Reviews

Roxanne is my favourite romantic comedy, and this is mostly down to the razor sharp script by lead star Steve Martin.

Everyone knows it's an adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, so I won't go into that here, but instead focus on what a great film it is in its own right.

Roxanne has a wonderful sleepy town vibe. A place where everyone knows everyone else, and people just exist in this middle-class bubble. Everyone has a house (even single people with one income), everyone has a job, and even owning a store seems trivial.

The star of the show is of course Steve Martin. The character of Charlie is highly acomplished, well read, witty, brave, capable, and massivly intelligent, His drawback comes from his gargantuan nose, which is the one thing that makes him insecure.

It's a simple tale of overcoming something so significant to you, but doesn't really matter to others, and Roxanne does a great job of making us love Charlie and his team of goons.

There's no villain here. Even Charlie's rival Chris isn't a bad guy, and they are friends throughout the film.

Daryl Hannah doesn't really have much to do except be the object of desire for Charlie and Chris, but her character is intelligent and accomplished which is a good match for the intellectual Charlie. This offers an excellent reason why she would see past any physicality and be attracted to passion from a sharp mind.

The film is set at a nice pace, and there's no real lulls - quite a feat for a movie with almost no action.

My biggest criticism of this film is the fact that Martin does not know the difference between irony and sarcasm, and no one on the production bothered to correct him. When the naked Roxanne refuses a coat while standing in the freezing cold (and she genuinely needs one) - that's sarcasm!

Irony would be that she is naked in the cold but does not need a coat. However, it is clearly the first case scenario, and as such is a wrong use of the word.

Still, if that is the biggest complaint I can muster about this film then that's good going.

You don't see many films like this any more. It's not super dialogue heavy, or any kind of massive character study. Rather, it takes a simple concept, puts it in a nice setting, and has a lot of fun with it.

Highly recommended.

This was the film that really introduced me to the world of proper martial arts movies. Beforehand it had been tame stuff like The Karate Kid, but No Retreat No Surrender gave me my first taste of Hong Kong choreography, and it blew my mind!

The film follows a predictable underdog story, but a teenager being trained by the ghost of Bruce Lee is all kinds of cool, and sets it apart from the films that others claim it rips off.

Soap Star Kurt McKinney of General Hospital fame gets his first screen role here, and his talent with kicking makes for some impressive fights. Of course, the big feature is Jean Claude Van Damme in his first martial arts film role. Although not in the movie for long, Van Damme is a menacing screen presence and plays a convincingly dangerous bad guy. There's also a wonderful turn by J. W Fails as the break dancing sidekick R. J., and he provides a lot of fun to the movie's more serious tone.

It also helps that the 80s synthesiser score is awesome, and really gets the blood pumping!

For me, there was no going back to Hollywood style fight scenes after this film. The choreography was just too powerful, and I became a lifelong fan of martial arts film due to it.

Ignore the negative reviews on here. Everyone should have the good sense to know what this film is and what to expect from the production values, so don't go to the bar and then complain that everyone is drinking beer.

Strike of the Panther was shot back to back with its prequel - Day of the Panther. The film is a straight continuation of the story and pickes up exactly where the previous move left off.

The film is more of the same, although it feels a bit more cobbled together. However the fights are still quite good, and that's all that matters.

If I'm honest, there was no need for two films. Both movies could have been edited down to one 2-Hour feature by removing superfluous footage like the gym nonsense, love making scenes, and the 10 minute callback at the start of the sequel.

This would have made the excellent fight action far more regular without having to wade through the excessive cheese. Just have the first Baxter fight in the middle of the film, and make the second half about his revenge. Then have it end in the really cool factory battle against the ninjas. The two films are so similar in style and execution that they would seamlessly blend together.

Strike of the Panther feels a little like one massive setpiece padded out with unused material from the first film. The factory battle is really cool, but it takes up half the movie, and the film feels like it's struggling to get to its 90 minute runtime by padding the first half.

Still, it has some good high-kicking action, and the cheddar is all part of the charm.

Go in to this knowing what it is, and you'll have a blast!

This film was a guilty pleasure of mine back in the VHS rental days of the early 90s. I was a martial arts film buff as a kid, and this movie hit the spot.

