Das Blut der roten Python

Prior viewer's descriptions of the action offered here have been duly attempted and I won't dispute anything I've read. I will just say, you REALLY have to be in the mood for this.

I've been watching Kung Fu movies on TV since the 1970's, and I've seen some pretty wild stuff. But this one dumps a whole kitchen sink of action and effects on you. A lot of it makes no sense and a lot of it looks terrible, but hey, like I said, you have to be in the mood. And as to those cheapy laser beams, just look at American, high-end effects in 1977. Star Wars came out the same year, and the laser effects there were not hugely better than this stuff. Production values as a whole were worlds apart, but the laser beams themselves? Not a big difference.

Thank the Red Dragon, or the deity of your choice, for the El Rey Network. It has "Flying, Five Finger, One Armed, Eight Pole, Shaolin, Exploding Death Touch Thursdays". Wonders like this one are now brought to my TV each week. Not every movie can be a classic like Enter the Dragon, but El Rey shows them all with no prejudice. Actually, thank Robert Rodriguez, for putting his reputation and cash on the line to start that channel. I don't know another network that would show us these treasures.

In a contest for the strangest Kung Fu movie, I'm not sure which one would win, but this movie, and Hong hai er (The Fantastic Magic Baby) are definitely two of the top contenders.

Within the opening few minutes of Battle Wizard, you are sure to guess just what kind of movie you're in for! As an angry husband bursts into the room, cursing his cheating wife, her lover leaps through a window then proceeds to shoot lasers from his fingers, eventually cutting the lower legs of the husband...

Stereotyped and honorary Hong Kong cop Danny Lee, had starred in a number of Shaw Brothers hits before fans got used to seeing him play a member of the police force in any number of Hong Kong films. A few of those Shaw's hits were pretty odd offerings, although still highly entertaining, and Battle Wizard is one such movie!

Director Pao Hsueh Li brings Louis Cha's novel 'The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils' to life with outrageous action scenes, crazy characters and monsters. From the girl who charms snakes into peoples bodies with a wiggle of her nose, to the hard-skulled, razor-teethed, bad guy with a retractable lobster claw on a chain (who runs at incredible speed), and the masked beauty who fires darts from her large bone-shaped weapon; Battle Wizard opens with 30 minutes of insanity that will either have you laughing-out-loud and falling for its bizarre charm, or reaching for the control to switch it off.

Danny Lee is hilarious as the young scholar who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, constantly getting slapped about by the girls, getting into trouble with the bad guys, and eventually becoming a kung-fu master. He gains such powers by wrestling in a river with a giant red python, before biting its neck and sucking its blood. Because of that, we get the line made famous by Keanu in The Matrix, as Danny Lee comments, 'I know kung-fu..!' Mind you, that's if you are watching the classic English dub, something I must recommend to add to the fun and excitement of watching Battle Wizard.

While the main cast makes a change from most Chang Cheh or Lau Kar Leung hits, they still impress and we get to see some bit-parts by legends such as Yuen Cheung Yan, Corey Yuen Kwai, Yuen Wah, Yuen Shun Yee, and even the Bastard Swordsman himself, Tsui Siu Keung shows up for some action. While the fights aren't as intricate as something choreographed by Lau Kar Leung or the Yuen Clan, they still provide a lot of entertainment and great moves. Shaw Brothers veterans, Tong Gaai and Wong Pau Gei handle the fight choreography providing endless amounts of fantastical kung-fu, using weapons and finger lasers as fighters face off against each other. Around the hour mark we get a fantastic battle as the bad guys attack and an imprisoned Lee takes on a gorilla. As the gorilla proves to be a worthy opponent, Danny resorts to eating a magic toad that makes him invincible to the point where he puts the hairy beast to the ground with one zap of a laser, then proceeds to rip its arm off!

The abused lover from the beginning, who was made a cripple by having his knees zapped by such a finger laser, now returns for revenge, complete with extendable, metal chicken legs - I kid you not - who can also breathe fire and palm-blast fireballs!

With many great sets and detailed costumes, as with most Shaw's productions, you certainly can't deny the effort put in to the production. Offering many wild special effects much like Bastard Swordsman, Holy Flame Of The Martial World and Demon Of The Lute which are all worth the watch...

Director Pao, who worked alongside Chang Cheh on many classics also directed many great films such as The Boxer From Shantung, Delightful Forest and The Kung Fu Emperor with Ti Lung which I really enjoy. Battle Wizard surprises with its very short running time, and will hardly go down as one of the finest Shaw's productions, but it still proves to be highly entertaining - if not for the added bonus of some unintentional laughs.

Overall: Worth a watch and great fun, Battle Wizard is one crazy film!

This move has it all! Copystrike potential, knees, no knees, snakes, blood sucking and lasers.

The acting and editing is on point aswell.

*clap clap* 10/10

This is one of the crazy ones, along the lines of Buddha's Palm or Holy Flame of the Martial World, though not as fun or inventive. Danny Lee plays a scholar who is uninterested in kung fu, who pursues the "Red Python" which can grant great power. His task is complicated by his philandering father, the cute Lin Chen-chi and her magical snakes, and angry Tanny Tien-ni and her dagger-shooting leg bone.

The movie is filled wacky costumes, fake monsters, goofy visual effects, and kung fu "laser" beams. As short as it is, it still gets a bit bogged down in dialogue and exposition. Still, there's enough craziness along the way to hold you until the mind-blowing ending , which features Danny Lee fighting a kung fu gorilla, and a man on retractable metal chicken legs who fires flames out of his mouth. Worth watching, at least for the ending.

*this is my first review* This movie us a masterpiece. The editing alone makes it one of the best movies ever made. The CGI for that time (1977) was above and beyond what was normal for that time, and rivals even movies coming out today, such as Avengers: Infinity War. The brilliant script was enough to convince George Lucas to make Star Wars. Anyone can see that it is a blatant rip-off of this work of art. One tiny flaw was the acting. It was, sadly subpar for a screenplay this astounding. I am forced to give it a 9.7 out of 10. (This saddens me deeply.) In conclusion, I recommend that you watch this movie at least 71 times (to realize the true meaning). I have seen this ingenious film ~3000 times (coming up on 4 years and 2 months), and I'm still picking up on the subtle references. My daily routine involves me watching this film twice a day - in the morning and at night. I would also recommend you force your friends and family to watch this. It will enrich your life and those around you tremendously. I had depression, my girlfriend broke up with me and I lost my job. I was on the verge of giving up until this movie stumbled into my life. I now have a loving wife, 3 kids, a steady job and an amazing best friend. I beseech all those that read this to watch the movie. Your lives are missing so much. I was lost until I found this. I never realized how much I was be missing until it stared me in the face. (A metaphor for those that don't understand what I mean: you don't realize how cold you are until you lose your sweater. In the same way you don't know what you're missing until you see it right in front of you.)