Reviewed by: Gaijin84 Date: 01/03/2012 Summary: Don't expect Citizen Kane... Fantasy Mission Force is a fun, but completely scatter-brained film that will probably be viewed for it’s inclusion of Jackie Chan. It’s a veritable who’s who of Hong Kong stars at the time, with appearances by Jimmy Wang Yu, Brigitte Lin and Adam Cheng. There are a few variations and international edits, but even in it’s original form (I think), it’s hard to follow. It seemed like the directors tried to throw every type of genre into the mix and create one super-movie. You have musical numbers, slapstick comedy, comedic action, hardcore action with a bit of gore, ghosts and hopping vampires and finally a scene straight out of Mad Max with a Japanese Nazis attacking an outpost in a fleet of 70s station wagons and a bulldozer. I guess when you’re not sure how to end a film you just throw in the kitchen sink. None of it really makes any sense, but you probably just have to sit back and laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. For those Chan fans, he is regulated mostly to providing comedic relief, but he does have one excellent scene where he takes on a bunch of his stunt team who are dressed as Amazon women. It’s relatively short but has some trademark athleticism and martial arts. Overall it’s a mess, but I have to admit I was entertained. I went in not expecting much and was pleasantly surprised. 6.5/10 Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: Chungking_Cash Date: 05/29/2010 Films that are so-bad-they're-good usually must (a) take themselves seriously (b) display an almost complete ignorance of film language and (c) whose entertainment value must be derived from unintentional humor. Had "Tell Your Children" (1936) -- better known as "Reefer Madness" -- not taken the supposedly clear and present dangers of smoking marijuana to such ridiculous lengths than it's somehow doubtful that the campy cautionary tale would have lived to see it's second wind as a cult favorite during the '60s and '70s when use of the drug skyrocketed. Unintentional humor has the potential of breaking out into a riot but if a film is in on the joke and the punch line isn't funny than what merit does that film truly posses? "Fantasy Mission Force," a Taiwanese co-production, is most certainly aware of its own absurd nature: co-star Jimmy Wang Yu looks on-screen as if he's been busting up in-between every take. Fine, but "Fantasy Mission Force" is so incoherent -- even in its original target language -- it's seemingly been assembled from four very different (not to mention incomplete) scripts and melded into one gonzo narrative that finds a group of personified non sequiturs sent to rescue a group of Allied generals being held hostage by the Japanese during World War II...we think. Jackie Chan, whose star had begun to shine at the time of filming agreed to appear in "Fantasy Mission Force" as a favor to Jimmy Wang Yu who had previously brokered a deal to get the young star out of hot water with triads back in Hong Kong. Chan is featured in one of the film's few funny moments out-smoking a sumo wrestler and later gets to very briefly showcase his acrobatic prowess. Chan's involvement is likely the only reason "Fantasy Mission Force" hasn't vanished into obscurity and today enjoys a modest cult following. Reviewer Score: 1

