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The Shaolin Temple

The Shaolin Temple

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $14.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: OK movie, but video transfer is pretty bad
Review: A must-see for Jet Li fans, but I wish this had been subtitled, rather than dubbed in English. The film is not letterboxed.

The inclusion of the original theatrical trailer is a nice touch, but parts of the video transfer, especially low-light scenes such as the drunken pole/sword fight, are so low-contrast that it's difficult to see the action at times. The dubbing isn't terrible, but the translation takes a few liberties with the story line, such as disguising the fact that the animal he's roasting is his girlfriend's dog! The musical numbers, at least, have been kept from the original.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Jet Li makes the movie
Review: Contrary to the package labelling, this movie is not in its original language. I watched this movie when it was released on the big screen, and it was in Mandarin, not Cantonese. However, the video and audio quality was just as bad in the original film format as it is in the videotape. But technical difficulties aside, once you get your eyes and ears adjusted, Jet Li will blow you away. You can easily see China's wushu champion at work in this movie; all of his movements are crisp, clean and very graceful, in top form. Add to that the acting ability he shows and the fact that he's still just a kid, and it's a truly awe-inspiring film. The supporting cast is no slack-off either. Even if the movie seems like pure show-and-tell at times, the martial arts demonstrations are just fabulous. This movie is a must for all martial arts fans and for all Chinese culture lovers!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Get the Mei-ah version...
Review: Hong Kong Mei-Ah may not be the best DVD production company in the world but for this movie at least, it is tons better than the US version. It's anamorphic widescreen and remastered, put back in glorious color. There's no extras, but this price, I don't think anyone's complaining.

This is the first landmark Mainland Chinese gongfu flick to make it big. Back in the early 1980s, it's a huge box office hit, making a star of the very young Jet Li, who plays the lead role. To take nothing away from Jet, the troupe of very accomplished young actors at the very least rivals him in martial artist execution (check out some of his senior brothers sequences in the film), and there's some very nice landscape shots of Shaolin on location. I do find the story a bit short and thin in 98 minutes, but there's nothing short about the kungfu execution. There's no wireworks, and on show is just plain and realistic Shaolin martial arts as seen in real life. Animal lovers will flinch at some scenes (a poor dog and a squashed lamb are the victims), and some Buddhists will not find some of the tongue-in-cheek attitudes mouthed by the Shaolin monks to their taste, but for the most parts it's a fun and enjoyable spree run, featuring a sweet Ding-Lan as a shepherd girl as well. The supports have a sadistic villanous general and a comically staunch senior monk in the subplot. Jet Li plays a young avenger whose father was killed by the general and trains secretly in Shaolin.

Recommended.


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Jet Li Is Phenomenal! (Just Get The Mei Ah Version)
Review: I have been a Jet Li fan since the first movie I ever saw him in. I have known of this movie for a while but was always hesitant to buy it based on the comments of such a low quality transfer and overall bad DVD. Great News! The Mei Ah Entertainment version is here! I tracked down a widescreen version(edaymovie.com) and to my surprise it is digitally remastered and in anamorphic widescreen. It is beautiful. Dare I even say perfect!

Now for the movie. Think of Gordon Liu and the Shaw Bros. classic Master Killer(the stories have nearly the same plot), except this one is so much better! For starters, this is the first movie to ever be filmed at the real Shaolin Temple, and some of the actual monks are in the movie! This film has a ton of fighting and training scenes. Around 3/4 of the movie is non stop kung fu amazement. There are so many different weapons and styles used in this movie: spears, staffs, three sectioned staffs, rope and chain darts, all kinds of swords including a scene where a bad guy uses drunken sword style against Jet Li's drunken staff (worth buying the movie alone for), and other weapons. There are also countless hand to hand styles, too many to mention. Everybody in this movie is outstanding, not only Jet Li.

Like I stated earlier, get ONLY the Mei Ah Entertainment version. It is digitally remastered and in anamorphic widescreen. It is the best transfer of a movie this old you will ever see. And the sound is great. It is in DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 in the original language with optional subtitles.

If you haven't seen this movie before and you are a kung fu fan or you have an inferior version of this already, I highly reccommend buying this(Mei Ah version). You will love it!

Other Mei Ah titles that are also digitally remastered and anamorphic widescreen are Jet Li's Kids From Shaolin and Kung Fu Cult Master aka Lord of the Wu Tang, Brigitte Lin's Dragon Inn, Jackie Chan's Snake In The Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master, and Yuen Woo Ping's Drunken Master 2: Dance Of The Drunk Mantis.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is the real gong-fu
Review: I like this movie and I want to bye it

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: This is what started it all
Review: Jet's first feature film. This film was so controversial that it influenced Chinese youth to join the Shaolin monastery. Everyone wanted to be a Shaolin monk. Jet was very intensive in this film. It makes you wonder if he was just a natural born actor.

Don't call yourself a fan unless you've seen this.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Jet Li's first movie rocks!!
Review: Shortly after he became national all-around Wu Shu champion of China, Jet Li, at the age of, like, 19, made this kick-butt movie. Okay, the plot has been seen before: young martial artist goes to the Shaolin temple to train so he can take revenge on the murderer of his father. But the film goes a little deeper, since the hero cools down, learns humility and instead of getting the girl, becomes a monk. Good character development as Li wobbles between humility and burning desire for revenge. As flamboyant and action packed as Jackie Chan's movies are, Jet Li's, on the other hand, are just outstanding martial arts skill. Watch this movie for excellent examples of the martial artists being produced by the wu shu training camps in mainland China - broadswords, whip chains, three-sectional staff work, rope darts, killer long staff forms and combat, and awesome open-handed forms and combat. A real martial artists' movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Real Gung-Fu
Review: The video shut down 5 times the last 1/4 part of the movie ,had
to restart it each time .Then when I went to rewind the reel tape inside went out of round couldn't even rewind it. Yes the VCR IS 3 MONTHS OLD. QUALITY ?? Junk , it didn't last one showing

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: pretty cool flick
Review: this is cool flick, but slow at times. if you just want see Jet when he's young and lightning fast, check this out. i love the shaolin training as well. i just didnt like the pace of the film, something. anyway, buy it because if your reading this review your probably already a Jet Li fan and your going to want to add this to your collection.
if your just starting out with Jet Li movies, get HERO, The Tai Chi Master, Fist of Legend (orginal, not the US version! ) or Kung Fu Colt Master(its a fantasy swordplay flick, confusing but great!)& Fong Sai Yuk.
enjoy!!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: pretty cool flick
Review: this is cool flick, but slow at times. if you just want see Jet when he's young and lightning fast, check this out. i love the shaolin training as well. i just didnt like the pace of the film, something. anyway, buy it because if your reading this review your probably already a Jet Li fan and your going to want to add this to your collection.
if your just starting out with Jet Li movies, get HERO, The Tai Chi Master, Fist of Legend (orginal, not the US version! ) or Kung Fu Colt Master(its a fantasy swordplay flick, confusing but great!)& Fong Sai Yuk.
enjoy!!


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