Ling huan tong zi

Lin Hsiao-Lao was a cross-dressing actress of the 1980s who was forever getting cast as 'boy hero' characters in a series of low budget Taiwanese fantasy epics. I previously watched the delirious CHILD OF PEACH so I had some idea of what to expect with this one, and it's a film that doesn't disappoint, packed to the rafters with crazy action as it is.

The storyline? It defies comprehension for the most part, except to say that there's an evil wizard who goes around stealing souls and putting them in earthenware jars. Only the titular character and his juvenile apprentice friends have the power to stop the villain and his wicked army.

KUNG FU WONDER CHILD sets out to entertain and it certainly does that in spades. It's an effects film throughout, using copious wirework to show the main characters flying around the scene and doing insane moves and stunts. The magic element to the storyline is off the scale, with revived corpses, an animated dragon, a hopping vampire, a female spirit, a miniaturised adventure, plus all of those '80s-era laser effects. There's also plenty of toilet humour here too; I normally don't like it, but somehow it works in Asian films and is very funny. Kung fu star Jack Long and the lovely Japanese actress Yukari Oshima play in support, while the veteran kung fu helmer Tso Nam Lee directs.