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Once Upon a Time in China 4

Once Upon a Time in China 4

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Chiu Man Cheuk Continues the Saga in Full Force
Review: Chiu Man Cheuk's (also known as Wing Zhao) debut as the sucessor of Jet Li in the role of Wong Fei Hung in the Once Upon a Time in China series. This is a brilliant piece of work, the introduction is magnificent, with a clear mix of Taji and Tong Bei Quan. Chiu Man Cheuk's style is fast, fierce, diverse, and orginal, as evidenced by the astounding scene in the prison. The only reason why this movie is not perfect, is the fact that the story is not as interesting and compelling, but the fight scenes make up for that fact. A must see for any avid Martial Artist. Recommended viewing: Mahjong Drajon and Blade, two of Chiu Man Cheuk's best, fun to watch with your whole family. Note: Keep your finger on the slow motion button, before you miss all the action. :)

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not a bad edition to the saga
Review: Even without Li Lian-Jie, this movie still flows. Chiu Man Cheuk does a descent job of stepping up and playing the lead character. If Jet didn't do such a superb job in the previous titles, you wouldn't have noticed the change.

The story, in my opinion, is just a rehash of part 3. It's a similar plot, without the romance subplot between Wong Fei-Hung and Peony.

But the jewel in this movie is the character development of Club Foot (aka Seven). Max Mok is a refreshing sight in this flick.

Definitely better than Once Upon a Time in China and America, but too similar to part 3.

Worth a rent, maybe a purchase.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not a bad edition to the saga
Review: Even without Li Lian-Jie, this movie still flows. Chiu Man Cheuk does a descent job of stepping up and playing the lead character. If Jet didn't do such a superb job in the previous titles, you wouldn't have noticed the change.

The story, in my opinion, is just a rehash of part 3. It's a similar plot, without the romance subplot between Wong Fei-Hung and Peony.

But the jewel in this movie is the character development of Club Foot (aka Seven). Max Mok is a refreshing sight in this flick.

Definitely better than Once Upon a Time in China and America, but too similar to part 3.

Worth a rent, maybe a purchase.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not worth the money
Review: I found it sadly disappointing to even watch this DVD. Even if I hadn't watch the previous 3 before watching this, everything seemed unnatural and odd, even more so after watching the first 3 movies before this one. This didn't have Jet Li in it, and even though most of the original characters from the prior 3 are in here, they acted different and it can be seen.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Meet the new kid
Review: This film sees a new Wong Fei Hung and is akin to having a new actor playing James Bond. Jet Li made the part his own so any actor would feel the pressure of stepping into those kung fu slippers. In fact the whole film seems to be aimed at introducing us to Chiu Man Chuk, the new Wong. Elements of the first three films are blended into the story, which is the weakest part of the film but the fight scenes are great. One for fans I think. Best character has to be the horse punching Billy Chow.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: a pretty good movie even without Jet Li
Review: This was an improvement over OUATIC III and that movie boasted Jet Li. I didn't think that this movie was as horrible as people made it out to be. It's always tough to replace a lead actor but somehow they got this movie to work. Of course, it's not Jet Li but then again it's not garbage. If people want to see a good "let's kick some butt" Kung Fu movie, then I don't think you'll be disappointed with this one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: 5 STARS FOR PURELY PERSONAL REASONS
Review: Wong Fei-Hong & Co. are up against the evil foreigners again, who attempt to subvert the Lion Dance competion to their own end with lethal consequences. Compounding the movie is a "Boxer Rebellion-esque" all female anti-foreign sect whose attacks on foreign embassies bring Wong to the rescue. Largely because Xin Xin Xiong (Clubfoot) had one of his more visible roles in this movie, I liked it a lot more than most people so take this review with a bigger grain of salt than you normally would with any movie review. As a whole, IV was a lot more streamlined than the previous OUATIC films, so you don't feel like you're still waiting for the film to start when you're half way through it as with the other films. I would have prefered Jet Li rather than Chiu Man Cheuk (or Vincent Zhao, as he's now known) as Wong Fei-hong, but Chiu/Zhao does a credible job. There's also more of an emphasis on the martial arts in this film, with fights occuring at more frequent and regular intervals, and they're above average in quality, although they tend to be brief as a whole. Like any film, you should watch it yourself and make your own decisions, but overall, the entire Once Upon a Time in China series does tend to be more smoke than fire.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: 5 STARS FOR PURELY PERSONAL REASONS
Review: Wong Fei-Hong & Co. are up against the evil foreigners again, who attempt to subvert the Lion Dance competion to their own end with lethal consequences. Compounding the movie is a "Boxer Rebellion-esque" all female anti-foreign sect whose attacks on foreign embassies bring Wong to the rescue. Largely because Xin Xin Xiong (Clubfoot) had one of his more visible roles in this movie, I liked it a lot more than most people so take this review with a bigger grain of salt than you normally would with any movie review. As a whole, IV was a lot more streamlined than the previous OUATIC films, so you don't feel like you're still waiting for the film to start when you're half way through it as with the other films. I would have prefered Jet Li rather than Chiu Man Cheuk (or Vincent Zhao, as he's now known) as Wong Fei-hong, but Chiu/Zhao does a credible job. There's also more of an emphasis on the martial arts in this film, with fights occuring at more frequent and regular intervals, and they're above average in quality, although they tend to be brief as a whole. Like any film, you should watch it yourself and make your own decisions, but overall, the entire Once Upon a Time in China series does tend to be more smoke than fire.


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