Hong Kong martial arts star Jet Li, best known for "Once Upon a Time in China" — and in particular for a classic fight sequence in that film, which involves ladders in a hay loft — is a bit older and more sedate in "The New Legend of Shaolin." Except for the fight scenes, of course.
And he's still fun to watch, though this time out he has more than a few scenes stolen from him by five pint-size kung fu masters, a subplot that is something of a variation on the "Three Ninjas" pictures.
Best among the youngsters is Tse Miu, as Hung Man Ting, son of Hung Hey Kwun (Jet Li's character). The boy is hilariously deadpan and gets to show his stuff in several lengthy fight sequences.
And as fans have come to expect, the fights are ridiculously over the top, as heroes and villains alike kick their way through the air, defying gravity in a manner that brings to mind the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote more than Bruce Lee.
The story is the usual nonsense. The evil Ming Dynasty wipes out Hung's entire family — except for his toddler son — so he swears revenge. Eight years later, Hung gets mixed up with the aforementioned pint-size kick-fighters, as the maps on their backs are coveted by a variety of bad guys — including "Poisonous-Man," a scarred zombie-like character dripping with lethal acids.
Hung must also deal with "Notorious Mother and Daughter" (Deannie Yip and Chingmy Yau, respectively), a couple of con artists — and, of course, he falls for the daughter, who is called "Red Bean." (Hung does manage to hide his feelings well, however, under a stern face that is almost as deadpan as his son's.)
Echoes of everything from the "Nightmare on Elm Street" pictures to "House of Wax" crop up as the story moves along, lending a horror feel to the proceedings. But when it's not being violent, the film usually aims for low comedy — and there is plenty on display, though it didn't translate very well for me. Often it just seemed silly and protracted.
Still, fans of Hong Kong pictures will want to check it out, as there is plenty of magic and wild action.
And I did enjoy the unintentional humor of the English subtitles, which are grammatically goofy throughout the film.
"The New Legend of Shaolin" is not rated but broaches R-rated territory with some of the violence and gore. There is also some profanity and a comic sex scene.