Reviewed by: STSH Date: 10/30/2010 Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: Chungking_Cash Date: 03/25/2007 A hark back to the Shaw Brothers' "Heroes Two" (1974), "Men from the Monastery" (1974), and "Executioners from Shaolin" (1977) with one noticeable difference: it's written and directed by the Roger Corman of Hong Kong cinema; Wong Jing, whose sticky finger prints are visible in nearly every frame. Anachronisms, brutality, gratuitous under-cranking, precocious youths, randy old women, and toilet humor abound in this frustrating but watchable early '90s gung fu flick starring a stone cold Jet Li as real-life Ching Dynasty era rebel Hong Xi Guan. Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: j.crawford Date: 01/05/2006 Summary: incredible martial arts sequences The young martial arts champion, Tze Miu, was teamed up with a former young champion, Jet Li, in a Wong Jing film called "New Legend of Shaolin". This was one of Jet's best historical films and the young star was a big part of the success. A classic martial arts movie, "New Legend of Shaolin" tells the story of Hung Hey-Kwun and his son as they try to elude the Government agents trying to kill them. Action Director Corey Yuen Kwai uses the skills of the young performer with a combination of outstanding camera setups to create incredible martial arts sequences. The plot involves a Shaolin treasure map tattooed on the backs of 5 young students. Master Hung's mission is to protect them from a great villain, the "Poisonous Monk" who attacks in an armored motorized chariot! [Hey, it's a Wong Jing film, right?] Some of the best scenes are done with Tze and Jet Li working together doing Thundering Spear kung fu. As the devoted son, Tze's character, Man Ting, mirrors his fathers every action. When Tze and the other child actors are on screen, the film is amazing. They challenge and fight like the grown-ups. They talk of starting their own school and fight to see whose name the new school shall bear. Of course the young master Hung is victorious, displaying great dignity and pride. That's entertainment! Anyone who is interested in Jet Li's middle career should check this out along with "Kung Fu Cult Master" and "Last Hero in China". Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: mrblue Date: 11/01/2005 After appearing as folk heroes Wong Fei-Hung and Fong Sai Yuk, Jet Li plays Hung Shi-Kwan in this manic Wong Jing/Corey Yuen collaboration. The plot here is fairly simple; Jet and his son Tze Miu are left homeless after a group of ninjas attacks them. They eventually hook up as bodyguards for wily businessman Ng Man-Tat, who seems to need more protection from himself than anyone else, since he is constantly getting duped by mother/daughter con artists Deannie Yip and Chingmy Yau. They settle into a strange home life, with Tze becoming the teacher of a group of little Shaolin monks who live at Ng's house. The same ninjas that attacked Jet at the beginning return for revenge, and to take a map tattooed on the backs of the monks. Normally, Wong Jing's movies are a bit haphazard to say the least. He has no interest in directing action sequences, and so usually just hands the movie completely over to his action director. This can result in movies that seem like two films mashed together, and The New Legend of Shaolin is a prime example of this. The expository scenes are pure Wong Jing all the way, with tons of toilet humor and double entendres. If you usually don't like Wong's brand of shtick, most likely you'll be holding your head and groaning during most of the middle portion of the movie, which concentrates more on comedy than fighting. For the record, I found most of the jokes pretty funny, especially when delivered by the wonderfully expressive Ng Man-Tat...but it does get to be a bit much at times. However, for how much this film magnifies Wong Jing's shortcomings in the expository scenes, it does probably double that in the opposite direction for Corey Yuen's action work. The fight sequences in here (which begin about two minutes into the movie) are outstanding. They're very heavy with wire work and ninja tricks (and also strange metal objects, including a car-like thing), but Jet also does some great stuff with spears, so fans of both kung fu and wire fu will be satisfied with the action bits in this movie. Of course, since this is ultimately a Wong Jing movie, some of the action "gags" are stolen from other movies, including Lone Wolf and Cub and Dreadnaught. If you have a high tolerance for or just really like toilet humor and want to see some great Jet Li action, this movie comes highly recommended. [review from www.hkfilm.net]

