ATTACK OF THE JOYFUL GODDESS is one of the rarer movies in Chang Cheh's filmography as director. Unfortunately it's also by far his worst movie, a near-unwatchable low budget mess of a film which is an embarrassment for all involved. For a start it's not a Shaw Brothers film at all, rather a cheapie made in Taiwan. The presence of a couple of Venoms actors in the cast, including Chiang Sheng and Lu Feng, has seen this film variously re-titled FIVE VENOMS ATTACK and ATTACK OF THE FIVE VENOMS in the US. Anyone expecting anything even approaching the quality of a genuine Venoms film will be sorely disappointed by the material on display here.
This is a gaudy mess of a film which attempts to combine Chinese opera with the supernatural. There's barely any action and that which does occur is poorly choreographed and spoilt by cheesy special effects and general cheapness and ineptitude. The whole film seems to take place in a dark room with a pair of curtains at one wall. The characters are stereotypical and some of the dubbed dialogue is unintentionally hilarious, such as the discussion of an unexpected pregnancy. Even fans of Cheh, and I am one, should avoid this travesty like the plague.
This is a gaudy mess of a film which attempts to combine Chinese opera with the supernatural. There's barely any action and that which does occur is poorly choreographed and spoilt by cheesy special effects and general cheapness and ineptitude. The whole film seems to take place in a dark room with a pair of curtains at one wall. The characters are stereotypical and some of the dubbed dialogue is unintentionally hilarious, such as the discussion of an unexpected pregnancy. Even fans of Cheh, and I am one, should avoid this travesty like the plague.