Martial Arts Movie Junkie

Wushu Review

Background Info

Director Anthony Szeto set out to create a film focusing on the art of Wushu while simultaneously bringing new talent into the industry. With so many new faces, it was crucial that there were a few big names attached to the film. With Sammo Hung playing a main role and Jackie Chan producing the movie, does Wushu manage to impress the audience?

Wushu Trailer

Story/Characters

Personally, I think that the story to Wushu tries to tackle too much. You have a group of kids that are competing in competitions, a child kidnapping ring, and a look at what goes into the stunt industry. While each aspect would have been cool on its own, there is simply too much packed into the narrative for it to flow naturally. Given the name of the film, it would have been much more beneficial if the story focused just on the competition and made it more dramatic.

Wushu revolves around a group of friends that attend a martial arts school. Each of the characters have a different personality, though some of them fall into standard pitfalls. There isn’t any real depth to the characters, especially the villain. This is a movie where bad guys are just bad; I don’t even think they explain why he kidnaps children. Since there are so many lead characters, there aren’t too many of them that get to stand out from the rest. It’s just too bad that the film tried to focus on the message of morality instead of creating deep and interesting characters.

Action/Choreography

For the longest time, there aren’t any real “fights” in the film. Most of the action you see will be from the competitive aspect of things, and that’s where Wushu really shines. There are some talented people working on the film, and it’s impressive to see them in their element. What’s not impressive, sadly, are the actual fights that take place. Rather than ground them in reality, there are some blatant uses of wirework. This seems like a waste of talent to me, because we get to see how capable each fighter is. If you are a Sammo Hung fan, you’ll be happy to know that you’ll see him in action for the final fight, but it takes over everything else. It’s almost like they felt obligated to let Sammo take over the reigns, which is kinda disappointing.

Own it, Watch it, Try it, or Skip it?

Wushu is a movie that tries to accomplish a number of things, but backpedals right at the end. It’s supposed to showcase new talent and give audiences a view behind the scenes. Instead, it turns into a Sammo Hung film at the last minute and talks about morality and sportsmanship. If this movie had stuck to the basic goal and let the new talent impress, it would have had a much more lasting impact. If you are curious about some new talent in the industry or want to kill some time, check out Wushu. While it’s not the best out there, it does enough things right to reward those that are curious enough.

Try it

Wushu DVD (US Version)