Reviewed by: ewaffle Date: 10/23/2005 While parts of “The New Legend of Shaolin” are covered with the paw prints of Wong Jing, it by no means is typical of most movies he has both written and directed. Wong is a craftsman-like director when his job is to make sure that the actors hit the mark and say their lines—as long as they are lines written by someone else. It is when he is auteur mode, both writing and directing that his films become gag-fests. And I mean “gag” meaning a bad joke done repeated much too often and also “gag” meaning to make someone choke or vomit. In this film Wong forgoes many of his adopted conventions. There are heroic women and children, a hero so concentrated on killing that he allows his son to live only after he is convinced the infant will also be a killer and a trio of villains who are fierce and single-minded opponents. Action director Corey Yeun provided the structure for several very brutal and bloody fights. The movie begins with a horrific tableau as Hung Hei Goon, played by Jet Li, arrives at his ancestral home to find his entire extended family slaughtered. Men and women are hanging from trees, have been run through with spears or sliced with swords. The children haven’t been spared—their bodies litter the courtyard. Hung does what is expected at first, bewailing the fate of his family, but then becomes a remorseless, implacable killer. He offers his son, who escaped the carnage, the choice between his favorite toy and a sword. If the kid takes the toy he will join his mother in heaven, but if he chooses the sword he will accompany his father on a mission to hunt down and kill those responsible for the atrocity. Hung is the toughest of the tough guys, a man with no room for emotion and little use for other people. His son is an accomplished martial artist—he is adept at unarmed combat and can wield a spear almost as well as his father. He tries to be as cold and uncompromising as his father but is still enough of a young boy to want to befriend the gang of kids they encounter—after beating them up, of course. The action in the movie is motivated (to the extent there is any reason for it) by an attack on the Shaolin Temple by imperial troops, apparently to find a map that leads to a hidden treasure. Instead of doing what other movie characters do when they have treasure to be hidden—burying it, drawing a map from nowhere in particular to the location of the treasure, then losing the map—the monks inscribe the map on the backs of five young novitiates. For all their skills in calligraphy and kung fu, the monks of Shaolin could have taken a few lessons from Long John Silver or Captain Jack Sparrow on long standing film conventions for hiding bags of gold. The temple is destroyed and most of the monks slaughtered although the five boys with the maps on their backs escape. A more personal reason for Hung to take notice is that not only has his family been killed but there is a significant reward for his capture—a reward that two minor villains try to collect and pay with their lives for the attempt. The first is a particularly nasty specimen, a former comrade in arms of Hung who kills with steel claws and is supported by a small army of black-clad imperial thugs. The second is Hung’s uncle—or maybe his brother—who plays upon the family ties. Hung uses his retractable spear to dispatch each of them and their cohorts. Two of the main villains are stock characters—an imperial official who takes pleasure in carnage and destruction and his superior, a eunuch who finds the whole affair a bit boring. The eunuch is underplayed to good effect by an uncredited actor. The government man is killed in a showdown in a back alley with Deannie Yip, the mother of Red Bean. Red Bean’s mom is part of a confidence trick that she runs with her daughter, played by Chingmy Yau. Both women continue their scam—or try to—even while becoming key parts of the resistance by protecting the Shaolin kids. The main villain is the poison juice monster, a bad guy who everyone thought had been killed—apparently burned to death—but who has been made invincible by a witch’s spell. The last adult character that is important to the plot is the waxmaker who at first seems to have wandered onto the set from a horror movie but becomes essential to the climax of the film. Hung’s son is a well written and developed character, a martial artist of skill and cunning far beyond his years but who also wants to be a kid along with the other kids, both those from Shaolin and the brats who are indigenous to the area. He is portrayed by Tze Miu with all the aplomb of a veteran and can’t help but steal almost every scene he is in. Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: Arshadnm6 Date: 04/08/2005 Summary: Entertaining and sometimes over-the-top fun!! A good entertaining movie formed on the basis of the ‘Wolf and Cub’ series of betrayal, death and revenge. Jet Li and his son are the only ones left after their entire village is wiped out by his friend. Soon enough after that, father and son are wondering about in search of food and shelter only to come face-to-face with their old arch enemy after some eventful adventures. The interplay between Jet Li and kung fu kid, Tze Miu is amazing (notice Tze Miu was also with Jet Li, acting as his son, in ‘My Father is a Hero’). As would be expected from Wong Jing most of his films include over-the-top and sometimes intimate jokes, and this is no exception. The action is also surprisingly unpolished from Corey Yuen Kwai’s point of view. Also, the film does not carry a real plot and most of the cartoon-style characters are allowed to run wild where the only focussed person in the whole movie is Jet Li. Also, the red flower society makes an appearance in the film (and we get another appearance from Master Chen) and could be related in some regard to Jet Li’s Fong Sai Yuk I and II played by the special appearance of Wong Jing as the Legendary ‘Fong Sai Yuk’ at the end of the movie. The action is spread throughout most of the film but obviously not thought out properly. Jet Li takes much more a lead role in this film as Wong-Fei-Hong in the ‘Once upon a Time in China series’ as he is developing into a more mature actor. All of the rest of the characters are quite forgetful and don’t leave any memorable displays. Overall, a good entertaining film but only worth watching a few times before you start considering putting it in your car-boot sale. A funny movie with a lot of laughs and a huge chunk of action, but very little in regards to plot development. Overall Rating: 6.6/10 Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: Inner Strength Date: 05/05/2002 Summary: Average [2/5]

Reviewed by: pjshimmer Date: 04/21/2002 New Legend of Shaolin isn't one of Jet Li's best or worst; it is a mix of comedy, revenge/hatred themes and earthshaking kung fu, which is undoubtedly the best part of the movie. In fact, everyone should see this movie just for the fantastic fight scenes! Wong Jing directed at least 2 similar movies starring Jet Li in 1994 - Kung Fu Colt Master and New Legend of Shaolin. Both films are based on popular folk heroes/novels, and both contain similar flaws. In New Legend, the story, diolagues and acting are never convincing; 90% of the music is borrowed from Jet Li's Tai-Chi Master from the previous year; but the fight scenes are something else: Breathtaking battles between various characters in many forms! Believe it or not, the villain strolls around in a spaceship-mobile, which is both new and enjoyable (if not off the wall) to the period martial arts genre. The plot is horrible: So many underdeveloped moments that could have easily been more convincing-if only with better acting and more than 2 spoken words. Basically you'll probably get the story, but you KNOW it's not real because you can't feel it. Jet Li, my co-favorite of all time, usually makes a big impression on we audiences because of his characters' heroic personality. However, Hong Xi Guan (whom Jet plays here) is ruthless and reserved, and takes everything too seriously. Jet Li only smiled ONCE (at the very end) in the entire film. Not to say he is not a fine actor--even with an anti-social character, but this is just a different role for him. Honestly though, no one could have played the role better than Li Lian Jie. I think New Legend & Kung Fu Colt Master are similar in that they both contain marvelous fights, flawed acting and plot, and familiar cast. Overall, I prefer Kung Fu Colt, but both are good material to watch over time. Dispite severe flaws, the fighting presented here is genius and a definite plus--one of Jet Li's finest! The fighting, that is... [8/10]

