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Shaolin Wooden Men

Shaolin Wooden Men

List Price: $19.95
Your Price: $17.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Wooden Men Is Made Of Gold!
Review: For the true Kung Fu fan, nothing makes a movie like great fight scenes, a secret fighting style, and cheesy dubbed dialogue. This movie has it all. With lines like: "..your kung fu is poor. You better go back and practice some more.", you can't go wrong.

Jackie Chan is great, as always. But the villian, Phat U: Master of the Lion's Roar Technique, makes the whole movie.

Do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Wooden Men Is Made Of Gold!
Review: For the true Kung Fu fan, nothing makes a movie like great fight scenes, a secret fighting style, and cheesy dubbed dialogue. This movie has it all. With lines like: "..your kung fu is poor. You better go back and practice some more.", you can't go wrong.

Jackie Chan is great, as always. But the villian, Phat U: Master of the Lion's Roar Technique, makes the whole movie.

Do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Get Hong Kong version!
Review: I agree with the other reviewers who said the Columbia-Tristar veriosn cuts out so many good moments (what WERE they thinking!?!?!)! I have the English dubbed version, and it's pretty good - I'd recommend it to all kung-fu movie-philes (and especially Chan-o-philes!). The athletics are superb, although the film quality is not top-notch (it is, however, orders of magnitutde better than the "pea-green" situation with the Columbia release!!!!!!). it IS one to enjoy!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Sorry Jackie!
Review: I own this movie but can honestly say I've only watched it once!
I can't put much rating on a movie which put me to sleep.
Jackie evidently had a little time on his hands to make this
movie. And I do repeat a "little" time on his hands. Not much
action, too much plot. Yawn, Yawn!! Budget film at its worst!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A Real Surprise!
Review: I was very surprised at how much I liked this movie! (But then I am a Jackie fanatic) This is one of those old period Kung-Fu films, and it takes place in a lovely Shaolin monastary--the scenery is really beautiful. Jackie plays a likable mute who has flashbacks of his father's murder, and is studying martial arts in order to avenge his death (isn't this the plot of ALL these old king-fu movies?) This movie wavers between a pretty good story and some really hilariously BAD movie making (the villain always announces his entrance with a maniacal HA-HA-HA-HA!!!!!! from somewhere off-camera, and those "Wooden Men" are people in dumb-looking wooden robot costumes). But there are some good fight scenes, and Jackie is charismatic, as always. Compared to his other 70's movies, this one is pretty enjoyable.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Shaolin Wooden Men (1976)
Review: Jackie plays a young man who has vowed not to speak until he avenges the death of his father. In order to learn kung fu he goes to the Shaolin Temple where he finds work as a handyman. After some time the master takes pity on Jackie and starts to him on martial arts. But for a student to leave he must pass the ultimate test of the Wooden Men.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great old kung fu movie!!!
Review: One of Jackie Chans better demonstrations of various martial skills. The movie is 25 years old, come on it's not going to look brand new, but the story is good, and the myriad of kung fu demonstrations and styles is glorious. Definitely worth the purchase if you are into kung fu movies!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great old kung fu movie!!!
Review: One of Jackie Chans better demonstrations of various martial skills. The movie is 25 years old, come on it's not going to look brand new, but the story is good, and the myriad of kung fu demonstrations and styles is glorious. Definitely worth the purchase if you are into kung fu movies!!!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Great film, terrible version of it
Review: Shaolin Wooden Men is my most favorite of Jackie Chan's early films. However, in my opinion the new Columbia/Tristar DVD version is such a terrible print of the film that I regret buying it. The entire upper 60% of the screen has a horrible pea green cast to it, making everyone look seasick. The contrast has been increased, presumably to 'remove' scratches, but this has darkened so much of the film that you can no longer see any detail in the woodwork of buildings, the shadows of trees, people's hair and faces, etc.

The worst part is this print is missing over 9 and a half minutes of opening footage that showed Jackie demonstrating the five Kung Fu disciplines used in the movie, as well as his first encounter with the wooden men, the opening overture and introductory scenes of Shoalin life.

The one redeeming thing about the Columbia/Tristar DVD version is that it is indeed true letterbox. As such you can truly see the full layout of the film as originally intended. The sound quality is also quite good, considering the age of the film. But despite, this is still the only instance where I've ever preferred a Beverly Wilshire/Telefilms DVD version of a Jackie Chan film (fullscreen, scratches, video artifacts and all) to a remastered Columbia/Tristar DVD version. I am disappointed.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Almost the top of the kung-fu food chain
Review: Shaolin Wooden Men is one of Jackie's best movies ever. Second only to Drunken Master 1 & 2, Snake in the eagle's shadow and snake and crane. This movie has some great pue kung-fu. And has all the makings of a great old school kung-fu movie. Also has one of the best lines in kung-fu history "Your kung-fu is poor, you should go back there and practice some more" CLASSIC!

The story line is simple but good and the final fight scene is brilliant. This one is out of print and hard to find on dvd, but if you come across it don't hesitate to pick it up. Pure genious.
4 1/2 stars!!!


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