Customer Reviews

Once Upon a Time in China Trilogy (English Subtitles)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

the first movie is very good but the second and third put me to sleep. Everyone said these movies were so great. I just can't see why. Unless you need to collect every Jet Li movie I would pass on this set. I think the first movie is worth buying singly though. It is very complex and unique. It will put you in a different dimension while watching it. But the 2nd and 3rd are so boring that I couldn't stay awake no matter how hard I tried. If you don't buy this set you will be missing nothing. However, try to pick up the first movie, it is very decent.

I really enjoy Jet Li in his earlier years of Martial Arts Film. Once Upon a Time in China, was one of the best Martial Arts films I have ever seen. The story line is compelling and I often found a bit to hard on my heart. The fights scenes are very well done, having serious fights set along side a fight to showcase the comedy that Martial Arts can provide. A great film.

Having the other two movies is a great offer as well, I still havn't made my way to watching them but Hey why not!

I don't need to review this, this is a classic. You must watch parts 1-3, and then get Once Upon a Time in China and America. For some strange reason, he abruptly left the series after part 3, and made The Last Hero in China, a spoof of his previous work.

Where I loved the first film in the trilogy, i thought the second two lacked. Im giving it five stars simply becuase of the great price for all three, and would probably buy it over just the first one alone due to the small difference in price, but i still think the second two movies in the trilogy lack in cinemetography, and coreography(my spelling sucks, sorry).
I prefer more realistic fight scenes and minimal use of wirework, and while the first one does have some of this it is overused the second film and then even more in the third.
still exelent movie though, dont get me wrong, but the only one i care to watch on a regular basis is the first of the three.

Got a great deal with this one, used a discount code from amazon... :) got $30 off of it... nice!!! :)

If you thought Jet Li products like "The One," "Black Mask" or "Cradle 2 The Grave" were great films--you don't know what you've been missing. The "Once Upon A Time In China" plays like like an underground version of mainstreamed US releases, including "Crouching, Tiger." It's hardcore kung fu, with little fantasy, a good dose of history, and grimy, all-out, no-holds barred fighting.

The 6-part series (of which Li only appears in the first three, and the sixth) follows Wong Fei Hong, a doctor long renowned in Chinese legend. The setting is in late 19th century China as issues of colonialism, and suspicion toward foreigners runs ramapant. Fei Hong is usually neutral, with stronger leanings toward anti-westernization. Villains often play the part of the complete anti-westerners, doing any and everything to kick the French or British out. In the pro-west corner is Aunt Yee (aunt via a distant relation it seems, which lessens the weirdness of the romantic tension between her and Fei Hong) who dresses "modern," takes pictures with a camera, and believes the future lies in assimilating more of the western form into the culture.

Fei Hong is caught in the middle. He is extremely proud of his country and its people, but knows there is some merit to Yee's belief. For one, as a doctor, he has seen and understands some of the more efficient medical methods of the West, and knows that they surpass some, but not all Chinese methods. He fights both overly zealous Chinese and foreigners who don't mind making murder and brutality part of the process.

The Yuen Wo Ping choreographed scenes could make up a manual for shooting the kung fu fight scene. The cuts are long, extended takes, from numerous angles, with only splashes of slow motion. Wire work takes precedence over CG EFX (there aren't really any), and the fights are fast and furious, with few dramatic pauses where the fighters glare at each other, etc. You will see some of the most clever and awe-inspiring fight scenes ever caught on film.

One fight in the first volume takes place in a multi-story barn where Fei Hong battles Iron Vest Yim atop ladders and hay bales, using the ladders as if they were his feet. In the second, more historical volume, there are amazing sequences against Donnie Yen, it top "Iron Monkey" form, and a fight against the White Lotus sect where winning the battle is only half the fight: both fighters are at the same time trying to stay atop tables, ledges or people, as long as they don't touch the ground.

It's a definite must-have for your collection, and if its the start of your collection, you'll be drawn to his other pre-mainstream films as well. Note that his assistant Fu changes from volume to volume (Yuen Biao sets and is the standard as Fu in Vol. 1) but this is a minor, although slightly irritating side issue. The fights are mind-blowing--"Crouching, Tiger" without the intimations of love, fantasy, magic or slow motion. Just drawn-out street fights in the true fight-to-survive mindset.

My wife and I are HUGE Jet Li fans! We currently own EVERY Jet Li movie currently available on DVD. (Yes, that includes all the Hong Kong DVDs) If you're unfamiliar with the 'Once Upon a Time in China' series (henceforth referred to as OUATIC), it is fantastic! The action is astounding, and the acting is very good for Honk Kong cinema. It's the continuing story of Wong Fei Hung, the storied doctor and martial arts master of the Boxer Rebellion era, and one of the fabled 10 Tigers of Canton. If you are new to Jet Li movies, or Wu Shu/Martial Arts movies in general, then this is a fantastic series to start with. Now, with that said, the question remains....why did I only give this 4 out of 5? It's simple. This is billed as THE 'OUATIC' collection. Well, not quite. The entire series to date has 6 installments. Now granted, OUATIC 4 and 5 do NOT star Jet Li, but OUATIC 6 (Once Upon A Time in China and America) DOES mark the return of Jet Li to the series. And it's my second favorite of the Jet Li 'OUATIC' films. If this collection included it as well, then it would be 5 stars all the way!

Jet Lie seems to always be at his best, I have yet to watch a movie of his that I didn't like for one reason or another. This is a must have for all Jet Li fans.

BB-T

It's great to see Jet Li doing what he does best,and these films reflect that.I'm not a fan of his Hollywood fare.The only problem I have is in the film transfer.It's quite bad by today's standards.I found the Wu tang Clan's release of Yuen Woo Ping's `Shaolin Drunkard' to be of a top calibre standard.It also has 5.1 sound and tons of extras.Maybe the big boys can take a page from them.....

Jet Li rises to a level only rivaled by Bruce Lee in the China series. I am not usually a hard core Kung-Fu fan, yet as soon as I started watching the series I couldn't stop. We finished the movies in one sitting which unfortunatelly started at 9 pm on a week night. Sleep is important, but try and put this series down... Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon looks silly when stacked up to these classics. Great plot, captivating story(especially if you stop to think about what was really happening in turn of the century China), and fight scenes that put the Matrix to shame all add up to a classic that is a must for any one with a DVD player, much less Kung Fu fans.