Make no mistake, the acting parts of the film aren't great and can sometimes drag a little, but the whole premise about a guy called Jason Blade who is a member of a secret martial arts society called the "Panthers" is just great fun. It's Australian soap opera level all round in terms of performances, but that is all part of the charm.

These type of films are similar to porn and horror movies - you tend to only watch them for the action, and luckily Day of the Panther delivers. The fights are all well choreographed, and come with some meaty sound effects to give impact to the hits. The film could have used a few more fight scenes and a little less talky ones, but that's typical of this genre.

In conclusion, Day of the Panther is a cheep and cheesy martial arts film which tries to weave some 80s Miami Vice cool into a paper thin plot. The synth soundtrack is awesome, and the film delivers some decent high kicking action.

Watch with a few beers and have a blast!

I was a fan of the original series, although the movies were of lower quality, so I was surprised when this sequel show came around.

The first couple of episodes are a bit of a slog. The absence of Kim Catrall is noticeable and tangible, and lots of scenes feel dragged out in a dull way.

The OG show was always very gay-friendly, but much winder LGBTQ+ issues are dealt with in this new series (which is very welcome) but the show can perhaps be a bit too heavy-handed with it at times.

Regardless, using terms like "too woke" echos the "too gay" critics of the original show, so be sure to check which side of history you are on.

There's a surprising amount of new characters, and they all get a good chunk of their own screen time. This feels a bit like padding when all you want is the original cast on screen, but to be fair they are not unlikable.

If you can get past the first few dud episodes, it turns into something really quite special, so I hope they do a Season 2, and I hope that Kim comes back. Even for just a cameo or two.

I wasn't expecting much after the rather negative reviews, but I found myself thoroughly enjoying Bad Girls.

It seems to be taking cues from both Unforgiven and Young Guns with it's general story, and it's a well paced and entertaining movie with 4 very distinctive and very engaging characters.

The leads are all great! Madeleine Stowe's "leader" type Cody is played with both gusto and vulnerability which adds depth to the character, Draw Barrymore's cigarette smokin' tomboy Lilly has a boyish temper and attitude which is fun, and a little sexy, Andie MacDowell's suth'un Belle Eileen is entertaining and mischievous, and Mary Stuart Masterson's meek and shy Anita adds up to a collective of unlikely anti-heroes in a time where women really didn't get treated well..

The film also has some gorgeous cinematography. That dusty golden look so befitting of westerns is here, and it looks sumptuous. Much of westerns' appeal is vibe, and this kind of photography really gives it an authentic feel.

It's not a perfect film though. Troubled production and a change of directors/constant script rewrites apparently sucked all the motivation from the cast and crew.

The action scenes are clunky in terms of editing and choreography, and they lack scale/tension. It's serviceable enough, but uninspired and sometimes a little TV like in terms of framing.

Many of the other threads, such as the revenge plot and the romance seem surface level at best, and while it's all there, it could maybe have used some more depth.

I think Bad Girls biggest problem was that it came at the tail end of a stunning run of other westerns in the 1990s. While it's a good film, by comparison it appears weaker than what it actually is. Following on from the likes of Young Guns II, Dances with Wolves, Unforgiven, Tombstone et al was always going to be a hard task.

Regardless of any flaws, Bad Girls is a really solid and entertaining western with great photography, energetic pacing, and likeable leads.

A shame that a more rounded sequel never happened, but this is a fine addition to anyone's collection.

Marvel goes full on comedy with She-Hulk, and takes cues from the likes of celebrated David E. Kelley legal dramas like Ally McBeal and Boston Legal.

The show is snappily written with some great performances, especially by lead Tatiana Maslany who appears to be having a blast with the material. The fourth wall breaks are hilarious, and it's just a hugely enjoyable show to watch.

If I had a criticism it's that the episodes have been far too short and every scene has felt a bit rushed in terms of editing. 7 minutes of end credits out of a 30 minute show is nonsense, and that leaves seldom little time for content which has a natural flow.

A 50 minute-1 hour format where scenes can breathe and play out is sorely needed, but as criticisms go, wanting more isn't a bad one.

