Hong Kong cinema is broadly famous for its martial arts action flicks above all else. Even among titles of that bent there can be surprising variety in terms of the visual aesthetics, the disciplines that are spotlighted, the strength of the writing, the production values, and more. That variety can also apply to quality, however, and just as some examples of such fare are must-see classics, on the other end of the spectrum are some titles that we might generously say struggle. 'Shaolin invincible sticks,' unfortunately, is the type that struggles. And the thing is, it should be a significantly better film than it is, but in most every way choices were made that severely reduce the value this can claim.
The emphasis here is on stick fighting, and the varieties of stick weapons. With that especially in mind we're treated to outstanding stunts, fight choreography, and action sequences, all a treasure and definitely the top highlight of these ninety minutes. Though not as noteworthy here as elsewhere, the sets, filming locations, and costume design are all swell, too. There are also some splendid narrative threads on hand, namely those of a young upstart who must train and gain allies to earn the respect of his elders, and a trio of cruel villains who are slaying stick fighters throughout the region. Regrettably, things start to break down beyond these core facets, and the viewing experience is a bit of a laborious one.
Even if we make allowances for poor translation, or freely made changes, a lot of the dialogue is simply terrible - stilted, simple, and unbelievable. If one has the misfortune of finding a dubbed version to watch, the dubbing is so awful that it alone makes this almost unwatchable. On top of the dominant story threads, action scenes, and training sequences are too many examples of side plots and tertiary scene writing that is tawdrily and unconvincingly kluged onto the whole, making the picture unwieldy and unbalanced in the process, like a car onto which has been welded a number of large, ill-considered sculptures in all the worst places. All this is to say nothing of boorish instances of ableism, fatphobia, and light treatment of kidnapping and sexual assault in what are supposed to be comedic sequences. The simple fact of the matter is that the storytelling feels direly unfocused.
The latter feeling is not aided by poor editing and sequencing that chops up the presentation in a gawky, sometimes almost senseless manner. To be frank, the cinematography isn't much better; all too often choices are made that reduce the visualization of a scene, or that frame it in curious and unhelpful ways. It can at least be said that action sequences are the least likely to be impacted by these criticisms, but they are not entirely free of the matter, either. The result of all this is central strength that's troubled by unseemly additions and questionable realization, and I'd be plainly lying if I said it weren't hard to particularly enjoy 'Shaolin invincible sticks' in turn. It's not outright bad, yet so many choices were made here that distinctly take away from its best potential. I suppose it's still decent enough to watch if you happen to come across it, but definitely don't go out of your way, and there are many other flicks that you should be prioritizing instead.