Reviewed by: MrBooth Date: 02/03/2002 Summary: Stupid but entertaining One of Jet Li's last period wuxia movies in Hong Kong, directed by Wong Jing and loosely based on the manga LONE WOLF & CUB. Jet is the Shaolin graduate whose family is killed by government forces, except for his son. He trains his son in Kung Fu and sets off on some vague mission of vengeance or survival or something. Meanwhile, the abbots of Shaolin Temple tattoo a treasure map across the backs of 5 very young students, who are sent out the back exit just before the temple is raided and destroyed by government forces. Meanwhile again, Chingmy Yau and her mother are notorious thieves who manage to trick their way into the household of plump but rich egotist Tiger Lui, with intent to steal. All these disparate groups somehow end up together in the household, and the story focusses on the dynamics between them - until the government forces turn up looking for the map, and it's time for big fighting. A movie that has a lot thrown into it - between Wong Jing's hyperactivity and action director Corey Yuen's creativity, there's any number of curious and fascinating scenes throughout. Both Wong Jing & Corey Yuen share Ching Siu-Tung's weakness of not being detail men though, so execution doesn't always live up to imagination. They do a pretty good job of it for the most part though! Jet plays his role very straight... serious to the point of grimness in fact, as appropriate to his character. He still lets the more human side show through though, mainly when it's brought out by Chingmy Yau. The movie has a few fairly serious moments, but for the most part it's pretty daft with lots of farcical humour. Sometimes you want to cringe, but sometimes it's genuinely funny. The movie is mostly stolen by the young kid who plays Jet's son. God knows how old he is, but he's really quite tiny - and shows quite remarkable kung fu and decent acting ability for his size. Wonder where he is now... Decent movie, a little uneven and not always as well executed as it might have been with more budget and time, but very creative and fun. Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: Trigger Date: 01/09/2002 Summary: This movie Fucking Ownz (please watch the language in your review) This film is the fuckin shiznit. I hadn't seen it before and it's newly released on DVD by Universe. It's one of Jet Li's older films from the tail end of his days of doing period films. It came out in 94. It has been on DVD previously - There's a Tai Seng version and a China Star version which many people have had trouble with on first generation players. This new Universe edition is great. Great transfer and nice sound and easy to read subtitles. The movie itself is fantastic. I feel stupid for not having seen it sooner. It is a period film about Jet Li's clan being wiped out and so he goes off seeking revenge while at the same time being a fugitive on the run. He brings his son along with him who grows up to be a tough and emotionless little boy who is a kung-fu master like his father. The action is really tight and Jet Li uses a telescoping spear in this one. There is a ton of action in this film. Also - for being a fairly heavy film in the beginning and also in a few places throughout (yeah - I even cried at a part), this film has alot of humor in it. The comedy in this film isn't like a Stephen Chow or some Wong Jing silly parody - the humor is very dry wit. This film also kinda pokes fun at Jet Li's previous movies, but it's a little more subtle than say a Wong Jing film or like Last Hero In China (which I liked as well). I'd say this one ranks among his best along with Fong Sai Yuk, Swordsman 2, Tai Chi Master and Kung Fu Cult Master. It has some of the child kung-fu stuff like you saw in My Father Is a Hero. It's good fun. The plot did seem to kinda trail off in weird directions, but at the same time it seemed like there was still some cohesion to it all. It was as if they had this script that they were following and every once in awhile they would lose it and a different writer would have to rewrite what was going on from memory and the story changed a little. It wasn't like a film that was shot without a script though. Hard to put into words. Also - some of the effects were somewhat cheesey - like when they throw a child or a body around you can sometimes tell that it's a dummy. Despite the few shortcomings, it's a wonderful flick and I'm happy to add it to my collection. I give it a 8.5/10 Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: danton Date: 01/03/2002 I checked out the new Universe DVD of this Jet Li movie, and it's definitely the best version of the film I've seen so far (much better than the awful Taiseng disc). Not too many extras, but a good clean transfer with removable subtitles. I'm assuming everyone has seen this movie. For those who haven't: Jet Li is teamed with the kid who played his son in My father is a hero. They are Ming loyalists involved in anti-Qing resistance set during the destruction of the Shaolin monastary. It's a typical period wuxia movie, with well-staged fight scenes, and plenty of humour (this is a Wong Jing movie, after all). Chingmy Yau plays the love interest, and Deannie Yip steals the movie as Chingmy's mother. If you like the swordplay genre, this is a good one.

