I've seen a fair few cheap chopsocky martial arts movies and, in the main, I haven't been overly impressed. Their relentless action mixed with tiresome plot-lines makes them usually a quite tedious experience for me. Occasionally, though, one comes along that makes a good impression and the uselessly titled Kung Fu Arts is happily one such movie. This Taiwanese effort gets plus points for its sheer oddness. An emperor makes a solemn promise that whoever can save his terminally ill daughter can have her hand in marriage. Unpredictably her saviour turns out to be a monkey doctor. But a promise being a promise, the princess has to marry the monkey.
Yes, a film with a prominent character who is a monkey. That's the kind of insanity I look for in these kinds of movies. The monkey is, of course, the best character in the film and outshines the actual hero somewhat easily. What kind of makes this all so good is that this nonsense is presented in a quite straight-faced manner. The sheer strangeness of a woman having to marry a monkey is never really questioned very much. Aside from our monkey friend there is the usual barrage of fighting and atrociously dubbed melodramas. But I didn't mind that stuff so much this time because this film has got Uncle Monkey.
Yes, a film with a prominent character who is a monkey. That's the kind of insanity I look for in these kinds of movies. The monkey is, of course, the best character in the film and outshines the actual hero somewhat easily. What kind of makes this all so good is that this nonsense is presented in a quite straight-faced manner. The sheer strangeness of a woman having to marry a monkey is never really questioned very much. Aside from our monkey friend there is the usual barrage of fighting and atrociously dubbed melodramas. But I didn't mind that stuff so much this time because this film has got Uncle Monkey.