Just as an addendum - don't listen to the crying incel man-children who are review bombing this show It's wonderful, and.well worth checking out.

I avoided The Orville for a good while as I wasn't keen on seeing a spoof. However, The Orville is not a spoof - it is possibly the best sci-fi TV show since Star Trek: The Next Generation or DS9.

It took the first episode to acclimatise to the mix of comedy and drama, but make no mistake - this is a science fiction show with science fiction ideas and story lines, and they are all done brilliantly!

The writing is tremendous, and there's some genuinely fascinating concepts on display here. I became attached to and invested in the characters very quickly, and the arcs were all addictive and immersive.

The comedy element softens as the series progresses, and in season 2 it's much subtler and gels better with the drama, but the show wouldn't be the same without it. There are some genuine belly laughs to be had, and it all adds to the charm.

Compared to the stodgy and po-faced Star Trek: Discovery (which takes itself far too seriously) The Orville is a welcome return to fresh, breezy and interesting science fiction, which focuses on characters and high concepts rather than gritty action. The best part is that the characters are flawed, and the situations are interesting due to that.

The production values are also off the scale and beautiful throughout.

This is the best Star Trek that isn't Star Trek, and it's better than most other actual Star Trek. If this doesn't go on for at least 10 seasons It'll be one of the biggest wastes in TV history.

You can tell that this is a first time gig from the writer and director, as the film is horribly unbalanced. All the good ideas are poured into just one or two characters leaving the rest of the movie feeling pale and neglected.

The addition of Cole was a huge mistake as he is just a boring character, and the part would have been better suited to Liu Kang or a young Johnny Cage. The dialogue is awful and unnatural, and nothing really feels together in the movie, which is basically a series of uninteresting events which don't grab the attention. The addition of magic tattoos and "arcana" was phenomenally silly and felt like it was an idea by a 12 year old.

The film does do a few things very well though - namely Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Kano. All three of them get the best action scenes and the best lines, but unfortunately when they aren't on screen it's just a dull slog which feels like a fan film or webisode. Sonya and Jax are fine, but they are kind of surpluses to the events.

The really crux comes when we meet Raiden, Kung-Lao, and Liu Kang. The film makers manged to make all of them - particularly Raiden - completely unlikable, and the actors portraying them are terrible and really hammy.

The fights look well choreographed, but the editing is so annoying with the quick cuts that it robs the combat of any momentum, and for a film about martial arts, there's really not that much fighting in it. Even the gore is limited to just a few bits, so the action is by and large very PG-13 for the majority.

To summarise - a strong opening and a few cool action & comedy bits isn't enough to save what is really a very amateurish and boring film.

I liked this film when I first saw it in 2017. It was nothing mind blowing, but it was solid entertainment.

After watching the rather good 4 hours Snyder cut, I decided to revisit the 2017 version for a comparison. I was fully expecting to not like it anymore, but strangely enough, I did. It's still a by the numbers comic book movie, but it's still competently put together, and it's still entertaining.

In fact, there's a few scenes and music cues in this version which I prefer to the Zack Snyder cut, and I'll take this version of Superman any day.

The last 20 minutes is just CGI muck though, and there's nothing here which is particularly deep, meaningful, or even has much purpose.

Regardless, it's a solid piece of fluff which I still thoroughly enjoyed.

I've not been a fan of the Zack Snyder's DCEU. I despised Man of Steel, and I only enjoyed maybe 2/3 of Batman V Superman.

How pleasantly surprised I was to find that Justice League is a truly good film. I really enjoyed it, and I think it and its director deserves all the praise it's getting right now.

Zack Snyder seems to be at his best with extended run times at his disposal., Watchmen Director's cut was amazing, and BvS Ultimate Edition was infinitely superior to the theatrical release. The same is true of Justice League, and here he crafts a well fleshed out story with some genuine character development and back stories.

Of course, it's not a perfect film. It is HEAVILY indulgent, and if I had a main beef, it's that it really did not have to be four hours long. It could easily have been 3-3.5 hours if some of the masses of slo-mo shots had just been trimmed down a little. There's some really long exposition sections where we get a history lesson too, and while it's nice, I'm not sure it's entirely necessary as everything just grinds to a halt for 5-10 minute to accommodate them.

