KUNG POW: ENTER THE FIST
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I rented this to validate my suspicions that it was a sophomoric and pathetic excuse for a comedy. I even made a point of watching it with no one else around so I wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen viewing it. Although the first sequence did little to counter my expectations, as I progressed farther into the film, I started laughing. Sure, a lot of the humor is "broad" (or if you're less generous, "crude and stupid"), but I laughed. Please don't think less of me...
Steve Odekirk is the comedian/filmmaker that brought the world a collection of talking-thumb movies, such as "Thumb Wars." If you've seen any of those and hated them, you probably won't like this movie. If you loved them, well, there's hope for "Enter the Fist." It's like "What's Up Tiger Lily?" for the new millennium. Odekirk bought the rights to a foreign martial-arts movie, redubbed the dialog (doing all the voices himself), and changed the story. Using digital technology, he inserted himself as the main character, and embellished the scenes. Part of the fun is trying to find the inserted elements, like the "HOOTERS" restaurant in the rural Chinese village. A person who has never seen a martial arts film will only be confused and frightened. Those who are familiar with the archetypes and clichés of chop-socky cinema (and don't take it too seriously), may find the send-up entertaining. Be warned; Odekirk's sense of humor is so offbeat, I think it's weird. Many jokes just don't work. Others are funny the first few times, but get repeated past the point of amusement. Yet some are really clever and made me laugh out loud, a rarity for most movies. It's like watching batting practice for an erratic power hitter. A lot of swings do nothing, or dribble the ball across the infield. A few hits sail the ball over the far fence in a wonderful arc. If you have the patience to sit through a lot of grounders, the solid hits may be worth it. If you watch the first twenty minutes and haven't even chuckled (or worse, are wincing in pain), you're not going to like the last hour either. Of course, if you think farce is merely sophomoric and a pathetic excuse for comedy, you'll be happier just renting "Tartuffe" again anyway.
If you liked the movies below, you'll probably like this one (and visa versa):
Eight-Facet Info Rating, rated on a scale of 0 (None) to 4 (Lots!)): |