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Kung Pow! Enter the Fist

Kung Pow! Enter the Fist on DVD

One would think that a cow that knows martial arts would be a great idea, and worthy of a movie all to itself.

As it stands, it is the best idea in Kung Pow! Enter the Fist, and occupies a mere five of the 81-minutes duration.

Writer/director/producer/star Steve Oedekerk had a great idea for a film: taking old martial arts movies and inserting himself -- and new voices -- into them to make an entirely new picture. He dubs all the new voices himself, and plays the role of "The Chosen One." Unfortunately, the idea gets really old really fast and the movie has a much funnier first half than second.

If you've seen one martial arts movie, you've seen this one…almost. The parents of The Chosen One are killed by the evil Master Pain (also known as Betty), so said Chosen One vows revenge on Betty and spends his entire life trying to find him. He's guided by Tonguey, the most disturbing cinematic character since Kevin Costner's Robin Hood. It's a much easier character to mention than to describe, so watch the movie if you're that curious.

The Chosen One's journey takes him to the school of Master Tang, who teaches Chosen how to use his skills to his advantage. The Chosen One then ventures into forbidden territory, namely the venue of Moon Yew, a fighting cow that is known far and wide for kicking serious teat. The five-minute fight between the two is one of the most absurd, yet amusing, scenes in quite some time.

The rest of the movie features a few scattered laughs, but nothing memorable. Kung Pow! Enter the Fist is probably best enjoyed with a case of beer and your immature friends. Any other time and you'll probably feel cheated. Definitely worthy of no more than a rental.

The DVD, however, is quite outstanding. The picture is a little soft and grainy at times, but considering the source, it's actually very good. The original martial arts movies from which Kung Pow features footage are originally from the 1970s. They have been restored, probably as best they can be, and the new footage is spliced in to match the quality perfectly. Plus, the less-than-perfect picture makes it feel a little more nostalgic, which is undoubtedly the point.

The sound is very good, making excellent use of the 5.1 Dolby Digital. The use of surrounds is most notable during the martial arts cow fight sequence (it still sounds funny just saying it), where the Matrix-style milk shots pan from the front to the rear (and vice versa). Most of the dialogue is restricted to the front, which is fine in this case, and quite a few sound effects (and a bit of music) manage to sneak out of the rear speakers. Overall, a very nice track.

The ton of extras starts with a commentary by Steve Oedekerk and editor/producer Paul Marshal that begins amusingly but gets tiresome very quickly. There are also two alternate language tracks. The first is "What Are They Really Saying?" and the second is "Kung Pow: The Long Lost Book on Tape Version." Both are hard to explain, and neither is really worth more than a few minutes of your time.

There are also some painful deleted scenes that were thankfully cut, a five minute behind-the-scenes featurette, a visual effects featurette, and the trailers. There is also something called "Tonguey Tribute" that you have to see to understand.

This is a top-notch disc that should have been saved for a better movie.

Kung Pow! Enter the Fist, from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
81 minutes, anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) 16X9 enhanced, 5.1 Dolby Digital
Starring Steve Oedekerk
Produced by Steve Oedekerk, Paul Marshal, Tom Koranda
Written and Directed by Steve Oedekerk

 

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Updated May 13, 2006