Rating: 
Summary: 5 Deadly Venoms - The film which knocked Kung-Fu fans out!!!
Review: Shaw Brothers Movie Studios director, Chang Cheh's 1978 tour-de-force Kung Fu extravaganza. This film set the stage for nearly 20+ more movies starring the 'Venoms' to follow in an attempt to quench the world-wide thirst of fans of this, the first 'Venoms' movie. Long out of print and only found in the possession of private Kung-Fu film collectors, the current commercially available VHS of 'The 5 Deadly Venoms' by EPI, is struck from a good quality master print, and is uncut and formatted in LBX (letterbox), which is a real treat to Kung Fu movie fans. The story centers around the last student of the dying master of 'The Poison Clan', who is sent out to find the last 5 secret members of the clan, all of whom have trained in a special 'Poison' technique. Some of the clan members have gone bad, and the student must locate and destroy them with the help of good members, if he can find them! The script, acting, choreography, costumes, and sets are fantastic. This film combines bare-chested Kung-Fu supermen back-flipping through the air while weilding exotic Chinese weapons and performing unbelievable feats of physical strength, skill, and speed, with a twisting plot of deceit, revenge, and corruption; all against a fantastic & deadly 14th century backround. The 5 Deadly Venoms stars Kuo Chui (Lizard), Sun Chien (Scorpion), Lo Meng (Toad), Wei Pai (Snake), Lu Feng (Centipede), and Chiang Sheng as 'Yan Tieh', the last disciple of the Poison Clan master. A 'Must Have' for any Kung Fu movie fan as The 5 Deadly Venoms is truely an all time classic.
Rating: 
Summary: Good movie but there are better ones out there
Review: The first time I saw this movie was when I was 5 or 6 on Saturday afternoon kung-fu TV theater. I thought it was the coolest.However, 15 years later, as a hardcore kung-fu fan, I tracked this movie down to the ends of the Earth at a little booth next to a XXX video store on 42nd Street to complete my kung-fu movie collection, before I left NYC. When I watched it, boy was I disappointed! After seeing other Run Run Shaw produced kung-fu flicks like Master Killer, Super Ninjas, and the Kid with the Golden Arm, this movie was not up to par. Sure, the 5 different styles are cool (everyone loves the opening scene where the centipede, snake, lizard, scorpion and toad show off their styles), but I must say that most of the movie was quite boring and there was not as much action as I had remembered. Maybe I am spoiled by new guys like Jackie Chan and Jet Li, but it just wasn't all that. Having said that, you cannot call yourself a true kung-fu movie fan until you have seen this. Since it's almost impossible to find this movie anywhere to rent, I'd try to borrow it, or if you think this price is cheap, I'd say buy it to have in your collection.
Rating: 
Summary: IT AIN'T A CELESTIAL PICTURES RELEASE !!!
Review: THIS DVD LIKE SO MANY RELATED TO THE SHAW BROTHERS COLLECTION, THAT ARE NOT RELEASED BY CELESTIAL PICTURES ARE A SHAM !!! I WILL NOT SUPPORT SOME LOW DOWN PIRATES LOOKING TO MAKE A QUICK BUCK !! IF IT AIN'T RELEASED BY CELESTIAL IT AIN'T WORTH A DIME !!!
Rating:
Summary: One of my favourites
Review: While I can't comment on the quality of these prints, this movie has been one of my all-time favorites. I used the Scorpion style on a bully during a middle school basketball game. While I didn't hit him, the fact that I could do the rapid palm smashes near his face spooked him so he stopped bothering me. Funny but true story. Thank you Scorpion !
Rating:
Summary: One of my favourites
Review: While I can't comment on the quality of these prints, this movie has been one of my all-time favorites. I used the Scorpion style on a bully during a middle school basketball game. While I didn't hit him, the fact that I could do the rapid palm smashes near his face spooked him so he stopped bothering me. Funny but true story. Thank you Scorpion !
Rating: 
Summary: I Had Five Pupils
Review: You can add me to the nostalgia group, having seen this movie as an 11 year old in 1981 on a Saturday afternoon matinee. I was quite thrilled to find the DVD a few days ago, having eschewed the then difficult to find VHS version. DVD quality is pretty poor, but they were of course hampered going from a disintegrating master. Ghosting and screen artifacts abound, but hey, that's really secondary to anyone who's been searching for this title for some time. While formulaic in the genre sense, [dying master tells pupil to avenge him / right a wrong using every ounce of technique] the story is carried out in a much more sublime whodunit, as a teasing mystery with spurts of action. The last of the Poison Clan practitioners [dying of course] commands young pupil to find the hidden money cache of an earlier teacher before his boundlessly corrupt former students do. Centipede, Snake, Scorpion, Lizard, and Toad already have a head start on our last pupil who hasn't mastered any one of the techniques mentioned, but is versed enough in all of them to be effective when combined w/ another. The story progresses as the rich teacher is found in turn by the various factions. Centipede and Snake have teamed up as have Toad and Lizard. The mysterious Scorpion does not make his true intentions known, skulking around in the darkness to pick up the pieces and sow dissent. Slowly through the film, the members become clear and eventually fight one another which are the highlights. Who will prevail, who will our young student pair with during the end game, and what of the Scorpion? All answered in due time, well, actually in long drawn out periods of slack but when it does start cooking it certainly does. My favorite: the fight between my preferred poison The Snake, and the Toad. Watching and listening to the sound effects as the Snake struck, probing for weak points while the Toad would flex and bounce him off 10 feet was fun then and now.. and surprisingly mirrors the battles based on this scenario I would have with my 8 year old sister. Hah hah. This is a definite cult classic, campy enough in later viewing that it doesn't take itself too seriously, but with enough action to satisfy new viewers too. Recommended.
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