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The Legend

The Legend

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $13.49
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A silly movie (at least, the Buena Vista version sure is)
Review: If, like me, you were introduced to the stupendously cool Let Li via the "Once Upon A Time In China" series, you know him to be not only a highly skilled and gifted kung fu master, but a nuanced and convincing actor as well.

Accordingly, slapstick comedy and all-around mugging are not necessarily a weird thing to see Li participating in (there's a little in the UOATIC movies, in fact). He can do the range thing, including the light-touch thing, very well indeed. But for me, at least in the Buena Vista "Jet Li Series" DVD version, this movie is just plain silly.

I don't mean silly like a toddler is silly (i.e., endearing & cute), but silly as in "implausible and annoying." This is coming from someone who happily suspends disbelief when faced with blatant but cool wire-work and other common kung-fu-movie indulgences. Those are just part of the form, as is, for that matter, a *modest* amount of broad humor. But to me, the gags, conceits, and plot of this film just don't cut it for a Jet Li vehicle.

Other reviewers have mentioned how cool it is to see Josephine Siao wreaking havoc on bad guys again, and I agree, but in one scene we see her badly bruised after a beating by her husband (whom we're later expected to revere as a noble patriot). I'm sure there's a cultural/historical disconnect involved in my own reaction to that scene, but to me it's an unsettling and jarring one -- there just isn't anything funny or light about domestic abuse, historically-plausible or no.

And then there's Li's performance. Gone is the ultra-cool ueber-controlled poise of Wong Fei-Hung: as Fong Sai Yuk, a carefree teenager (until the fighting starts, naturally), Li isn't exactly ineffective -- aside from the obvious age difference between actor & character -- rather, for me it's sort of *uncomfortable* to see mighty Li cracking jokes, mugging goofy smiles, and engaging in shtick with the family servant (who has big Godfather-calibre wads of cotton jammed down his cheeks for no discernible reason).

This is uncomfortable not because it's comedy, but because by my standards it's pretty *lame* comedy, and "lame" and "Jet Li" simply don't go together. Li makes a valiant effort at putting on a good face, but there's no saving some of this material.

The English dubbing doesn't help any of this, though I suppose it could be worse. The real problem with the dubbing is that it can't be turned off: this is an extremely feature-poor DVD, obviously intended for the very most clueless segments of the English-speaking market.

I can only hope that the original version (entitled "Fong Sai Yuk") is as good as others say. I'd be interested to see it, but not before cleansing my palate with some Hong Kong versions of other Li films I haven't seen yet.

If you haven't seen this movie yet, DON'T START WITH THE "Jet Li Series" VERSION. And if you haven't seen Jet Li at all, start with "Once Upon a Time in China." It's the standard by which I measure other Li films, and you can't go wrong with that one.

By the way, "The Legend" (i.e., even this version) does have its moments. The final DVD-chapter in which the climactic battle occurs is mighty exciting stuff indeed, with an unexpected appearance by a sword-wielding and mind-bogglingly debonnair Adam Cheng.

And Josephine Siao's combat sequences are also pretty riveting (no pun intended) -- there's even one bit where she and her son fight side-by-side in perfectly synchronized mirror-image choreography that I found to be particularly entertaining. If only the stuff immediately before and after that sequence were as effective.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Movie...
Review: Legend is a GREAT cult classic. Tom Cruise is awesome as the lead character and Tim Curry is excellent as The Lord of Terror himself. This movie is basically about 2 unicorns that are left in the world and humans are not supposed to see them. Tom Cruise's character (an elf or something) shows them to this human girl and it turns the world upside-down. To correct this Tom Cruise must save the unicorn's lives from Satan.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: American Version? Nope.
Review: Many people complain about how the American distributions are cut and dubbed and while I agree with their complaints, there is something that should be known. This particular product is indeed the version from Hong Kong. Yes, this is NOT the Dimension films (American) release. Apparently, it seems people just like to fight and be on the other "esoteric" side.

Beside that, this is a great movie based on a Chinese folk hero (Fong Sai Yuk), like the Wong Fei Hong of about a hundred other movies including Once Upon a time in China.

