THE 3-D ARMY (1989, original title Li ti qi bing) is an absolutely madcap slice of fantasy/horror from Taiwan with four plucky kids as the heroes of a plotling involving the traditional 'hopping vampires' and the machinations of an evil sorcerer. As with many Taiwanese films, it's pretty low in budget - even compared to rival fare from Hong Kong - but it makes up for that with a wealth of creativity and imagination. It starts off quite ordinarily (at least for Asia), with hopping vampires being herded into the local morgue and the kids befriending a fox spirit who takes the form of a little girl and her little friend Zombie (another hopping vampire). In the second half, the latter characters are trapped in a 'spirit house' (kind of like a magic doll's house) by the aforementioned sorcerer, and a rescue mission is attempted.
It's in this latter half where the film really gets going, as our athletic heroes show off a wealth of kung fu prowess while battling with myriad foes: creepy life-sized animated dolls, theatrical demons, hexes and curses, a particularly menacing hopping vampire which can make itself invisible at will, and of course the big bad himself, the sorcerer. Plenty of wacky SFX are on show here, along with a little toilet humour and the plain bizarre moments you see from this region. Not exactly what I'd describe as great, but it sure is entertaining...
It's in this latter half where the film really gets going, as our athletic heroes show off a wealth of kung fu prowess while battling with myriad foes: creepy life-sized animated dolls, theatrical demons, hexes and curses, a particularly menacing hopping vampire which can make itself invisible at will, and of course the big bad himself, the sorcerer. Plenty of wacky SFX are on show here, along with a little toilet humour and the plain bizarre moments you see from this region. Not exactly what I'd describe as great, but it sure is entertaining...
