Miraculous Flower (1981)
Reviewed by: STSH on 2001-03-20
Summary: A blast !
This one starts out weird, and appears completely episodic for the first 30 minutes or so. Pearl Cheung's acting was wildly overdone, and I almost hit the eject button. But I was glad I didn't. Stick with it.

Not that things become any less strange. Weird plot twists and a surreal feel continue. But the photography and scenery improve greatly. Man, I cannot recall any other 70s/80s martial arts film with such a variety of gorgeous scenery and breathtaking locations. Snow-covered mountains, fast-rushing rivers over deep ravines, raging waterfalls (with stunt-fighting taking place IN them !), rolling green valleys.......

After Pearl Cheung's acting, and the other characterizations, settle down a bit, the pace picks up, the fight scenes become more frequent and of better quality. There are flying villains (including the odd bunch of ninjas) all over the place. In fact, the quality of the story seems to increase with the martial arts skill of May. The final two climatic scenes are pretty good wu'xia, and top off the story nicely.

Overall : utter nonsense, but very enjoyable.
Reviewer Score: 8