18€

[Endsang]

Lion vs. Lion wasn't that bad overall, as it had some really nice fights and decent lion dancing, but the ending was simply horrible. It's like they kill off Lo Meng only because he has died in just about every film he ever starred in, and after that it's just Wong Yue playing hide and seek with Wang Lung Wei. Very anticlimatic, but I don't regret buying it because of Chin Yuet Sang vs Wang Lung Wei and Lo Meng vs "Barbers". That was sheer awesomeness.

[venoms5]

I must be one of a few who actually enjoyed LION VS LION but then it takes a lot for me to dislike these movies completely. I would like to think that Lo being killed was there simply for the fact that you don't expect it to happen thus leaving the far less skilled character played by Wong Yu to deal with Wang Lung Wei. The ending appears inspired by the ending of the spaghetti western ARIZONA COLT starring Giuliano Gemma.

[Iron_Jinon]

I was not actually expecting much from "spirit of the sword" but no pleasant surprise this time...some nice sets and few OK swordplay scenes but characters were really uninteresting.main lead is so irrating before middle of movie I was praying he will get killed...
I guess this was 1st Chu Yuan flick I saw.Bad thing I still have at least Roving Swordsman,Jade Tiger and Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre 1&2 to watch..to make things worse all are originals so some money have been spent on them:rolleyes:...hopefully they are slightly better:eek:
edit...closer look to shelf revealed I have also Intimate Confessions(very good)&Killer Clans(Unseen)

[Righteous Master]

Last Hurrah For Chivalry- Average plot and average Action.

The Five Deadly Venoms- Fairly boring and not enough action. Below average kung fu. Not much kicking. The Toad is sweet though!

King Boxer- Average kung fu with a few action highlights. After I watched this movie I had to wonder why this movie made so much money and broke box office records. Came to the conclusion that maybe the graphic scenes were the talk of the town, which were not common until this films release.

It seems like it is hard to get the complete package in old school kung fu classics. I like my movies to have great kung fu, nice looking sets/scenery, characters that you can emotionally connect with and an above average story. Even though most films lack one of the above I still love classic kung fu! A movie that comes to mind that fits into this catagory is Fearless.

[ironfistedmonk]

Holy shit!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe the films that are getting slagged of in this thread, again!!!!! You guys have been too spoiled with the remastered films and are expecting some Citizen Kane masterpiece.

Last Hurrah For Chivalry is a Golden Harvest film and one of the greatest ever made, it's right up there amongst my favourite swordplay films (it may even be my favourite swordplay film)

Blood Brothers is undoubtedly Chang Cheh's finest all round movie, great story, acting, the whole shebang, it all comes together perfectly

5 Venoms has some great scenes and plot points, don't understand how this one has been getting such a rough ride since the IVL version came out.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion and I respect those opinions but you guys have been giving some classics (and I don't use that word lightly) a right kicking :eek:

[Endsang]

At first, the action seemed a bit slow in Last Hurrah, but as I watched it the second time, I realize that it is technically brilliant. Also liked the characters and plot very much.. it was quite original actually.

[iron flag]

Last Hurrah is a great flick!!!

[Iron_Jinon]

I saw 5 Deadly Venoms 1st time from Made In Hong Kong videotape 10+years ago and was expecting something totally mindblowing.well,it`s not that great.there are several better venom films.plot is fine but I felt also there was not enough fighting.lizard and student#6 should really have gone after wang"judge"lung wei and have great bout with him in the end.
"chivalry" is masterpiece,lots of interesting villains(sleeping wizard,praying mantis dwarfs etc...),great sets and music score is one of best in movies.