These new Chinese movies are lame..

[Koenigsegg]

Originally posted by: Looney

Originally posted by: Koenigsegg

Originally posted by: dighn
it's not meant for american viewers. super-human abilities have been commonplace in chinese martial arts movies/shows/novels for decades. think of it as the chinese version of superheros.

if you can't understand it then don't watch it. it's not meant for you anyway.

Yes, god forbid I try to expand my taste in movies..

Well obviously you don't understand the genre, and you don't want to understand it. So why bother torturing yourself to movies you don't like?

I'm trying to understand it, that's why I rented these movies and started this thread. These were the first two movies of this type that I've ever seen, I didn't think it was fair to judge all movies of this nature with just one, so I decided to pick up a second one that "everyone" seems to love.

But yes, I'll likely stay away from these types and stick with car chases and bomb explosion movies :thumbsup:

 

[zainali]

watch that tony jaa guy in ong bak. not chinese but thai (if there is a difference)

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: Koenigsegg

Originally posted by: Looney

Originally posted by: BtBJester
All these new movies with walking on trees and stuff along those line are really really bad. They just make no sense at all. And there is no way to explain it. Yea sure in the matrix they did it two sorta but hey they gave a pretty good damn reason why they could.

They didn't need to explain it, because the target audience (ie Chinese viewers), know what the myths are.

Yes, why on earth should a movie actually explain anything to the audience? They should just assume everyone knows everything!

Because these are COMMON knowledge... it's like Constantine explaining what Hell and angels are for you to watch the movie. I know i don't need to be explained what 'chi' is in every Chinese fantasy martial arts movie. Does every movie on drugs explain to you what cocaine and heroin is, and where they come from? Of course not moron.

Those things had explanations..Superman was from another planet, Spiderman was bit by a genetically engineered spider, and the Hulk had his thing.

So? Those things are impossible. Here's what you've said:

we supposed to believe these people have trained so hard that they've achieved superhuman abilities? Now I don't mind a back flip 10 feet into the air or anything, but when you can float 50 feet into the air, to me that just takes away a little bit.

So you've obviously understood that they have superhuman abilities due to their training... which is what it is. You just don't like the 'fakeness' of it. It isn't any more fake than Superman being able to fly, or Spiderman crawling up walls.

 

[dighn]

Originally posted by: Koenigsegg

Originally posted by: dighn
it's not meant for american viewers. super-human abilities have been commonplace in chinese martial arts movies/shows/novels for decades. think of it as the chinese version of superheros.

if you can't understand it then don't watch it. it's not meant for you anyway.

Yes, god forbid I try to expand my taste in movies..

ok maybe i worded that a bit too harshly. i guess i was a bit annoyed before i tried to see it from your perspective. anyway it's like the chinese version of marvel comics. neither really make sense but are readily enjoyable to their respective targeted audiences.

Those things had explanations..Superman was from another planet, Spiderman was bit by a genetically engineered spider, and the Hulk had his thing.

actually there are explainations. it's just that the targeted audience is so familiar with the concept that it doesn't need explaining. in short, it's through various techniques that manipulate "Chi" (like the Force) through various energy channels and centers in the body to accomplish these supernatural feats. this is closely tied to chinese medicine which is another familiar concept to the targeted audience.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: Koenigsegg
I'm trying to understand it, that's why I rented these movies and started this thread. These were the first two movies of this type that I've ever seen, I didn't think it was fair to judge all movies of this nature with just one, so I decided to pick up a second one that "everyone" seems to love.

Try renting A Chinese Ghost Story or Bride With White Hair if you have Netflix.

The older sword & sorcery films were faster-paced so they might be more to your taste.

But still: LOTR never stops to explain why a wizard can do this or that, they assume you know (or can infer) it's because he's a wizard. You just have to accept that magic doesn't follow the same rules as natural law.

And like I mentioned above, Jedi are Americanized Chinese/Japanese swordsmen. Force powers were borrowed from Chinese sword & sorcery, and had no "scientific" explanation until decades after the original movies.

 

[jjzelinski]

Iron Monkey was fun.

House of flying daggers was decent, I enjoyed it for the most part but overall I agree with your take; these peple SUCK at drama. Maybe it's the retarded over the top Kung Fu that CAN'T be take seriously.

 

[Looney]

I'm not a big wire-fu fan either... but some of my favorites are Hero, Iron Monkey, Tai Chi Warrior, and Once Upon a Time in China series (lol coincidentally they're all Jet Li... except for Iron Monkey)

 

[jelkukipik]

You are really a Steven Seagal fan!

