I suppose that the 1976 martial arts movie titled "Shaolin Wooden Men" (aka Shao Lin mu ren xiang") was a great movie back in the day when it was newly released. But sitting down to watch it for the first time in 2021, I have to say that the movie wasn't all that great.
Of course I sat down to watch the 1976 movie because I am a fan of Jackie Chan and never had the chance to watch "Shaolin Wooden Men" before now in 2021.
Sure, "Shaolin Wooden Men" was watchable, but it was held back by a lack of proper storyline. It was essentially just a movie that consisted of 90% fighting and very little effort put into constructing a wholehearted storyline.
And for a Jackie Chan movie then it wasn't outstanding. Sure, he was new and up and coming back then, but this was not among his best of performances, neither in terms of martial arts, stunts or acting performances.
Some of the scenes in the movie were interesting and nicely executed, don't get me wrong. But the movie was just suffering from an interior storyline which proved to be rather thin and weak.
It should be said that most of the fight scenes throughout the course of "Shaolin Wooden Men" weren't really all that nicely performed. They were just too obviously staged and delivered in a manner that screamed 1-2-3, moves set up to be formed in a specific order. The fight scenes just didn't have that usual natural flow to them that Jackie Chan is known for. The scene with the wooden men, though, was actually quite impressive - stupid and silly, but impressive.
"Shaolin Wooden Men" is a movie for the diehard fans of Jackie Chan. If you sit down to watch it because it is a martial arts movie, then chances are you will be left sorely disappointed.
My rating of writer Hsin Chin and director Chi-Hwa Chen's 1976 movie lands on a mediocre five out of ten stars.
Of course I sat down to watch the 1976 movie because I am a fan of Jackie Chan and never had the chance to watch "Shaolin Wooden Men" before now in 2021.
Sure, "Shaolin Wooden Men" was watchable, but it was held back by a lack of proper storyline. It was essentially just a movie that consisted of 90% fighting and very little effort put into constructing a wholehearted storyline.
And for a Jackie Chan movie then it wasn't outstanding. Sure, he was new and up and coming back then, but this was not among his best of performances, neither in terms of martial arts, stunts or acting performances.
Some of the scenes in the movie were interesting and nicely executed, don't get me wrong. But the movie was just suffering from an interior storyline which proved to be rather thin and weak.
It should be said that most of the fight scenes throughout the course of "Shaolin Wooden Men" weren't really all that nicely performed. They were just too obviously staged and delivered in a manner that screamed 1-2-3, moves set up to be formed in a specific order. The fight scenes just didn't have that usual natural flow to them that Jackie Chan is known for. The scene with the wooden men, though, was actually quite impressive - stupid and silly, but impressive.
"Shaolin Wooden Men" is a movie for the diehard fans of Jackie Chan. If you sit down to watch it because it is a martial arts movie, then chances are you will be left sorely disappointed.
My rating of writer Hsin Chin and director Chi-Hwa Chen's 1976 movie lands on a mediocre five out of ten stars.