The Red Dragon

Another 70s flick starring Jackie Chan. The movie has very well choreographed fight scenes but again there are way too many. I like the adventure aspect of this flick. The costumes are really good. The evil king in this film is one of the best Jackie Chan movie villains of the 70s. The movie has a very good twist at the end that I did not see coming. In fact, evey aspect of the little plot there was was good. The music score for the movie is mostly directly stolen from Star Wars (1977), which adds some camp value. The movie also has a theme of its very own during scenes of their trek through Stormy Hills. Director Lo Wei throws everything before your eyes that he can think of. This is the first Hong Kong movie filmed in 3D so snakes , swords, spears, ninjas, boulders etc. are hurtled toward the screen. This is one of Jackie's better movies but too much fighting and an overall lack of plot hurt the proceedings . Still, characters have enough different traits and eccentricities to be fairly engaging and Jackie and Luk Chuen choreograph the action well. The movie has decent pacing and is far from waste of time. This is a nice little movie that transcends the trappings and limitations of the typical period piece to deliver light thrills and mild gore for a somewhat more mainstream audience. Despite its flaws, I would recommend checking it out.