 

[BtBJester]

no, in those movies it is different. Eveyone knows that they are supposed to be super hero and such. With the chineese movies they are usually regular people who have trained in martial arts and what now they can fly and balance on trees.

 

[ghostman]

Originally posted by: Koenigsegg
Yes, why on earth should a movie actually explain anything to the audience? They should just assume everyone knows everything!

...because you're not the target audience?

Why do crosses, garlic, sun etc. scare vampires? Yet if you saw a vampire shy away from the sun or a cross, you don't question it. Why does a silver bullet stop a werewolf? And wouldn't it be lame if every vampire and werewolf movie tried to explain the scientific reason again and again (though some do try)? A man in China might not understand why (though he is probably familiar enough with American/European culture so that he does), but that's okay because he isn't part of the target audience.

In Chinese movies, vampires are more like zombies and are stopped with it's own unexplain mythical devices. Yellow paper and such.

EDIT: I was kinda late with my reply. Oh well. I should point out I'm not a huge fan of the mythic Chinese/wire-fu stuff either. Perhaps you should try Ong Bak. It's a Thai film that I haven't seen, but the trailer looks wicked:

Ong Bak Trailer
Ong Bak Trailer 2

 

[randumb]

Originally posted by: zainali
watch that tony jaa guy in ong bak. not chinese but thai (if there is a difference)

Muay Thai originated in Thailand, no relation to Chinese martial arts

 

[ScrapSilicon]

Originally posted by: jelkukipik
You are really a Steven Seagal fan!

lmao

 

[iversonyin]

I enjoyed Hero. The plot was quite awesome, it kept me in suspense. Don't care much for the special effects.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Thought it sucked the first time because my parents were watching it while I was typing away on my laptop. Plus it wasn't subbed and I was just like errrrr. Watched it a second time without subs but this time I was paying attention. Works so much better when you get it. I may not be a wire-fu lover but it's still got a good plot.

 

[LongCoolMother]

the critics seem to love Hero a lot. the issues with the mythic-chinese flying kung fu stuff is just fantasy. i think it adds more wonder to the movies, the same way the force in star wars and the various mythic aspects of the lord of the rings seem to appeal to so many people. matrix as well. these fantastic 'powers' are quite cool. hardly any movies at are realistic if you think about it.

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: LongCoolMother
the critics seem to love Hero a lot. the issues with the mythic-chinese flying kung fu stuff is just fantasy. i think it adds more wonder to the movies, the same way the force in star wars and the various mythic aspects of the lord of the rings seem to appeal to so many people. matrix as well. these fantastic 'powers' are quite cool. hardly any movies at are realistic if you think about it.

Yeah really... do any of us really think 'Rambo' could have taken on the entire Soviet army all by himself?

 

[helloedchen]

Modern day 'wire-fu' really started with Swordsman (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100973/). Excellent cinema if you are into that kind of stuff.

 

[Koenigsegg]

Originally posted by: ghostman

Originally posted by: Koenigsegg
Yes, why on earth should a movie actually explain anything to the audience? They should just assume everyone knows everything!

...because you're not the target audience?

Why do crosses, garlic, sun etc. scare vampires? Yet if you saw a vampire shy away from the sun or a cross, you don't question it. Why does a silver bullet stop a werewolf? And wouldn't it be lame if every vampire and werewolf movie tried to explain the scientific reason again and again (though some do try)? A man in China might not understand why (though he is probably familiar enough with American/European culture so that he does), but that's okay because he isn't part of the target audience.

In Chinese movies, vampires are more like zombies and are stopped with it's own unexplain mythical devices. Yellow paper and such.

EDIT: I was kinda late with my reply. Oh well. I should point out I'm not a huge fan of the mythic Chinese/wire-fu stuff either. Perhaps you should try Ong Bak. It's a Thai film that I haven't seen, but the trailer looks wicked:

Ong Bak Trailer
Ong Bak Trailer 2

That's a great example, with the zombies and vampires..really put it in perspective now..

 

[Mo0o]

All this flying is based on old Chinese mythology and what the best warriors were supposedly capable of doing. The wirefu adds another dimension to martial arts. In the past all martial arts movies were wirefu, then people got tired of it and went to the more straight forward kungfu of BruceLee/jackie chan and jet li, but now theres a movement back to wirefu. With Zhang Yi Mou he really uses it to add a certain elegance to the fight scenes other than just pure mindless action.

 

[BtBJester]

Originally posted by: Looney

Yeah really... do any of us really think 'Rambo' could have taken on the entire Soviet army all by himself?

Yea its Rambo... DUH!