Shaolin Mantis:
Alrighty, let's talk about Shaolin Mantis first. This movie was produced by the famous Shaw Brothers, creators of 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Five Deadly Venoms, and many others. Shaolin Mantis is overall a pretty decent flick and I enjoyed watching it. Let's go to the story!
The Story:
A scholar, Wei Fung (played by David Chiang) is recruited by the Emperor to spy on a potential rebel, who might be plotting to kill said Emperor. Wei goes to the Tien manor under the guise of a teacher to tutor the Grand Master's unruly granddaughter, Chi Chi (played by Wong Hang Sau). Things become more complicated and Wei's life may be in danger. Will he be victorious, or will the Master of the Shadow style end Wei once and for all?
The Good:
I'll admit, this is a pretty cheesy kung fu movie, but it's cheesy good. The action sequences aren't all too bad for an old kung fu flick. Towards the end, it gets better because there's much more action.
The Bad:
The sound effects. I understand that this was made in the 70s and things weren't as high tech as there are now, but the amount of hitting noises were a bit overboard. There are a few fights were Wei and generic master of <insert style> lock hands and there has to be hitting noises even though the actors aren't even hitting each other. As for the sword/ metal weapons sound, they used the same pattern of ping, ping, chuang!!! over and over. <sigh> It got old fast. The story was pretty slow paced as well. Wei doesn't even do Mantis style until the last 15 minutes of the movie, which is alright, I suppose. However, he just kind of smiles and acts goofy. Chi-Chi. Why does almost every kung fu movie have to have an annoying girl? She likes kung fu, I'll give her that, but she's also too much of a show off. There should have been a scene were Wei shows her his kung fu and maybe have embarrassed her or something. I don't like Chi-Chi.
Conclusion:
Shaolin Mantis is a fun Shaw Brothers flick and I recommend that you should at least see it once. As said before, the action's not too shabby, so it's fun to watch.
3.5 mantis strikes out of 5.
13 Assassins:
This time we travel even further east to the mystical land of Japan. And instead of kung fu masters we are introduced to samurai. Now, 13 Assassins is a great movie. The story's amazing, the action is spine chilling good, and the acting is superb. All in all, 13 Assassins is probably one of my favorite samurai movies. Let's give it a look see, shall we?
The Story:
In the 1840s, a sadistic evil man, Lord Naritsugu, the Shogun's half-brother, is causing trouble and must be stopped. Sir Doi, the Shogun's Justice Minster, realizes something must be done and seeks out an ex samurai, Shinzaemon. Shinzaemon is tasked to assassinate Lord Naritsugu by any means necessary. Shinzaemon and 12 others plot a way to kill Lord Naritsugu en route to Edo before the Lord joins the Shogun's council. Will they succeed and kill this evil man? Or will their plan be all for naught and peace in Japan might end?
Above: TOTAL MASSCRE
The Good:
The whole movie. Seriously. I love everything about it. The story's compelling, the action is well done and well choreographed. The actors are convincing and make the story believable. Even the pacing of the story is well done, making you wait patiently until BAM! Action! Lots of glorious action! This movie is just...wow. It's awesome.
The Bad:
Honestly, I can't find anything bad about this movie. It's well done. Since I have to find bad things, I will nitpick. There are some dumb things these ronin (samurai no longer bound to a master) do that would make Sun Tzu facepalm. In the scene above, it's clear that these men have the tactical advantage and they could easily wipe out a few more men before running out of arrows. But no....they have to do the stupid thing and fight 130 men (even though they do this pretty successfully) with sword play. C'mon! Just whittle down the bad guys until you have the advantage! I know there's supposed to be honor and whatnot, but at least do it with less enemies! Other than that, great movie.
Conclusion:
Just see above. This movie rocks. Watch it. Seriously.
5 katanas out of 5.
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