Pjtaylor-96-138044

'The Boxer From Shantung (1972)' is a martial arts movie, directed by Chang Cheh and Hsueh-Li Pao, about an arrogant yet honourable vagrant who slowly but surely finds himself rising in status as a gangster after moving to the big city and defending himself against an axe-wielding gang harassing a tearoom. Although it features plenty of fight scenes, much of the piece is bogged down in gangland politics and messages about retaining pride and honour even while heading down a violent path. It's never quite as compelling as I'd like it to be, at least while it isn't indulging in fast-paced fisticuffs. A large part of why it doesn't connect with me especially strongly is probably the fact that I find the cockiness of the lead somewhat off-putting, so I don't really root for him as much as I'm clearly supposed to. The flick is also has a runtime of two hours, which is far too long for what it is. It has a slightly clumsy pacing that sees its finale essentially interrupt its projected narrative arc, and it doesn't quite settle on a consistent tone. Still, it's enjoyable enough for what it is, thanks mainly to the fact that its set-pieces are stunningly crafted and surprisingly brutal. The final act, in particular, is a bloody, full-bodied assault on the senses that augments its vicious beatings with a portentous tone that ensures we know nothing good can come from its carnage. It's a truly fantastic sequence that ends the film on a high, but it can't quite raise the overall experience out of the 'good enough' category it settles into early on. It's a fair bit of fun, though, and it's almost certainly going to please fans of the genre. I wish it was a bit tighter and perhaps even a bit more action-packed, but I appreciate its consequential combat and vicious violence. When it's good, it's really good. It's just a shame it isn't good as often as it could've been.

'The Five Venoms (1978)' (also known as 'Five Deadly Venoms') is a martial arts movie directed by Chang Cheh that follows the last member of an infamous martial arts house who is tasked with tracking down and assessing his five predecessors, the eponymous Venoms, to see if they're evil enough to warrant him assassinating them. Most of the movie actually follows two splinter groups of its titular quintet as they clash with one another over where to find - and what to do with - a treasure their master left with someone he trusts. Broadly speaking, three of the venoms - one of which acts as the group's only lone wolf, forming and dissolving alliances at his convenience - are evil and two of the venoms are good, but none of them know the identities of their counterparts unless they knew each other during their training. It isn't as confusing as I've made it sound, but it is more complex than the film can really afford it to be, as the narrative gets bogged down in secret identities and corrupt officials and a frame-job that puts our heroes in peril. There isn't actually all that much action in the flick, and it never quite capitalises on the gloriously goofy techniques used by each of the venoms to their full effect. When there are fights, they're balletic and athletic and enjoyable, but they lack a genuine sense of danger and they don't really drop your jaw as much as I'd hope. It kind of feels like a minor effort from most involved, even though I'm sure it required as much skill and dedication as any of their other works. Ultimately, there isn't all that much to say about the experience. It's entertaining enough to keep you watching, but it isn't quite compelling enough to stand out amidst its peers. It is good, though, and it's likely to keep fans of its genre happy enough that they won't regret seeking it out.

'Aquamarine (2006)' is a teen rom-com about a pair of girls who find a mermaid in their pool and decide to help her find love with the lifeguard they have a crush on in exchange for a wish. It's sort of film that a generation of women my age view as a classic, but I was unsure what to expect because nostalgia can be very blinding. Thankfully, I genuinely quite like the flick, and not just because it has given my girlfriend so much joy in the past that I'm glad it exists by default. It's honestly a pretty solid version of the kind of thing it is, with convincing central performances, a charmingly good-natured vibe, a couple moments of successful humour, and a contrived yet fairly emotionally mature message about love, friendship and the realities of life getting in the way. Its infrequent special effects are mostly pretty good, but it gets by on the chemistry between its performers and often conveys the fact that one of its leads is a mermaid by simply saying she is (she has legs while on land, of course). What I mean is that the fact that there's a mermaid involved isn't so much fundamental to the narrative as it is a nice bit of somewhat incidental colour used to spruce up an otherwise relatively straightforward last-day-of-summer, impromptu-matchmaker kind of thing. It's a bit clumsy at times and it kind of rushes its denouement (although it satisfyingly subverts its seemingly most obvious end-point in the process), but it's mostly a really solid adventure that has a tangible quality to its relationships which makes it feel quite fulfilling overall. It is fairly incidental, and it's unlikely to stick in your mind for too long if you don't already have a nostalgic connection to it, but it's honestly quite a bit of fun. It's a lot better than I expected it to be, and I can see why so many people like it so much.