Kung Fu Fridays: Chinese Super Ninjas

We now conclude our summer series with the best Kung Fu flick ever made!

Chinese Super Ninjas aka Chinese Super Ninja aka Five Element Ninjas is, without question, my favorite Kung Fu film of all time. Released in 1982 by the Shaw Bros., it was one of the last big, bloody, fight movies to come out of Hong Kong. Comedy martial arts flicks were gaining traction, thanks especially to Jackie Chan, and the audience’s desire for the over the top, bloody violence of the past was waning. As such, Chinese Super Ninjas did not do well at the box office. It seemed doomed to be forgotten, overshadowed by the absolute gems that had come before and the silly, more family friendly action that rose to prominence during the mid to late 80’s. (proving once again that the 80’s, despite what some would have you believe, were in fact, for the most part, terrible) 

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Kung Fu Fridays: Five Deadly Venoms

The penultimate article in our summer series is about a classic in every sense of the word

I debated including this movie in my Kung Fu Fridays series. Not that it isn’t worthy of inclusion, that should be obvious BY its inclusion I would think, but because it almost seemed too easy. Sure, some of the movies I have covered have been popular to some degree. None of them has been so obscure as to be a complete left field choice. But this, Five Deadly Venoms, you know this movie. You may not have seen it but you know it. It has name recognition above all else and really always has. 

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Kung Fu Fridays: The 36th Chamber of Shaolin

One of the greatest Kung Fu films of all time. Why is it so loved? Read on and find out.

In 1978, martial arts films were dropping at an absolutely intense rate. They were cheap to make, cheap to shoot, and highly profitable. Martial Arts mania was in full swing in Asia and America and studios, as they are wont to do, were eager to capitalize. As we have seen, if you have read any of the previous pieces linked conveniently below, there were more than a few gems to hit the silver screen during this period. However, the glut of releases meant that not every one would be a classic.

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Kung Fu Fridays: Way of the Dragon

It was only a matter of time before Bruce Lee was featured.

For many, Bruce Lee is Martial Arts. He is one of the most identifiable stars film has ever produced. His legacy endures to this day, forty two years after his death in 1973. His list of films is nothing short of legendary. At some point in your life you will see Enter the Dragon; it is one of “those” movies. (I mean that as the highest compliment. “Those” movies consist of things like Shawshank Redemption or Forrest Gump) But, Enter the Dragon is not the film up for discussion here.

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Kung Fu Fridays: Feature Presentation

Weekly Kung Fu recommendations start here

Summer for me, as a child of the 80’s/90’s growing up in suburban New Jersey, was a time spent equally split between outside activities, bike riding or skateboarding or playing baseball or just getting up to general mischief, and inside activities, video games or tv shows or movies or comics.

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