Director: Andrew Lau
Notable Cast: Louis Koo, Zhou Dongyu, Haden Kuo, Cheney
Chen, Bao Beier
Foreign cinema can always have a feeling of being off-kilter
for those not used to the style, tropes, or storytelling techniques of
different industries from various eras. Initial trailers made Kung Fu
Monster look scattered and perplexing, despite some talent and intriguing
elements to it. However, as a wuxia fan and being open to the tonal whiplash
that Chinese cinema occasionally uses as a narrative identity, I was happy to
see what this film had to offer. With that in mind, it’s best to know that Kung
Fu Monster is fuckin’ weird. It’s a genre-bending exercise in being a
comedy first and a fantasy wuxia second with some other elements tossed in for
good measure. When the tones and styles are working in conjunction, the film can
be relatively enjoyable and highly entertaining. When they don’t, it’s as scattershot
and perplexing as my initial fears for the film would indicate. Judging from the family comedy element meets fantasy wuxia from the director of The Guillotines, I probably should have known it was going to be a wild card.