I also feel that once again Superman is by and large ignored, and I think that's been the way from the start with this franchise. He feels like a background character in this world, reduced to montages and fleeting moments where we see Henry Cavil's ruffled brow, and it's hard to buy that he's seen as this important by the team of the public.

It feels like there should have been a second Superman film prior to BvS to let us really get to know him, but they rushed in and killed him in order to get to the good stuff.

There are also one or two scenes and music cues which I still prefer in the 2017 cut, but regardless, Justice League 2021 is a truly great watch which is massively enjoyable. It sucks that we still have to see Amber Heard, and even worse with a terribly butchered English accent, but she's not in it for long.

Bar a largely unnecessary epilogue and too much slow motion, this is well worth checking out.

After the success of Twins in 1988, it was maybe inevitable they'd try to re-create that formula again.

Here, Ivan Reitman again teams up with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito for another lite light comedy, and it's a fairly enjoyably little film. The problem is that, it's not really that funny. Sure there are comedic moments, and stuff that raises a smile, but compared to Twins (and it's impossible not to compare them) it just feels a little flat.

For me, the star of the show was the wonderful Emma Thompson, who plays a sweet and bumbling doctor. Thomson's character is endearing and really watchable, plus her comedy timing is impeccable - which is no surprise considering that she was part of the University acting team which housed Steven Fry and Hugh Laurie back in the day.

The only downside is that she's not in the film as much as one might like.

Junior isn't a bad film by any means, but it's maybe just a little dull, and is FAR outshone by Twins and other comedies of this ilk.

This film is notable as being the final movie of Director Robert Clouse. Clouse had previously directed Enter the Dragon with Bruce Lee, and a slew of other low budget martial arts films in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Only a few of these, such as China O' Brien, and The Big Brawl were really that good, so I was keen to see if this would be hos swansong.

Unfortunately, it isn't. It's a poorly cobbled together junkfest with little redeeming features.

The main problem is that this film was supposedly a kickstart vehicle for lead star Britton K. Lee, but the issue is that Lee was also the producer, so he basically made the film for himself.

Now there's nothing wrong with that in itself, but the problem is that Lee is neither a good actor, nor is he charismatic in any way. In previous films, Robert Clouse had Bruce Lee and Cynthia Rothrock in front of the camera - two very strong personalises who came across well on screen. Britton K. Lee has none of thee qualities, and come across as an out of place protagonist, and more like a sidekick who got his own film.

All of this could be forgiven if the martial arts action was good, but it's not. In fact - it's dire. Loads of tight shots with too much slow motion, and some clumsy choreography make this look like a TV episode.

With films like China O' Brien, fight choreographer Nijel Binns created some really cool action scenes with wide angle shots so that you could see the full glory of the fights and the actors skills, but here it just feels awkward and messy.

The film's one saving grace is that it features the legendary talents of Bolo Yeung and Richard Norton (both veterans of Hong Kong cinema,) and it's great to see them again.

They unfortunately can't save what is a dull and meandering movie with bad fight scenes and a boring plot.

Bob Clouse will always have Enter The Dragon, and no one can take that away from him, but his final word in film is not worth bothering with unless you are a super fan of Bolo Yeung.

Tim Burton was a powerhouse in the 80s and 90s, but he is widely regarded as a director who lost his way. An over reliance on video game-tier CGI along with a lack of focus has marred his work in the post-2000 world.

Dark Shadows is what I consider to be a return to form for him. The film is a hugely entertaining and very funny Gothic comedy, and it really delivers on those fronts. The highlight is of course Johnny Depp as the Vampire with the floral speech patterns, and when contrasted with the 1970s setting it makes for some genuinely hilarious moments.

The rest of the cast is not to be overlooked either as we have some big players here. I love the fact that Burton has reused all of his key Batman actors over the years, and It's SO good to see Michelle Pfeiffer back working with him for the first time since she was Catwoman. Helena Bonam Carter is always a joy, and although her part is a bit smaller, she plays the old drunk beautifully.

It's certainly Burton's best live action work of this century, although it's not perfect. The film meanders a little during the middle, and the focus abruptly switches from one character to another leaving you wondering just who is the actual protagonist. There is also a little bit of that console game CGI in there a few times, but it's nowhere near as bad or as overused as some of his other films.

