One hopes that Kurt Russell was having fun in the making this film, because his Jack Burton character comes across as farcical. "Big Trouble in Little China" is a far-fetched story about dark magic and sorcery in an underground of China Town. The setting for the film is San Francisco's famous China Town. But most of the filming of that locale is clearly done on sound stages. The only real scenery of the Bay area is in the opening with Burton driving his 18-wheeler across the Golden Gate Bridge.
The film is supposed to be an action, magic and comedy plot. It comes across mostly as a hokey disjointed product with lots of visual effects and martial arts, but very little substance for a plot.
The screenplay is as disjointed as the plot. The film is loaded with special effects for the various magic and witchcraft scenes. The fantasy aspects lean more toward voodoo or satanic powers than magic. Russell's character almost seems out of place with the cast of Asian actors.
Besides the fantasy scenarios, the film is loaded with fighting, chases, and other action scenes. The script is lame for most of the dialog - so that many of the characters sound forced or unrehearsed. The whole film could have been made without Russell's character. And that's what gives one the impression is was intended more as a comedy and farce than as a magic or fantasy and action flick. Or, his addition was thought to be the golden carrot to sell the film.
But, the movie audience of 1986 weren't buying this one. It was a box office flop and barely covered half its budget in the U.S. A better effort to make this a clear cut farce of all the martial arts films might have done more to put this film over. As it is, there's not much to recommend.
The film is supposed to be an action, magic and comedy plot. It comes across mostly as a hokey disjointed product with lots of visual effects and martial arts, but very little substance for a plot.
The screenplay is as disjointed as the plot. The film is loaded with special effects for the various magic and witchcraft scenes. The fantasy aspects lean more toward voodoo or satanic powers than magic. Russell's character almost seems out of place with the cast of Asian actors.
Besides the fantasy scenarios, the film is loaded with fighting, chases, and other action scenes. The script is lame for most of the dialog - so that many of the characters sound forced or unrehearsed. The whole film could have been made without Russell's character. And that's what gives one the impression is was intended more as a comedy and farce than as a magic or fantasy and action flick. Or, his addition was thought to be the golden carrot to sell the film.
But, the movie audience of 1986 weren't buying this one. It was a box office flop and barely covered half its budget in the U.S. A better effort to make this a clear cut farce of all the martial arts films might have done more to put this film over. As it is, there's not much to recommend.