The Miracle Fighters Blu-ray Review
“The Miracle Fighters” is an oddball Hong Kong martial arts comedy.
Written by Peace Group, 1982’s “The Miracle Fighters” is set during the Qing Dynasty. In this time period, Han Chinese and Manchu people were not allowed to marry, but Kao Hsiung broke the law. As a result, his wife is killed. Kao Hsiung rebels against the Prince and Sorcerer Bat King and takes the Little Prince hostage. As he flees, he discovers that he has accidentally killed the Little Prince. A decade passes and Kao is raising Shu-Kan (an orphan who he is passing off as the Little Prince). When Kao becomes injured in an assassination attempt, Shu-Kan seeks help. It is here that he encounters 2 bickering and feuding Taoist Priests (an old man and an old woman named Kei-moon and Tun-kap). The 2 Taoists essentially take Shu-Kan under their wing before he enters the Sorcerer’s championship- a competition that occurs every 10 years. The championship finds Shu-Kan facing off against the power hungry Sorcerer Bat.
Directed by the legendary Yuen Woo-ping, “The Miracle Fighters” is a truly bizarre martial arts fantasy comedy. The story itself is nothing particularly inventive, but it’s the action and unique characters that truly stand out here. Normally, martial arts comedy films tend to fall flat for me as they become far too silly for their own good. There are some definite moments of slapstick comedy that had me rolling my eyes (particularly the scenes with the 2 Taoists). Thankfully, the sheer weirdness of the movie makes up for the shortcomings.
‘Miracle’ really comes alive with the visually stunning and entirely weird moments involving a clown assassin living in an urn (yes, you read that right), paintings that come alive, 2 fighters sitting and fighting, a talking fish, a fighter separating from his body, a fight on wooden poles over deadly snakes, and killer drilling tops. Cartoonish though it may be, this supernatural kung-fu film deserves props for its often surreal and creative moments that elevate it as a whole.
Performances are solid across the board particularly from Yuen Yat-cho (Shu-Kan), Yuen Shun-yi (as the over-the-top villain Sorcerer Bat), Brandy Yuen (as the clown), and Eddy Ko as Kao. The comedic antics from Bryan Leung (Kei-moon) and Yuen Cheung-yan (Tun-kap) may appeal to some viewers, but they were grating to me.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 2.39:1 1080p. How does it look? This Eureka! disc features a nice clean hi-def transfer.
Audio Tracks: Original Cantonese Mono and English Dub Mono. How do they sound? The sharp Original Cantonese Mono track is the clear winner here while the English Dub is decent but less refined.
Extras:
* 2 commentary tracks. One by Frank Djeng and one by Mike Leeder and Arne Venema,
* Original theatrical trailer
* Still gallery.
* 3 separate interviews with Frederic Ambroisine, director Fish Fong, and John Kreng.
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