I highly recommend Dark Shadows. It's a funny and entertaining movie with some great performances, and one where the good far outweighs the bad.

This is the definitive documentary about classic pre-1990 martial arts films.

It's a beautifully paced look at some of the best fight scenes of the 70s and 80s, and it's a great starting point for anyone looking to get into the genre. It's elegantly presented and narrated by John Saxon, whose voice adds some real gravitas and glue to the flow of the clips.

It's a very Golden Harvest heavy selection, but there are also scenes from other Hong Kong movie companies such as Seasonal Films which add to the variety. A few Shaw brothers clips wouldn't have gone amiss, but I think that would have been too complicated due to rivalries and licencing.

A martial arts classic in its own right, and a tremendous source for the very best in which films to seek out.

Karate Kid III is the final film in the Karate Kid series starring Ralph Macchio.

The movie has a reputation for being a re-tread of the first film, but honestly - nothing could be farther from the truth.

Bar the final ten minutes which does feel like the first film, the rest of the movie is a hugely entertaining chapter in the story. Here we see a devious plan to mentally break Daniel and drive a wedge between him and his beloved teacher Miyagi by new villain Terry Silver played by Thomas Ian Griffith.

Make no mistake - Griffith absolutely steals the show with his manic and devilish performance. He is a proper snake in the grass, and it's great to watch just how subtlety he manipulates Daniel and slowly changes him into something bad. This corruption culminates in a heart-wrenching scene where Daniel loses his temper and makes Miyagi cry.

Robyn Lively is very good as the supporting female character. It's astounding that she was just 16 years old while making this movie and Macchio was 27, yet they both look about 22. This age difference in the actors prompted the director to make the relationship of the characters purely platonic since Lively was a minor, but this actually helps to craft something new. Instead of just being a Bond girl type deal where yet another love interest in thrown into the pool, the fact that Jessica is simply a friend adds a refreshing feel to the dynamic. Plus, she's not just an ear for his emotions - she has real world skills which help out on more than one occasion.

Special mention must go to Bill Conti's score, which think is the best of all the Karate Kid films. The piece where Miyagi and Daniel are on the cliff doing the kata is astoundingly beautiful, and Terry Silver's music is a wonderful pastiche of Vivaldi and mischievous baroque.

For me, Karate Kid III is on par with the second movie. It's hugely watchable, had a great villain, and it does something a little new in a few areas.

If the final showdown had been anywhere else but the tournament then I think it would have done better, and it's definitely the film's weak point. However, the movie adds so much to the Karate Kid lore, and watching Terry Silver work is just an absolute joy!

Thoroughly recommended!

I enjoyed this film on first viewing, but on reflection and a second viewing it;s really not that great.

The film starts off really well with a small and exciting flashback, and then we get Wonder Women doing her thing in a mall which is great. The film starts to become really interesting when Barbara (played by Kristen Wiig) shows up, then she and Diana start to develop what seems like a very sweet friendship which I was getting very invested in.

It's at this point where Pedro Pascal shows up and steals what seems to be the lion's share of the runtine, and the interesting story between Diana and Barbara gets by and large shoved aside. We do see Barbara's transformation into Cheetah, and it's pretty well handled, but it keeps cutting back to Max Lord and his rather silly adventures at being an evil version of the Genie from Aladdin.

Had the film stuck with just Cheetah as the villain and focused some of the VERY long runtime on building a truly genuine friendship between Diana and Barbara, then the sense of pain would have been felt much more in the end battle as she would have been fighting someone genuinely close to her and not just some work colleague who she went to a boozy lunch with one time.

Gal Gadot's beautifully wholesome portrayal of Diana almost single handedly carries what is a very bloated and so-so movie. Her warmth and goodness is everything I wanted but didn't get from DCEU's Superman, and credit where credit is due - it's almost enough. But not quite.

This is a wonderful little film which has been severely ill-treated over the years due to its use of product placement, but it in no way diminishes what is really a very brave and touching movie.

