I have to admit that I'm no big fan of John Carpenter. His movies always have the B-movie taste to them that somehow most of the time rubs me the wrong way, like he's not even trying. But sometimes, once in a great while, he manages to make that B-movie thing work. The result is highly entertaining, not least because you can tell he's having a lot of fun.
I would probably rate this movie and "Escape from New York" as Carpenters best work. Not only are they solid fun, they are also well made for their time and budget constraints. "Big Trouble in Little China" has some pretty good special effects all things considered. And having watched the movie something like fifteen times when i was younger, it stands the test of time surprisingly well when i watch it today. Other than the effects the main attractions are Kurt Russels overblown hero, the quite massive amount of surprisingly good martial arts action and all the freaky characters. Mainly though what saves the experience is the constant tongue-in-cheek feeling.
I'm sure that younger people may not find this movie that exciting. But for me having watched it for the first time when i was maybe 11-12 years old, this is pure nostalgia. And like i said above, it's nostalgia that unlike so many other things hasn't lost all of it's shine. Saying "i wished they would make movies like this nowadays" makes me feel too old though so i won't say it. But movies that don't take themselves too seriously have always attracted me, and this is a bullseye in that department. Recommended!
I would probably rate this movie and "Escape from New York" as Carpenters best work. Not only are they solid fun, they are also well made for their time and budget constraints. "Big Trouble in Little China" has some pretty good special effects all things considered. And having watched the movie something like fifteen times when i was younger, it stands the test of time surprisingly well when i watch it today. Other than the effects the main attractions are Kurt Russels overblown hero, the quite massive amount of surprisingly good martial arts action and all the freaky characters. Mainly though what saves the experience is the constant tongue-in-cheek feeling.
I'm sure that younger people may not find this movie that exciting. But for me having watched it for the first time when i was maybe 11-12 years old, this is pure nostalgia. And like i said above, it's nostalgia that unlike so many other things hasn't lost all of it's shine. Saying "i wished they would make movies like this nowadays" makes me feel too old though so i won't say it. But movies that don't take themselves too seriously have always attracted me, and this is a bullseye in that department. Recommended!