Review of Kung Fu Hustle (2004) by James A — 22 Feb 2012

One of the finest martial arts movies I've ever seen! Starts off mildly shocking, then completely slapstick, then some of the immense creativity of the movie starts showing through. The villains are unique and distinct even as much of the movie appears to be a farce and rehash of typical kung fu movies, and the stock stereotypes lulled me into such a sense of complacency that when the truly creative scenes and characters popped up I was thoroughly unprepared. Finally, at end I was left with a totally unexpected sense that a profound lesson had been imparted, the last thing I would have expected to find in such a silly and entertaining movie. Surreal, hysterical, and a completely original mosaic pulled from bits and pieces of so many other movies of this genre, KFH is unlike anything I've ever seen before.

(review written before I'd seen Shaolin Soccer, which I also enjoyed but not as much as this one).