What sets it apart is that it highlights a lot of things which it really didn't have to. It was a bold move to make a kids film and have it heavily deal with many unspoken problems faced by a lot of children. Problems such as dealing with divorce, re-marriage, autism, child PTSD, half-siblings, and estranged parents. It throws in a little innocent teen romance too, and there are plenty of genuinely touching moments from everybody.

Bigger stars Christian Slater and Beau Bridges lend their hand to the movie, and they play well off each other as the father and son searching for their two younger family members. The writer even throws in some genuine layers for the family in the form of a well delivered story by Slater's character.

Of course there are the games, and there is a fair bit of product placement, but surprisingly it's actually quite a small part of the story - at least until the end.

The Wizard is really a road movie about kids trying to reach a goal simply to get there - and that's not a bad message. It's a sweet, funny, and emotional little film with a great soundtrack, and while it could have been an easy and cheesy paycheque job for everyone, the writer and director make a solid and genuine effort to bring us something with some real depth and texture to the characters. There's a reason that this is affectionately known as "Rain Man for kids", and it lives up to the comparison in a smaller, but no less meaningful way.

Replace the games with anything and you'd still have a great film, which just goes to show that they set out to make a good film first and foremost.

This film is so much fun!

It's an obvious take on Indiana Jones, but it actually does its own thing fairly well, and there are loads of great action set pieces, like fights under trains and aeroplane dogfight battles. The score by Jerry Goldsmith is tremendous and adds so much to the film. The musical cues sound similar to those in Supergirl and Innerspace - both scored by Goldsmith around that time, and there's something very magical about it which really gives the film an epic feel.

The humour is much cheesier in KSM than it is in Raiders of the lost Ark, but for me this only adds to the charm.

It's hard to believe that Richard Chamberlain was 51 when he made this movie as he doesn't look a day over 30, and the addition of Herbert Lom and John Rhys Davis (playing what seems like Sallah's evil twin) adds some tremendous gravitas to the movie, and their timing is spot on.

Sharon Stone is unfortunately really bad. She's undoubtedly a very pretty lady, but apparently she was a compote diva on the set and was hated by the cast adn crew alike for being egotistical. She wasn't even a famous name back then, so it's unclear why she was so mean, but regardless, her acting in the film is soap opera-tier garbage.

King Solomon's Mines is a Cannon classic, and that's all you really need to know. It's cheesy, action packed, has a good sense of humour, and is a surprisingly well structured adventure ride that is lifted by a great score and some high quality supporting actors.

A great movie to just sit back and enjoy on a Sunday afternoon.

I watched this film a lot when I was a boy, so coming back to it I was wary that it wouldn't hold up. I knew even back then that it was a Police Academy rip off, and not as good as that film, but regardless I remember enjoying it.

I was pleasantly surprised at just how much I still enjoyed Ninja Academy. It's honestly no worse than any other silly 80s comedy, and it mixes in some cool ninja action to the laughs.

The film also has quite a surprising range of good characters. The mime in particular was very memorable, and the usual roster of pretty girls, tough guys, the accent prone geek, the handsome lead, and love interest are all present and correct, but do their job well.

The action scenes are all surprisingly well staged, and there's a good pace to the film which means it never gets boring.

I think if the film didn't have "Academy" in the title then it might have avoided some of the very unfair hate that it gets, becasue apart form that it's a different film to Police Academy.

If you like goofy cheeseball 80s comedy films then this is well worth a watch, and the added bonus of some cool ninja stuff just makes it more appealing.

I wouldn't quite call this a martial arts movie, even though it does have martial arts in it. It has a genuine story, and while it's not very original, it does a few things that not a lot of films do.

The main feature of Kickboxer is that it is absolutely dripping with atmosphere! The locations are beautiful, and the motivation is genuinely emotional, so we are with Kurt all the way on his journey as he seeks revenge for his brother.

This is all glued together by an absolutely phenomenal score by Paul Hertzog, which fully encapsulates the location, the art, and the mysticism all in one. It's a crime that Hertzog has only essentially done two movies (this and Bloodsport) because his music is genuinely stirring and emotional. It's one of my favourite scores ever, and a highlight of the film itself.