Reviewed by: Ryoga Date: 12/25/2001 Not the greatest film but it is chock full of entertainment. Jet's friend betrays him and kills his family except his son. His son grows older (about 7 or 8) and later finds out that the traitor is still alive and invincible.

Reviewed by: nomoretitanic Date: 04/08/2001 Summary: Makes me feel like a little boy again You really have to watch the movie with the mindset of a kid (a little too violent though for an elementary schooler, but oh well): the comedy is broad and blunt, the story is melodramatic, a lot of one-dimensional characters, dumb camera work, super undercranked fights, very exaggereated wirefu...etc. BUT Somehow it all came together, somehow I was able to withstand the flaws (typical in any Wong Jing productions) and came to like the movie. The kid characters in this movie were not used cheaply to enhance Jet Li's charisma or whatnot--they were actually the main characters, we more or less see the world through their little boys perspective where everything was black and white and evil guys were awful-looking and showing off kungfu was the way to go (they had a scene where the lil' kid stood on Jet Li's head as they plowed through the market place--totally obnoxious, but that's something I would've done as a kid if me and my dad were martial arts masters living in ancient China). I guess you have to watch this in an innocently goofy mood. Oh yeah, I just realized that this movie is a ripoff of the popular (and great) Japanese series "Shogun Warriors." Where a man is wanted by the government and he hides/ fights with his lil' boy. The opening scene where he asks the infant boy to choose between a wooden horse and a sword is a BLATANT ripoff. But it's still fun.

Reviewed by: Siu Hung Date: 08/20/2000 Summary: Horrible movie i hated this movie. fight scenes were ok at times. at other times it was just plain horrible becuz corey yuen's camera work isn't as masterful as yuen woo ping's. but the fight scenes weren't the problem...the real problem is the jokes. if this is an attempt at comedy...it is a lame and laughable attempt. there was nothing funny abt those butt jokes or fart jokes or "u ate my chicken butt so i'm gonna get my revenge on u" jokes. they're corny...all of them were corny and horny. if wong jing wants to hit it off w/a girl using those lines...he better be praying she's dumber than she looks cuz no girl in their rite mind would ever fall for that...geez what a stupid pervert wong jing is. he should go suck on his own butt for all i care...this movie: 3/10...but only becuz of tze miu. Reviewer Score: 3

Reviewed by: Sydneyguy Date: 08/04/2000 Summary: GREAT!! I thought this would have 8 reviews like all the other Jet LI movies here but it didn't so here i am!! This movie is a mix of comedy and action, and i goto say i do like the action!! It's very fast and the bad guy seems impossible to kill!! The comedy is funny too by the way!! Watch this and you will like it, well you'll like the action any way!! 8.25/10 Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: resdog781 Date: 07/31/2000 Definitely one of the trippier Jet Li movies I've seen (this one and Dr. Wai take it. I haven't seen "Kung Fu Cult Master" yet) Hung Hei-Kwoon (Jet Li) is a long-haired wandering spearsman, accompanied by his son (Tze Mui), a wandering cute pudgy spearsboy. Together they fight to protect a bunch of young shaolin kids who hold the map to a big Shaolin temple treasure. On the way to delivering the kids to the Shaolin monks, they fight a whole bunch of evil henchmen, and some evil scarred mummy guy who putters around in this big shiny "armored car" (for lack of a better term), and kills people by ripping them in half....vertically. Ouchie. Anyway, lots of childish toilet humor (hey, it's Wong Jing) and lots of cool fighting scenes (I love the group No-Shadow Kick the Shaolin kids do) make this one a winner. Even if it *is* really trippy.

Reviewed by: tygrdx Date: 07/24/2000 OK movie. The fight scenes were not as great, but Jet Li looked his charismatic best with the long bangs. I guess I just expect a good Kung Fu movie to have fight scenes as good as Drunken Master 2 and Iron Monkey.