Crazy Shaolin Disciples (1985) User Reviews

Not perfect, but better than you'd expect

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 10 July 2020]

CRAZY SHAOLIN DISCIPLES is one of the very last of the Shaw Brothers Shaolin cycle, and it's pretty goofy and slapdash in places. The emphasis is very much on lowbrow comedy here and it does work for the first 50 minutes or so, but then the film loses steam and becomes mildly insufferable before picking up for a strong climax. There's still a lot to love about Shaw even by 1985; the casting here is exemplary and features many heroes young and old. Gordon Liu is cast as an antagonist compared to his better known 36TH CHAMBER roles; the hero is like-him-or-hate-him Wong Yue, with Chin Siu-ho in support. The great Lo Meng has a typical tough guy supporting role while villain duties go to Lo Lieh; he's heavily doubled in the fight scenes but nonetheless is so menacingly evil that you just don't care. The film features a plethora of fight action which is always welcome, and is generally agreeable and amusing enough to work even if it's inferior when compared to similar productions made by Shaw, whether directed by Chang Cheh or starring Gordon Liu.

Shaolin Animal House

[ChungMo · 4/10 · 7 February 2006]

Uh....ugh.

Rather disjointed and infantile entry in the Liu Chia Hui playing a Shaolin monk series. A broad comedy. Like other films of this nature it swings between intense violence and the goofiest HK humor. Unfortunately this is bad goofy with lots of "Brown" humor. Snot, farts, excrement, they're all here and more.

Most of the film has the monastery student body divided into two camps; the secular Southern students and the Northern monks in training. It's a series of lame tricks perpetrated by one group on the other. The action is good but swings between exciting kung fu and absurd wire fu. The fight between a monk and a student over a prayer cushion is very good. Unfortunately too much time is spent on the juvenile antics.

Good actors wasted. Skip it.

Lousy

[Mitch-38 · 1/10 · 19 June 2001]

Lame, chop-socky film that has everything but good acting, exciting action scenes, a comprehensible plot and a hint of direction. This one movie alone, could conceivably make folks ask the IMDB to make a rating LOWER than the numeral one!

The story sort of runs like this...evil villains (from where we don't know) kill a bunch of guys (whom we do not know) to steal a coin or something (to take it and use it for...well, we don't know). Got that? Good! Next, some guy is sent by his mother to a Shaolin Temple. Why? I don't know. I guess to learn some really cool martial arts or become a monk, or both. Then, the lame, older-than-Charlamagne cliche of older students hazing the "newbies" rears it's grey head, and becomes part of the ummm...plot? Then the evil guys go to the temple and cause a rampage to a)steal something else or b)simulate the audience in demanding their money back. The end? We can only pray.

Torturously awful...for masochists only.

Great Shaw Brothers Magic

[natedogg_36 · 9/10 · 21 January 2006]

This film shows the aesthetic's of what modern Kung Fu movies are about and where inspiration for movies such as Kill Bill come from. Very cool movie, i enjoyed it, and you need to watch movies for what they are. I have only seen the original Chinese version with subtitles but I believe there is also a dubbed version similar to the film the 5 Deadly Venoms, another great Shaw Brothers Film, and actually makes for cool voices. These types of films have a distinct style and are the inspiration for many filmmakers and also musicians such as the Wu-Tang Clan. This along with many other films may not be enjoyed by all but need to be seen for what they are, and that may not live up to today's Hollywood expectations. But I think great films don't need to be restricted by those expectations.