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How can this film rated higher than 'Shaolin Temple'

posted 19 years ago by ferls
7 replies | jump to latest

Shaolin Temple featured breathtaking real Shaolin location, played by real monks and real martial artists. Their kungfu skills were much better, the drunken staff by a Shaolin monk, drunken sword by Wang Jue, three section staff by Jet Li ranked among the best.

This movie had an interesting story on how a Shaolin monk was trained but the action just not up to par with Shaolin Temple.

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[–] pedicab_driver 19 years ago

In my opinion 36th Chamber of Shaolin had a better story, better leading actor, and the fight scenes were shot better. The only things that Shaolin Temple had that were better were the locations and seeing members of China's national wushu team perform their routines (not real monks, the older guys were their wushu instructors). I found the fight scenes a bit annoying as the director wasn't any good at editting fights.

[–] navigator_group 15 years ago

no disrespect for this old timer movie - and i do like a good gung fu flick - but seeing this movie for the first time ever.. ( i know..) had me baffled. the fightscenes are so badly mad that i start laughing - even the swords axes look really fake.. heh just watch the first fight scene with that fake axe - painted wood to make it look like metal.. how sad is that :)

id say drunken master or any other bruce lee flick is better then this drivel.

[–] nonicetime 19 years ago

Maybe when Jet Li eat a dog in the movie it drove ratings down

[–] yo_como_comida 18 years ago

^ Sad as it sounds, I think the dog eating might actually have a lot to do with it.

Overall, The 36th Chamber has a better story, and Lau Kar Leung's direction is impeccable. While the Shaolin Temple has some of the best action sequences ever filmed, it lacks having any likeable characters, and basically is one of many inferior retreads of the 36th Chamber's storyline (although it is one of the more outstanding ones).

[–] JFrawley032759 18 years ago

I enjoyed both films, but found the direction of 36th Chamber much better. I'm afraid that for those looking for authentic Shaolin boxing appropriate to the era (17th-18th Century CE for 36th Chamber and early 7th Century CE - I think - for Shaolin Temple) they will find something different. Lau Kar Leung's emphasis is Hung Gar, the combination of Tiger and Crane style developed following the destruction of the Southern Temple - certainly developed from the Shaolin model, but historically later. The performers in Shaolin Temple are experts in modern Wushu - very specifically situated in the PRC following the Communist victory. I wouldn't want to criticize either form, although Hung Gar seems to have greater real world application. I would assume that the state of Shaolin Temple boxing at the end of the Sui Dynasty was entirely different from that in Shaolin Temple, and that practiced early in the Qing Dynasty somewhat different from the contemporary Hung Gar of 36th Chamber. Of course, all of this ignores the fact that film fighting is modified in order to look more dramatic on screen. Lau Kar Leung has stated on many occasions that he changes the Hung Gar forms to have wider, showier moves on screen. I'd like to see someone use entirely authentic forms on screen, but the look would probably be confusing or disappointing to most.

[–] tommyuk 17 years ago

The 36th Chamber is special I can see why Tarantino wanted Gordon for Kill Bill

[–] InjunNose 17 years ago

For me, the training scenes in "Thirty-Sixth Chamber" make all the difference. You *see* Liu Chia-hui become a master fighter, step by step. In "Shaolin Temple", Jet Li is one of those overnight experts that we find only in the magical world of kung-fu films, and it just isn't believable or satisfying. There were some gifted martial artists in "Shaolin Temple", no question about it, but the film was marred by the poor editing and jump cuts during the final fight. And I agree with many of the other posters who feel that the characters in "Thirty-Sixth Chamber" were more fully fleshed out.