The other reviews do okay in describing it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of Jet Li's finest
Review: Now I haven't seen all Jet Li's movie (I have Tai Chi Master, aka Twin Warriors on the way to my house as we speak) but this so far is my favorite. He has to act, display fantastic martial arts, and provide comic relief. You also feel a great between Fong Sai Yuk and the other characters in the movie.

Now, after last night I have seen both versions of the movie, the American version The Legend, and the import Fong Sai Yuk. They honestly didn't cut that much out. You miss Jet Li singing in The Legend (that was interesting to say the least), and a few scenes of Jet Li in deep thought about different situations and decisions he has to go through. As a whole, its not enough of a drastic difference that you feel you really missed out on how good the movie is.

Josephine Siao was wonderful as Fong Sai Yuk's mom, and I really couldn't get enough of her character. Her bond w/her son and her husband were done to perfection in this movie, and the director really did a good job of developing her character through out the movie.

Corey Yuen did an extremely good job of directing this movie, developing the bonds between the main characters, and laying out a beautiful story. First its about a king worried about being assassinated, then it's a love story, then it's a Kung-fu story, then it's a love story, then back to the king, then escape, then love, etc, etc.

This is a must have kung-fu movie that needs to be in everyone's collection. Fong Sai Yuk is one of my favorite martial arts movies to date.

Grade: A


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fong Sai Yuk 2
Review: Sai Yuk returns as the newest member of the Red Flower Society with his godfather Master Chen who is not only the Chief of the Red Flower Society but is also the brother of the Emperor. As Fong Sai Yuk helps the Society get the Sacred box which holds Master Chen's fate, he embarks on a wild journey. His mother returns with him and is still her old crazy self. Jet Li is magnificant in this movie and is in my opinion the best movie he has made next to Tai Chi Master....but that is another review.....

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Don't buy this...
Review: The legend (1 & 2), originally "Fong Sai Yuk (1 & 2)" is/are maybe some of Jet Li's and China's best contributions to Kung-fu films (making, the "Once....in China" films look like tea-time)

BUT, these versions are DUBBED, in English and unless you like your movies -- set nearly 100 years ago -- making random refrences to Nintendo, fast food, or COMPLETELY changing the entire story-line, get....FONG SAI YUK...

If you want a movie, dubbed inconsistently (or wasted with american fodder), your better of getting KUNG-POW, enter the turkey, or Scarface (dubbed with new voices, for a kids network, with the scenes reordered, and the ending cut)

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Don't buy this...
Review: The legend (1 & 2), originally "Fong Sai Yuk (1 & 2)" is/are maybe some of Jet Li's and China's best contributions to Kung-fu films (making, the "Once....in China" films look like tea-time)

BUT, these versions are DUBBED, in English and unless you like your movies -- set nearly 100 years ago -- making random refrences to Nintendo, fast food, or COMPLETELY changing the entire story-line, get....FONG SAI YUK...

If you want a movie, dubbed inconsistently (or wasted with american fodder), your better of getting KUNG-POW, enter the turkey, or Scarface (dubbed with new voices, for a kids network, with the scenes reordered, and the ending cut)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Legend?
Review: The only thing I know, is that I have seen both versions. And I will not buy the Disney version. It is a completely diffrent movie.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: It's dubbed in English!
Review: The quality of the picture is great, but the quality of the translation from the original is terrible (this is in addition to the awful new soundtrack).

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Great start, lost interest at the end
Review: This film had a fast-paced, wild, funny start and I was interested in the comedic storyline. Li and Josephine Siao (playing his mother) make a great duo and I loved seeing them acting together. The fight scenes are great too (but not as good as Once Upon a Time in China). However, the movie than slowed down its perfectly fine pace and then went into dramatic mode, which it promised us it would not go into at the start. I thought Jet lost a little interest too, as he used so much energy in the comedic part of the movie he seemed to run out of steam. The end sequence was a bit too westernised, but the end fight made up for it with some ingenious but short choreography. Jet Li's at his best, sort of unintentionally parodying Jackie Chan's Drunken Master role, and I never knew he had a comic side to him, but the film slows down as it goes along and the main story is uninvolving (the substories are, though).


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