CommentsXp
Best movie ever!
Humbersi
The first must-see film of the year.
Catangro
After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.
Darin
One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
shaynz
Classic movie... still remember all the wordsBrilliant
Leofwine_draca
I saw this kung fu movie under the title THUNDERING MANTIS and as other reviewers have mentioned, it has very poor picture quality and some appalling dubbing which doesn't make it a very easy film to sit through. Narrative-wise, it's a simple riff on the plot and ideas of DRUNKEN MASTER, with Beardy giving an energetic performance as a kung fu novice who gets into trouble with some bad guys led by screen veteran Eddy Ko.Beardy trains his physical strength by lugging giant fish around but is out of his depth in the fights until he befriends a precocious kid and the kid's wise old uncle who just so happens to be adept in the Mantis style. You can guess what happens next, and indeed THUNDERING MANTIS plays out exactly as you'd expect, at least up until the last twenty minutes. Beardy engages in horseplay and knockabout comedy (as in the previous year's KNOCKABOUT) while the Wong Fei Hung theme plays.The last twenty minutes is something else, however. A tragic chain of plot events sees Beardy's grasp of sanity finally snap and he goes completely berserk in the final fight scene, turning into a spitting, biting maniac with a performance that's completely off the wall. I know Jackie is sometimes pushed over the edge at the end of his movies (memorably in POLICE STORY) but Beardy's transformation here is something else entirely. A shame the rest of the film couldn't match it.
WILLSKILEE
One of the best old school kung fu flicks ever. Watch for the "eating scene" at the end. You will not forget this flick! Lots of these action sequences are being co opted by new filmmakers (see: Matrix,Charlie's Angels, Crouching Tiger....) as if they are something new. These fight scenes have been around for some time in Chinese martial arts films, and this film is at the head of the class. Compares favorably to "Shaolin Vs. Ninja". EXCEPTIONAL!RIVETING!
Jojosh the Pi
"Thundering Mantis" gives you what you expect from a Chinese kung fu movie--poor dubbing, lots of fighting (much of which is obviously fake), and a fairly predictable plot. The main musical theme is like something you'd find in "ChiPs", not really belonging to the movie, but rather amusing. And the introduction, oh boy, if you like cheesy fighting, you'll be rewinding like anything.This movie does do a few things right, better than most kung fu movies. I actually wanted the villains to get their butts kicked. The movie does a good job of showing how Hsia and his henchmen are increasingly cruel and sadistic. Moreover, I actually cared when the good guys suffered(!), especially the boy. "Thundering" even has some pretty funny scenes which are actually supposed to be humorous.Overall, it's worth viewing at least once. Some people may be repulsed by the ending, and there is a bit of swearing, but I still give it 6/10.
