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R E V I E W
Iron Monkey
Directed by Yuen Wo-Ping
Q U I C K I M P R E S S I O N S
Having just returned from a matinee showing, here are some quick impressions:
PICTURE: Looks great, although not pristine perfection in every shot.
SOUND EFFECTS: Adds great *whompf* to the fight sequences. Very good.
MUSIC: A bit too reminiscent of CROUCHING TIGER. The original score was fine, and this one is about the same. Not as weak as LEGEND OF DRUNKEN MASTER. Doing away with the Wong Fei-Hung "theme" is foolish; replacing it with *absolutely nothing* is ridiculous (e.g. the first appearance of Wong Fei-Hung and his father is greeted by ... silence.)
SUB-TITLES: Substantial improvement over the Mega Star DVD. Greatly improved understanding is the result. The white titles are a bit hard to see on occasion.
ADDITIONS: The opening credit explanation is good. The concluding credit explanation is completely non-essential, almost like they were trying to make the film sound more substantial than what it is.
SUBTRACTIONS: At least two lines of dialogue were cut in the penultimate scene, along with most of another scene (when Dr. Yang and Wong Kei-Ying are offered rice by the villagers, near the end).
SUMMARY: Tremendous fun to see this on the big screen. Not a bad crowd for a Friday afternoon first showing. If you're accustomed to seeing subtitled Asian films in your local cinema, this will be no big deal, I suppose. But for the rest of us (OK - at least me), it's very exciting.
(Friday, October 12, 2001)
Links to Other Reviews
Robert Denerstein, Rocky Mountain News
Restored 'Monkey' charges into irrestible battleRoger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
It's for the fans, not the crossover audienceCarrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer
Not much plot, but great actionRon Weiskind, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
'Iron Monkey' is 'Crouching Tiger' without the epic sweepMark Caro, Chicago Tribune
Now here's a violent movie that the whole family can enjoyJohn Monaghan, Detroit Free Press
'Monkey' is no 'Crouching Tiger,' but martial arts film sure is inspired funMike Clark, USA Today
1993's restored 'Iron Monkey' is still a kickLiam Lacey, The Globe and Mail
Crouching Tiger, meet ZorroWilliam Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
'Iron Monkey' lacks all the class of 'Crouching Tiger'(no writer credited), San Francisco Chronicle
Get ready for the real thingJay Carr, Boston Globe
Genre's master gives a martial arts lesson
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