Reviewed by: cal42 Date: 07/05/2008 Summary: What the hell were they smoking when they came up with this?? When an international gaggle of generals (sorry, I don’t know the collective noun for generals) is captured by the Japanese during World War II, Captain Duan Hun (Jimmy Wang Yu) heads up a special task force to go and get them back. The task force is comprised of a woman with a rocket launcher, her Casanova of a lover, two Chinese Scots guards who seem to be in love with each other, a vagabond thief with a Mexican moustache and a guy who doesn’t do anything except look cool in sunglasses. FANTASY MISSION FORCE plays like a weird experiment: imagine a film where a bunch of scriptwriters, some of them with mental health issues, work on a script in isolation of each other with no knowledge of what the other was writing except for a list of character names and a vague outline of who they are and what they’re doing. That’s what this film feels like. Either that or a film scripted by aliens who had seen a bunch of Earth movies (including RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK) but had never actually met any humans. Either way, it’s completely mad. It seems to be defeating the object a little to point out exactly why it’s one of the craziest films I’ve ever seen. Yes, it’s set in World War II but features cars made in the late 70s. Yes, there is a tribe of Amazon women in a film set in Asia. Yes, Brigitte Lin blows up her own home in a fit of anger for no apparent reason. But that doesn’t quite sum up how decidedly odd it is. Watching it now, I’m not sure if it’s just too clever and we just don’t get it. When the government is presenting a slide-show of possible leaders of the task force to rescue the hostages we see some familiar faces flash up on screen and the reason they can’t be used for the mission: James Bond (“on assignment in South Africa”), Snake Plissken (“King of Snake is dead”), Baldy from the ACES GO PLACES series (“he is deflective”) and my personal favourite, Rambo – where they use a promotional shot of Sylvester Stallone dressed as Rocky Balboa. This is one of those films where you can get bogged down in “this happens” then “that happens” kind of descriptions to try to illustrate what’s going on, but you could be here for weeks. We have a broad (and yes, I do mean broad) spectrum of styles on offer in this film from comedy to horror to action. Films that mix genres rarely work, and this is true to a certain extent of this film, but when you take each piece on its own merit, it’s surprising how much is actually pulled off. For instance, there’s a scene in a haunted house that is both played for laughs and for frights and this scene in particular is pretty damn good. The humour is funny and there’s also a weird sense of menace to it. Similarly, the introduction of Suen Yuet’s character with a bonkers but catchy song (with “Ha Ha Ha! Lai Lai Lai!” refrain) complete with smiling but baffled gwailos is a highlight that no one forgets. Ever. My only major criticism is the tone seems to shift the moment one of the Amazon women gets killed and her blood flies across someone’s face. It seems out of place and brutal in a film that up to that point was quite light in tone. There are also bloody moments later on, but that moment always sticks out in my mind. FANTASY MISSION FORCE is a film that would almost definitely have been long forgotten by now were it not for one fact: Jackie Chan appears in it. He weaves in and out of the story in a way meant to disguise the fact that he wasn’t present for most of the shoot. Everyone probably knows the story by now, but Jackie “owed” Wang Yu a couple of films for a favour Wang did in “negotiating” a release for Jackie from the Lo Wei studio. It has to be said that Jackie seems to take it all in good fun, and his highlight is his show of one-upmanship before a wrestling bout with a fearsomely big man. But if you’ve come solely to see Jackie, it’s very likely you’ll be disappointed – he’s just not in it nearly enough and he clearly wasn’t able to spend as much time as normal getting the most out of his action scenes (the exact same problem that occurred on his other Wang Yu film ISLAND OF FIRE). If you’re a fan of truly out there films, though, it’s quite likely you’ll find nirvana here – nowhere else will you see Nazis, Amazons, singing vagabonds, Chinese Scotsmen who have a very close relationship, ghosts cheating at Mah-Jong and apparent time travel all in one movie. And that, my friends, is GUARANTEED. I've thought long and hard about scoring this and decided I just can't do it. Every option from "1" through to "10" would be appropriate!

Reviewed by: Michael Kistner Date: 12/05/2005 Silly, but entertaining. The soundtrack includes music from that movies: Ennio Morricone: Guns for San Sebastian When Women had Tails Working Class goes to Heaven I Cannibali (The Cannibal) Jerry Goldsmith: Planet of the Apes Neal Hefti: Duel at Diablo Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: j.crawford Date: 07/26/2005 Summary: the wackiest plot of any movie ever made. Made the same year as Jackie Chan's first directorial effort The Fearless Hyena, the two films share cast & crew members. This film has got to have the wackiest plot of any movie ever made. Starring the very beautiful Brigette Lin , Fantasy Mission Force begins as a WWII adventure with the Nazi's and the Japanese capturing some Allied Generals and half a million in cash. Jackie Chan's character weaves in and out of the story in a supporting role. The film starts out wierd and gets weirder and weirder. Jackie battles dirty-dealing double-crossing Jimmy Wang Yu in the final battle with the loot being blown to smithereens. Chan and Wang Yu also worked with director Chu on the oft-maligned Island of Fire[1990]. He also was the producer of Butterfly & Sword [1993]. This VHS version of Fantasy Mission Force is a PAL to NTSC transfer, panned and scanned , dubbed in English by awful voice-over actors. Put out by EDDE Entertainment, my review copy runs 89 minutes. Let the Buyer Beware! Chan Fans should know that he appears in only 5 or 6 scenes. His newer fans may be surprised by some of the antics Jackie is up to in this film. His one-on-one finale with Wang Yu is well choreographed and very explosive! In the main titles of the film, Chan is called Jacky . Fantasy Mission Force itself is only a tad more preposterous than the American release of Operation Condor[Armour of God 2]. Break out the ganja, microwave the popcorn, have some fun! Copyright © 1997 J. Crawford Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: mrblue Date: 10/08/2003 Nazis! Amazons! Vampires! Angry chickens! Jackie Chan fighting off amazons while trying to hold onto an angry chicken! All this and more are featured in this very, very strange movie that has Wang Yu leading a rag-tag band of mercenaries to rescue a group of kidnapped generals during WWII (even though all of the cars in the movie are from the late '70's). Even though he's billed as the lead, Chan only appears in about three scenes (he did the movie as a favor to Wang Yu, who helped him out with the Triads). The movie isn't all that great, but it's so damn strange (in a good funny way, not the crappy confusing David Lynch way) it'll keep you watching. Worth at least one viewing, though you may have to have a few adult beverages to enjoy it fully.

