Big Trouble in Little China [Blu-ray]

*PLOT* - By reading the above I'm sure by now you've guessed what kind of a movie "Big Trouble in Little China" is: strange, wacky, silly, but INCREDIBLY funny! Kurt Russell is Jack Burton, a guy who has an ego even bigger than the truck he drives. While stopping by Chinatown to see his buddy Wang Chi (Dennis Dun), Jack gets entangled into a supernatural war involving the 'supposedly dead' David Lo Pan (James Hong), two beautiful green eyed ladies Gracie Law and Miao Yin (Kim Cattrall & Suzee Pai), the Chinese tour guide Egg Shen (Victor Wong), and three spirit warriors Thunder (Carter Wong), Rain (Peter Kwong), and Lightning (James Pax). I know, the movie sounds pretty far out, but this is the type of movie where it doesn't matter if the plot is believable. This is the type of movie where you can kick back in your sofa with a bowl of popcorn and prepare yourself for some mindless fun.

*ACTING* - Kurt Russell steals every single scene as the egomaniac Jack Burton. He is so extremely funny you can't help but love him! Dennis Dun as Wang is also a very likable character. Jack and Wang are a great duo.

*ACTION* - The kung fu is surprisingly good for what some people might call a 'B grade movie'. Dennis Dun's fight between him and one of the spirit warriors is very cool. The kung fu is also not like the stylized fighting we see in more recent films, much more realistic though some 'deaths' are a bit fake.

*FAVORITE LINES* - My favorite lines are:

Jack: So you're going to go off and rule the universe from beyond the grave...
Lo Pan: Indeed.
Jack: or check into a psycho ward, which ever comes first huh?

*PG-13 RATING* - The movie is rated PG-13 for some strong language. The action and fight scenes are sometimes a bit violent though on the most part nothing too graphic. Some innuendos, too but nothing too bad.

*OVERALL & RECOMMENDATIONS* - The movie is highly entertaining though not something I would rate 5 stars. A bit too silly but just being able to see Kurt Russell as Jack Burton makes this movie a 3 star movie. Rent it out, a must-see for Kurt Russell fans. Other movie recommendations are:

"GHOSTBUSTERS" (1984) - A movie also dealing with the supernatural though this has a bit more class than "Big Trouble in Little China". Uproaringly funny, a must-see for all fans of laugh-out-loud comedies! Director Ivan Reitman and starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Sigourney Weaver. Rated PG.
"GHOSTBUSTERS II" (1989) - Sequel to "Ghostbusters", the humor is a bit subdued but still a hilarious treat. Director Ivan Reitman and starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Sigourney Weaver. Rated PG.

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Why? Everything about it is absurd..and purposefully so. Try to read the plot aloud without laughing: A mullet-wearing truck driver teams up with his Chinese-American buddy to battle ancient Chinatown demons commanded by the ethereal 2000 year old Lo Pan and rescue their respective green-eyed (would-be) girlfriends, all with the aid of local magician/tour bus driver Egg Sheng and his lazy-eyed sorcery.

Yet, somehow, it all works perfectly. Kurt Russell is a riot as Jack Burton, a bumbling and inept, yet surprisingly hardy, truck driver with a lot of buddies in Chinatown who has to take on a world of Chinese legends. His loud-mouthed bravado at all times (presumably he's intended to be a classic jerk American foreign devil) forms the basis for his irrepressible camaraderie with the other heroes in the movie. He may have no idea what he's doing, but darn it he's gonna do it anyway. Some folks may be misled (as I was by the USA Up All Night tidbits) into thinking this was some sort of cheesy martial arts film. It isn't. This is a flat-out comedy that just happens to involve a lot of swordfights, demons, and electrical discharges. Some classic examples of the typical humor drenching the film include 1) several Chinese elders and mystics sitting around a table discussing ancient curses while Jack Burton shouts at his insurance carrier about the loss of his big rig truck in the background, 2) At the start of the climactic pitched battle, Jack Burton, in a fit of adrenaline-stoked fury, fires wildly into the air with his gun and dislodges a rock from the ceiling that knocks him unconscious, 3) Jack Burton facing off against evil demonlord Lo Pan while wearing lipstick from his smooching of one of the female love interests.

And I haven't seen a film this packed with quotable comments since Predator: "Great, a six-demon bag! What's it do, Egg?" "Are you crazy? Is that what your problem is?" "... and let me drive right over him? With light coming out of his mouth?!" "Whaddya mean there's no listing? There better be, honey, 'cause I pay 'em 6 grand a year in premiums."

In short, Big Trouble in Little China is a great Saturday afternoon sort of film.. a refreshing treat that proves surprisingly satisfying by the end.