Flash Gordon, Bubba Ho-Tep, Ralph Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings. All movies that were filmed with the intention of making a sequel. To that list we can add Eureka Entertainment‘s newest offering: Kung Fu Cult Master.
Of these films, Kung Fu Cult Master can perhaps draw more parallels with Bakshi’s animated cult classic. Starring Jet Li and directed by Wong Jing it is also based on a popular set of fantasy books, namely Jin Yong’s The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. And while it might haven taken Peter Jackson to find box office success with his adaptation, it was Jing himself who was able to strike gold with his second attempt, this time managing a two-parter with his 2022 big budget release.
That doesn’t mean that this film should be overlooked. After all, mid-90s Jet Li is always worth a watch. Here he plays Zhang Wuji, a man on a quest to end the conflict between warring martial arts sects by becoming the greatest martial artist alive. Wuxia films of this time often combine some of the most amazingly over the top, verging on bonkers, elements of fantasy – a crazy monk attached to a rolling boulder springs to mind – with some truly innovative fight and stunt sequences. This is no surprise as Kung Fu cinema legend and pioneer Sammo Hung choreographed the fights. Hung also takes a role as the legendary Zhang Sanfeng, doing a fine job to boot.
The film does take some liberties with the text, which caused some controversies at the time but are unlikely to bother anyone not familiar with the original work. It’s also particularly difficult to follow. Jing famously works without a complete script. Perhaps working with an original text might provide a basic framework, but when that text deals with hundreds of characters, subplots, and mythologies verging on the surreal, what in other films can feel like spontaneity here we end up with a movie that demands your attention simply to know what on Earth is going on.
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This leads to a somewhat bitty feel throughout, a feeling not lessened by the impending inevitability of a franchise cut short. Yet incomplete wouldn’t be the right word, despite the fact that it does end on a cliff-hanger that is never resolved. There is a lot to like here. Even the madness of Jing’s direction has an unpolished charm.
In short this is definitely worth watching, just make sure you’re not distracted by your phone for even a moment. You’ll be robbing yourself of some truly spectacular set pieces, as well as any hope of comprehension. Blink and you’ll miss it? More like blink and you’ll never know what on Earth anyone is talking about for the remainder of the film.
Kung Fu Cult Master is out now on Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment.