Reviewed by: pjshimmer Date: 02/09/2003 Summary: Hilarious I don't even know where to start, except don't expect too much crap. Let's put it this way: HK and Taiwan have made countless similar wacky, tasteless efforts, and I've seen plenty. There are some funny stuff in here, but nothing unexpected. Would have been nicer to see something TRULY wild. Adam Cheng was red hot at the time, and they had a short scene devoted to his spotlight, complete with music from Chor Lau Heung 1979 - one of the most popular TV series ever made starring Adam Cheng. Jackie Chan appears for no more than 20 minutes. Brigitte Lin is given the worst hairdo of her career. The rest of the men are ugly as anything. Recommended? You betcha. Shame on you if you haven't seen it already. [5/10] Reviewer Score: 5

Reviewed by: Inner Strength Date: 01/12/2002 Summary: TERRIBLE This is supposed to be a comedy, and although laughing once or twice, the rest just fell on top of its face! Less than average action scenes, even worse comedy, and terrible acting, especially Jackie Chan and Brigitte Lin! Rating (out of 5): 1.5 (This rating is based on the year & genre, so don't think it's based as a comparison on new releases etc.)

Reviewed by: Sydneyguy Date: 05/03/2001 Summary: Ummm.......... By today's standards, this movie is pretty crappy. You do have stars like Jackie Chan and Jimmy Wang Yu and Brigette Lin but the poor plot and crappy action doesn't make this worth watching unfortunately. I shame especially when you see the new guard (Jackie) star with the old guard (Jimmy). I guess my expectations were a little high!! I almost didn't end up finishing watching this, and that is saying something!! 3/10

Reviewed by: hkcinema Date: 12/08/1999 Story of resistance against the Japanese in WW2,when a commando squad is formed to recover money stolen by the enemy. (2/5) [Reviewed by Elliot's Guide to Films on Video]

Reviewed by: spinali Date: 12/08/1999 Summary: NULL It's WWII. With the unavailability of James Bond, Rocky, Snake Pliskin, and Baldy (of the Aces Go Places series), a squadron of specialists is assembled to rescue four foreign generals from the hands of the Japanese, who apparently are in Luxembourg (though their map indicates they're somewhere in Canada). The small, all-Chinese force includes an escape artist, two bozos in Prussian military garb, an explosives expert, and (among others) Brigitte Lin, dressed up in a skin-tight black and red leather suit. After dispensing with some military resistance with casual ease, the Force is stymied by a tribe of acrobatic jungle Amazon women. They're ruled by an effete, rather swishy Cantonese aesthete in a tuxedo. Lucky for them, Jackie Chan and his girlfriend -- after the same reward money the Fantasy Mission Force wants -- help out their new friends, an offensive which leads to some dazzling explosions, and the total decimation of the Amazons. The exhausted group finds shelter in a deserted mansion nearby, and if the film lays any claim to greatness, it's in the next sequences where -- with neither prior warning nor set-up -- our heroes find themselves in the middle of a Chinese hopping vampire movie! What's shocking is how good it is; imagine an HK version of The Fearless Vampire Killers with cut-rate effects just decent enough to pull in the laffs. The sequence is capped by Brigitte Lin coming to their rescue and brandishing a bazooka (her weapon of choice), and reducing the place to a pile of cinders. The idea of their coming across this obstacle in the middle of war-torn Europe is even more irresistible that the Amazons. And there's more. The film's endearingly careless attitude toward details is never more evident than in the final section. The Force comes upon a bunker of Nazis, every one of them dead, when suddenly, from all sides, a battalion of road warriors carrying automobile flares and driving post-1950s cars roll in, many with swastikas on their doors. The road warriors politely wait until morning to begin their assault. The movie has everything: Amazons, ghosts, Nazis, hopping vampires, fu, Brigitte Lin, Mad Max-style gun battles, Japanese in samurai gear, and even a snappy theme song with a musical dance number! (3/4) [Reviewed by Steve Spinali] Reviewer Score: 7