The action scenes are uniquely choreographed and directed by Jean Claude Van Damme himself, and quite honestly, I've never seen fights like this in any other film. It's not trying to copy Hong Kong, but instead it does its own very original thing at a slower pace, but it's made up for by sheer power. It's a shame that Van Damme never quite hit this level of quality with the fights in his later films, even the one he had full control over (you know which one).

One thing the film gets right it's balance. There's a good mix of action, emotion, and even comedy in there - none of which outstays their welcome, and they all appear in turn just at the right time for breathers. The pacing is also pristine, and there is zero meandering or pointless scenes.

The cinematography is beautiful, especially the end fight, with lots of fire reds and oranges intensifying the action, and there's a good use of slow motion that's used very well with Van Damme's choreography.

Kickboxer is a bone fide video rental days classic of the late 80s and early 90s. It's up there with the likes of Sakura Killers, Eliminators, No Retreat No Surrender, Robocop, King of the Kickboxers, and many more.

It's far and above the usually cheddar of that ilk, becasue it's just a better film than most. The feel, the music, the atmosphere - it's all here, and it's a classic that should be an any action film fan's collection.

It's just a crying shame that the DVD version has scenes missing, and Denis Alexio's voice has been dubbed. It's not the version I grew up with, and I had to hunt for a VHS copy of the film for a long time. Thankfully, I got a UK ex-rental big box copy which was in decent condition, and even though the sound is slightly muffled, it's a far superior version to the DVD print.

I had never seen this film before until now. I was a ninja nut as a boy in the late 80s, but this film passed me by for some reason.

Straight up, I love the 80s cheese vibe of this film! Leg warmers, synth rock tunes, arcade machines - it's so up my street! It's very well shot, the lead is charismatic and engaging, and the opening assassination scene really got me excited as its is just utter chaos, and this made me invested in what was to follow.

Unfortunately It's the rest of the story where it maybe starts to fall apart. Now look, I can stretch my suspension of disbelief quite far, but even this film pushed it a bit.

I don't understand why they went with this mystical "spirit transference" thing, because it was jumping the shark to the extreme, and I'd have much preferred it if Christie had been trained in the regular way. Also, Lucinda Dickey looks fantastic, but it's obvious she has no martial arts training, and the action scenes suffer a bit due to it (although it's passable).

My biggest gripe is that the "romance" between Christie and rapey cop Billy could have easily been left out. This guy basically harasses her at the start of the film like a sex pest, and 2 scenes later they are an item? It kind of ruined the vibe a bit as it doesn't seem like something she'd do. In fact, the film didn't need any romance whatsoever in order to work with the plot it had, and the entire character of Billy was unnecessary and could have just as easily been a detective (another female perhaps) instead of a useless love interest. Sho Kosugi lends his name to the film, but is hardly in, although his presence is welcome as he's always good.

The film does take some unexpected twists and turns though. One minute it's an 80s cheese fest, the next a martial arts film, and then it turns into The Exorcist and Poltergeist at one point. The possession plot is actually more reminiscent of a horror film, and while it's unfocused it's definitely interesting and unique. The synthesizer score is also really good, even if a lot of the cues are directly lifted from Revenge of the Ninja.

To be honest it's a wonder this film got made at all. I mean, a female lead in a Ninja film from 1984? I love it! It's just a shame that the film is bogged down in this bloated mysticism, and it feels like a lot of it is there because the film is saying "There's no way a women could be a real ninja, so we'll just make it because of magic".

Ninja III could have been the Flashdance of the martial arts world. It could have shown a genuine character arc with Christie if the Ninja at the start had trained her instead of just psychically emailing his skills to her brain. However, she looked like she had no issues or challenges with her life in the first place, so there was nothing to overcome.

All the gratuitous shots of Christie in scantily clad clothes could have been forgiven if she was portrayed as a genuine badass, but her character never earned any of these ninja skills and so there was no real journey for her.

What we end up with is essentially just a very scared but very pretty girl being used as an avatar for a malicious ghost instead of kicking ass on her own merit.

As a film, it's hugely flawed - but it's also massively entertaining simply for the sheer amount of crazy ideas is cobbles together.

I'm not saying you'll enjoy it, but you definitely have to see it.

