Kung Fu Hip-Hop (2008) User Reviews

Amusing mash up

[dbborroughs · 6/10 · 11 November 2008]

Guy in his late 20's early 30's is caring for his sister who is going blind in Beijing (she needs an operation to restore her sight). He makes a living by doing odd jobs, hustling various goods and working as a mechanic but he just wants to dance. He is spotted outside a club dancing to the music by security and his image is projected on the screens inside the club where he's noticed by the clubs ultra hot DJ (both career wise and because she's a babe and then some) and eventually they meet. Through circumstance she talks him into putting a group of guys together to dance in contests for money. Will he be able to raise enough money so his sister can see? Jovial Chinese version of all of the dance films we've seen the last few years on American Screens. (I'd name them but they all blend together- but you know them Stomp the Floor, Step Up, etc). The dancing is pretty good and has a Kung Fu inspired edge (our hero was trained as a fighter). The message about finding happiness by just doing what makes you happy (even if it doesn't pay) is a good one. The film is often very funny in an intentional way with lots of little jokes and such. What I'm not sure of, though I suspect it is the case, is whether the film is a gentle send up of the genre or whether its just got comedy. I'm not sure because some of the subtitles are not on screen long enough to read or run off the edges of the screen. However the fact that the last dance song is You Lift Me Up, in English and Not by Josh Groban, makes me suspect that the film isn't entirely serious.

This is a good little film. Ultimately unremarkable and if it wasn't for the DJ, the Kung fu edge and the Chinese setting it probably wouldn't stick in my head, but its a good way to spend 100 minutes.

(For those interested the Hip Hop is an odd mix of English and Chinese lyrics)

so bad it's funny

[mespamz · 8/10 · 16 November 2008]

I don't understand why people are so critical of this movie- I thought it was hysterical. however, i also saw it in China without subtitles and i'm not completely fluent in Chinese, so my conjecturing about the plot might have made it better. I'll admit that the plot was a little stupid, but the dancing was really cool. But seriously people, its amazing because it's so ridiculous and cheesy, you can't help but laugh. A lot of times people take movies too seriously, and probably somewhere this is listed as a comedy. Or maybe its just me, as only the Americans in the audience were laughing as much as I was. Movies are supposed to be entertaining, and this movie most certainly was.