What a bizarre little film. What the story is really about or who the little kids are is not worth worrying about in this film. It is the amazing acrobatics that should entertain you through this movie. The scene where a drunk kid dances around a table with a bottle is pretty amazing as are the balancing acts. The only thing I must worn you about is the awful dubbing the kids sound like a group of drowning chickens and it soon becomes very irritating.Worth a look.
3 Reviews
Shaolin kids vs. the Ching invaders
Leofwine_draca6 October 2016
This early entry in the series of films looking at the history of the Shaolin Temple is notable in that it features a cast of child actors playing the heroes. The story goes that the elder monks are away from the temple, leaving the kids in charge, and indeed they must take charge when some evil Ching invaders decide to invade the temple to take out a Ming prince who is hiding within.
It's simplistic stuff and looks entirely cheap with it which is the norm considering the film comes to us courtesy of Taiwan. I wasn't familiar with the cast or director, but I can report that this is a surprisingly fun little movie with plenty of action to recommend it. You needn't worry about it being kid-friendly either; despite kids taking centre stage here it's still a violent adventure and some of the little 'uns do get graphically killed.
LITTLE HERO OF SHAOLIN TEMPLE benefits from a fast-moving narrative and some pretty good fight scenes which emphasise acrobatics and the like. The kids make up for their diminutive statures by using their heads to beat the enemies. The gang of bad guys is bizarrely dressed and straight out of a pantomime. Kung fu fans should look past the poor dubbing, gaudy costumes, and fuzzy look of the picture to enjoy the plentiful action found therein.
It's simplistic stuff and looks entirely cheap with it which is the norm considering the film comes to us courtesy of Taiwan. I wasn't familiar with the cast or director, but I can report that this is a surprisingly fun little movie with plenty of action to recommend it. You needn't worry about it being kid-friendly either; despite kids taking centre stage here it's still a violent adventure and some of the little 'uns do get graphically killed.
LITTLE HERO OF SHAOLIN TEMPLE benefits from a fast-moving narrative and some pretty good fight scenes which emphasise acrobatics and the like. The kids make up for their diminutive statures by using their heads to beat the enemies. The gang of bad guys is bizarrely dressed and straight out of a pantomime. Kung fu fans should look past the poor dubbing, gaudy costumes, and fuzzy look of the picture to enjoy the plentiful action found therein.
No plot, no story, just annoying little kids.
modius28 January 2002
Warning: Spoilers
** Includes spoilers **
I spent most of my youth watching jackie chan movies or other hong kong action movies and when I saw this movie in my local Blockbusters boasting how it had "shaolin's facing their toughest adversory - the NINJA!", it had me hooked...oh how I'd come to regret it.
The movie which starts off blandly soon loses its way. Nothing is made clear, except for one thing. Some power-crazy princess wants a prince killed who is hiding in a shaolin temple. There is no explanation of how he got there nor why he chose a shaolin temple.
Anyway, we also get to hear that this prince-to-die has a red mole on his foot - and so assassins from the princess come to kill kids. At this point the film loses me completley. Why does every kid have a red mole on his foot? Why does the film turn into a plug for underage drinking? Why does one kid know drunken boxing yet the others don't?
There are so many problems with this film, you might as well have got a blank tape. The problems don't end there - there is horrible dubbing, and while the "fight" sequences are quick and fast - there is nothing to them, except when more assassins come beying for blood - espcially one, for some odd reason is a vampire.
After a while the annoying kids who add nothing to the film but utter contempt for them run away to another shaolin temple where the assassins awaken a shoalin ghost...this is just stupid, and it flies straight into fly-by-wire fu where you can actually see the wires.
The little hero, so-called, is head of shaolin temple, but the princess sends Ninja's to kill them. I just stopped the tape for a second. What the hell are ninja's doing in china? Secondly why didn't she just use them in the first place.
After playing the tape again the ninjas begin assassinating kids, this actually becomes morbidlily fun to watch - as the ninja, who actually move like ninja (at night) kill kids then disappear in a cloud of smoke.
But the ninja sequence lasts only five minutes, then by day the little hero with the rest of the shaolin's storm the princess' temple - how did they know where it was?
I had enough of this movie it was putrid, boring and stale. If it weren't for the acrobatics and the staged fights extended from shaolin styles this would be a turkey...ah, what the hell it is a turkey.
Overall: 0/10...don't rent it, don't buy it, don't even watch it.
I spent most of my youth watching jackie chan movies or other hong kong action movies and when I saw this movie in my local Blockbusters boasting how it had "shaolin's facing their toughest adversory - the NINJA!", it had me hooked...oh how I'd come to regret it.
The movie which starts off blandly soon loses its way. Nothing is made clear, except for one thing. Some power-crazy princess wants a prince killed who is hiding in a shaolin temple. There is no explanation of how he got there nor why he chose a shaolin temple.
Anyway, we also get to hear that this prince-to-die has a red mole on his foot - and so assassins from the princess come to kill kids. At this point the film loses me completley. Why does every kid have a red mole on his foot? Why does the film turn into a plug for underage drinking? Why does one kid know drunken boxing yet the others don't?
There are so many problems with this film, you might as well have got a blank tape. The problems don't end there - there is horrible dubbing, and while the "fight" sequences are quick and fast - there is nothing to them, except when more assassins come beying for blood - espcially one, for some odd reason is a vampire.
After a while the annoying kids who add nothing to the film but utter contempt for them run away to another shaolin temple where the assassins awaken a shoalin ghost...this is just stupid, and it flies straight into fly-by-wire fu where you can actually see the wires.
The little hero, so-called, is head of shaolin temple, but the princess sends Ninja's to kill them. I just stopped the tape for a second. What the hell are ninja's doing in china? Secondly why didn't she just use them in the first place.
After playing the tape again the ninjas begin assassinating kids, this actually becomes morbidlily fun to watch - as the ninja, who actually move like ninja (at night) kill kids then disappear in a cloud of smoke.
But the ninja sequence lasts only five minutes, then by day the little hero with the rest of the shaolin's storm the princess' temple - how did they know where it was?
I had enough of this movie it was putrid, boring and stale. If it weren't for the acrobatics and the staged fights extended from shaolin styles this would be a turkey...ah, what the hell it is a turkey.
Overall: 0/10...don't rent it, don't buy it, don't even watch it.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
