Iron Monkey...what's your opinion?

[DVDman70]

I bought this blindly myself...I am into Martial Arts films but did not know alot about this film before I saw it. I must say I really enjoyed the fighting and the story in this movie. I am glad I picked it up.

[Cap'n Katanga]

Then do yourself a solid and pick up Once Upon a Time in China...its about the continuing adventures of the little kid all grown up as Jet Li. I loved Iron Monkey I just wondered what Miramax snipped out of the original.

[DVDriven]

Does anyone know if they retained the original music score? I hate rap and rock infusions in my martial arts films.

[Wirehed]

You should still be able to pick up the original Asian DVD on either ebay or over seas. It contains the unedited version of this exellent film.

[Triple HHH]

Originally posted by DVDriven
Does anyone know if they retained the original music score? I hate rap and rock infusions in my martial arts films.

I don't know if they did, I never saw the original, just the one released in theaters last year (was that the original one?)

I know for sure there wasn't a techno/Limp Bizkit soundtrack stuck in there. I think it was mostly untouched, though I wouldn't be surprised if one or two things got changed.

The film is very enjoyable and a good-solid movie. The story is fair, but it's the action work that's incredible.

[Hollow Man]

The one shown in theaters in the USA last year was not the original cut. This re-release had a different soundtrack plus editing changes.

-HM

[Martin Blank]

I picked up Iron Monkey this week (had to go to Sam Goody to find it!!!). I watched it last night. Man, that movie rocks!I am a huge fan of Yuen Wo Ping's action choreography anyway. I love the umbrella usage, sleeve-fu, and just the fights in general in this movie. It's a lot of fun to watch.

For me, this one is second only to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. If you love "wire-fu" type stuff, you will dig Iron Monkey.

The soundtrack for this DVD is geared as a CTHD type score. I think Miramax had it done for this U.S. release.

There is the Hong Kong Legends version of Iron Monkey, which I would puchase if it were available for Region 1.

Here's a link with info on changes for the Miramax release.
http://www.hkfilm.net/irnmnky.htm

This compares the Hong Kong Legends version and the Megastar DVD:
http://www.loveandbullets.com/ironmonkey.htm

[DVDriven]

Originally posted by Martin Blank

Here's a link with info on changes for the Miramax release.
http://www.hkfilm.net/irnmnky.htm

I was planning on picking up the Miramax release, hoping that the transfer would be significantly better than the Mega Star's (the version I currently own), but 8 minutes in cuts took this out of consideration. The film's integrity has been compromised for a PG-13 rating; to me, that's unacceptable.

[Martin Blank]

Here is a link to the official site for the Miramax release:
http://www.iron-monkey.com/main.html

You can read there what Yuen Wo Ping has to say about the re- release of his movie. It sounds like he was in on the process.

DVDriven, this may change how you view the Miramax DVD. I can definitely tell you that it has a far superior transfer to the Megastar version, which I rented a while back.

That brings up an interesting question:

For HK enthusiasts, do you choose a compromised (edited, dubbed only, hip-hop soundtrack, etc) Region 1 disc with a good (and maybe anamorphic) transfer, or a Region 0 release with a fair (and usually non-anamorphic) transfer, but one that keeps the film intact?

I have tended to choose the former, but I'm hoping for better U.S. treatment of Hong Kong movies.

[Wirehed]

I want the movie intact, so I buy the region 0 discs. If it comes out domestically properly then I buy again, not that that has ever happened.

[DVDriven]

Originally posted by Martin Blank

For HK enthusiasts, do you choose a compromised (edited, dubbed only, hip-hop soundtrack, etc) Region 1 disc with a good (and maybe anamorphic) transfer, or a Region 0 release with a fair (and usually non-anamorphic) transfer, but one that keeps the film intact?

I have tended to choose the former, but I'm hoping for better U.S. treatment of Hong Kong movies.

I can live with a fair, non-anamorphic transfer, as long as all of the film's elements remain intact, especially the music score. Seeing as the music's integral to the atmosphere, any attempt to make it more palatable to the masses for the purpose of capturing greater popular interest is unacceptable and unjustifiable. I've passed on just about every North American adaptations of Jet Li films because of the music selection. Columbia/TriStar did a decent job on the OUATIC series; unfortunately I couldn't say the same for Artisan or Buena Vista.