This movie is a real gem and a hugely enjoyable adventure. I discovered it whilst flicking through late night TV in the 90s, and since then it's become a real favourite.

It's pretty obvious that the film is basically a mashup of a few things, and it could easily be described as Han Solo in Mad Max land. However, don't let that dissuade you - this is a top notch little sci-fi adventure film which is far more than the sum of its parts.

Peter Strauss plays the grumpy Space Captain called Wolf, and he does an excellent job of the typical hardened loner but with a soft centre. Molly Ringwald is terrifically bratty as the orphan Niki, and the chemistry between the two really shines. Ernie Hudson and a heavily made up Michael Ironside provide solid support.

My only real complaint is that I really felt they should have kept the Chalmers character throughout the whole film. I found the interplay between Andrea Marcovicci and Peter Strauss to be really interesting, and I was sad that it came to an end so soon. I think a triangle with Wolf, Chalmers, and Niki could have been really fascinating as a pseudo family unit, and offered much more texture than just Wolf and the kid, with Chalmer's "secret" plus her as a mother figure being a real talking point in a Terminator 2 type way.

The film isn't too heavy on backstory which is a shame as we're kind of just thrown into things, but the character setups, although thin, do the job.

Just as a side note, the film has an odd connection to Ghostbusters. It's produced by Ivan Reitman who is the director of Ghostbusters, and it stars Ernie Hudson who played Winston Zeddemore, it's scored by Elmer Bernstien who also scored Ghostbusters, and Harold Ramis (Egon) even has an uncredited voice cameo. Spacehunter of course being released a year before Ghostbusters, so it's interesting to think that this may have been some testing of the waters for certain aspects.

Like The Last Starfighter, this film feels like it is part of a bigger story, and it seems like it was perhaps meant to kickstart a series of Spacehunter movies. I'd have loved to have seen a continuation with Wolf and Niki with maybe a new Chalmers model, but I guess the film didn't quite do well enough.

Nevertheless, it's standalone value makes it well worth a watch.

This was a film that I watched a LOT when I was about 11 or 12 (on Betamax no less). Coming back to it after some years, I was afraid that It wouldn't hold up, and I don't like it when that happens as the comfort of nostalgia is something I enjoy.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's still a hugely entertaining and very watchable ride! The premise is B-Movie schlock at its finest, but it's elevated by some solid performances and a bit of heart.

Andrew Prine is fantastically charming as the roguish boatman Harry Fontana, and his performance is probably far too good for this type of movie. It's also cool seeing a pre-Star Trek Denise Crosby, and like Prine, she gives a solid performance as the tough "no shit" robotics wiz. Patrick Reynolds is suitably morose as the amnesia stricken Mandroid, and he does a decent job of making us feel for him.

Veteran actor Roy Dotrice (Mozart's father in Amadeus) makes a surprise appearance here at the main villain. He's not given much screen time, but his delivery adds a lot of gravitas to the dialogue, and he seems to be having fun in the final battle. It's obviously a paycheque job for him, but he doesn't phone anything in which is really good.

Watching this film again, I noticed that it is strikingly similar to Robocop in some of the more humanity-searching scenes. Only this film came out a year before Robocop! Even the music is eerily similar when John the Mandroid encounters emotional circumstances, so one has to wonder if there was some thievery happening?

The potential plagiarism doesn't stop there though, as it's painfully obvious that the Borg design from Star Trek was based on the Mandroid from this film, with Eliminators being released a full FOUR years before the Borg showed up in TNG.

As a film though, it's well acted and well directed, but there's not much depth here. There's no real resolution for the main character, and we don't find much out about each person's life. Also, some of the "features" feel like they're straight of a producer's wish list. I mean, a scientist, a scallywag, and a cyborg suddenly come across a Ninja in the middle of the Mexican woods?

It's ludicrous!

However, that ludicrousness for once actually elevates the film becasue it has such as strong foundation with its cast and solid action scenes. Everyone knows a bit of cheese makes any meal taste better, so s sprinkling of shark jumping nonsense is something that brings out all the smiles!

This is 80s sci-fi nonsense at its finest! Some hugely enjoyable and silly fun, great action, good performances, and a really good synth score.

A perfect movie to watch with a few beers!