[Martin Blank]

I have a mix of Region 0 and Region 1 releases.
One film which I regret buying Region 1 for is Black Mask; I rented the unaltered (Region 0) version and prefered the original soundtrack to the hip-hop that Artisan inserted. I have nothing against hip-hop, but there was no need to change the original score. For Wing Chun, on the other hand, changing the score might be okay, because it sounds a little too much like a rip-off of Ladyhawke's theme music.


I'm also not fanatical about having the original language track for most releases (but I do at least like to have the choice!).
I won't budge on Original Aspect Ratio though. There seem to be a lot of low-end Jackie Chan DVDs out there in "Fullscreen" only.
It looks like Columbia is puting out a few old Jackie flicks in widescreen though. I have Dragonfist and Fearless Hyena from Columbia.

[Wurms]

Well, I pretty much only go for the region 0 releases unless the region-1 release is perfect or the region-0 just really sucks. I have some region-1 crap in my collection but that was before I new any better :p

If it is horribly cut and the dubbing is awful then FORGET ABOUT IT!

Although, I prefer the DMII region-1 (Legend of Drunken Master) release over the rare region-0 release because the picture and effects are SO MUCH better and the dubbing is as good as you can get with dubbing. I wish they would have kept the original soundtrack though. Plus it is OAR unlike the region-0.

I wish companies would just do it right!! Columbia/Tri-Star seems to be improving greatly. Time and Tide is absolutley incredible transfer (not to mention audio commentary with Tsui Hark) They did a perfect job with Miracles. Gorgeous was cut, but none of the fights , And now they are releasing Jackies old stuff in anamorphic with original language One to definately get is Snake and Crane: Art of Shaolin. This is an awesome old school kung fu flick. Fights every 5 minutes. I think the fights take up more then half the screen time

[beckmen]

It was good. I won't buy it, I'll stick to my dubbed VHS copy. The story was a lot better than most Martial Arts films, and the fights were good as well. Not CTHD, but better than most.

Am I the only one that thought OUATIC is overrated?

[DVDriven]

Originally posted by beckmen

Am I the only one that thought OUATIC is overrated?

'Overrated' in what sense? Which installment(s) are you referring to? The movie's driven by the storyline, not action sequences (although they were well choreographed).

I wished Columbia/TriStar would complete the series by converting the remaining two. Damn you, C/T!! :rar:

On a positive note, I see that the re-titled "Zu Warriors" ("Legend of Zu" originally) is set for a stateside release. I'm definitely picking up the Region 0 DTS release in the meantime. (and for anyone who snipes me....

[tomdkat]

I borrowed this from a friend and thought the movie itself was just ok, kinda "hokie"..... I thought the martial arts was fun to watch, very fast paced. The thing that stood out the MOST about this DVD was the low, deep bass. My subs were rumbling the house!!!!

Peace.....

[Jellodyne]

I thought Iron Monkey was pretty good. It was a good, solid wire-fu epic, and as long as you don't go in expecting something more than a good kung fu action flick you won't be disapointed. The reason Crouching Tiger was such a hit was because it was, in fact, something more than a good kung fu action flick (romance, fantasy). Jackie Chan's films are also big here because they are also something more (comedy, insane stunts). Not to say that it can't be a really good action movie without much in the way of additional elements, just a more stripped down film like Iron monkey is not going to have the broad appeal of some of those other films. All that said, the fighting in Iron Monkey is spectacular, especially the less flashy stuff which is really solidly choreographed. The presentation is good, with a nice looking transfer, minimal editing and the inclusion of the original language track, without which I wouldn't buy it. The dubbing is good for those who lean that way. All in all, glad I picked it up.

[SilentFace]

I rented this movie years ago and duped it......I didn't see it when they releaesed it in the theater but it is a damn fine film.


P.S. Shaolin Soccer was a great buy....very glad I bought it

now I just have to watch Zu Warriors

[tomdkat]

Originally posted by Jellodyne
All that said, the fighting in Iron Monkey is spectacular, especially the less flashy stuff which is really solidly choreographed. The presentation is good, with a nice looking transfer,

I agree 100%.. I was VERY impressed with the DVD quality. I'm not saying the movie sucked and I did enjoy it.....

Peace......