Leofwine_draca Those expecting a kung fu epic – an expectation fuelled by the presence of martial arts supreme Yuen Biao – should look elsewhere, as PEACOCK KING is a plot-driven story centring on an epic battle between holy men and demons. Although Yuen Biao takes centre stage as the fighter/wizard monk, his kung fu is in short supply and his battles against other men limited to one scene only. Instead, this is a film where Biao performs flying kicks on evil demons, spins in the air, and uses all manner of magic spells to do his dirty work. The film is based on a Manga animation, so it has some of the same kind of rubbery feel to it as THE STORY OF RICKY – and it's no surprise that director Ngai Kai Lam also helmed that other film. While Lam isn't much when it comes to the fight scenes – the one kung fu battle here is poorly shot, bring back Sammo Hung – his taste for the eccentric and the gory comes to the fore when the demons arrive.The film is chock-full of special effects and they're surprisingly decent for a '80s movie. There's a ton of back projection – most impressive of all is a massive rising "fortress of hell" which grows out of the ground for over three FULL minutes – and all kinds of fireballs and lightning strikes which look great. The demons themselves – ranging from tiny to massive – are achieved mostly through stop motion, a dated type of effect which I nevertheless enjoy whenever I see it put on screen. The effects are entertaining in a similar way to the effects used in the first two EVIL DEAD films.The storyline is in the typical adventure mould, although a little more confusing than most. Biao teams up with with a Japanese rival monk (Hiroshi Mikami, having no fun in the 'straight man' role) and the pair travel Asia battling all manner of monsters. Also lurking around are some familiar Hong Kong actors – Eddy Ko, Philip Kwok, Pauline Wong – and a delicate Gloria Yip, then only 15 years old, as the spectral Hell Virgin (yes, I don't know what that is either, but it doesn't matter). Better still is Gordon Liu as a typically tough bald fighter; his battle with Biao, although not perfectly shot, is one of the movie's highlights.The film's tone ranges wildly from offbeat comedy and general weirdness (Yuen Biao battling a reanimated dinosaur, JURASSIC PARK eat your heart out!) to drama, even a little romance. Imagine an Asian version of GHOSTBUSTERS but with faces ripped off and people impaled and torn to pieces or crushed and you'll be close. Things culminate in a genuinely spectacular showdown in the fortress of Hell, where our heroes battle the massive King of Hell, a huge humanoid chap who steps on people and breathes ice. He reminded me of Talos in JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, and he's a very good effect! Back projection is used here and it's perhaps the most convincing I've ever seen it done. All in all a great climax to what is an uneven but generally good movie.

dbborroughs Manga based Chinese film about two men, Lucky Fruit and Peacock who are the only two people who stand between humanity and the resurrection of the Hell King by the evil Raga and the daughter of the Hell King.Old school action fantasy horror film mixes stop motion, forced perspective, wires, rubber and other non computer effects for use in a slam bang fantasy film. This is a movie that just starts and goes and never worries about all the details, it just pulls you along like a crazy friend who has this idea of how to do a road trip. It may not be the perfect road trip but you can't say you're not having fun. With Monsters that run the gamut from something from John Carpenter's The Thing to Korda's Thief of Bagdad to Krull to schlocky 1980's glowing eyes horror films this movie is a great deal of fun for people who don't mind less then perfect monsters. The martial arts sequences are well done even when they sprinkle in magical aide. Best of all are the characters who seem to all belong together and who banter about with a nice level of wittiness that doesn't fall into cliché or stupidity.I just really like this movie in a rainy afternoon popcorn sort of way. How good is it? I'm thinking of replacing my perfectly fine dollar VCD with a more expensive DVD copy so I can have more options where I watch this.Worth a bowl of popcorn and a soda.

phillip-58 A lot of people seem to misunderstand this type of film. It is fantasy, based on a famous Japanese Manga and various Japanese legends. It was very popular in Japan (making a huge star of Gloria Yip in this her first film), average in HK and poorly received in the rest of the world. Glad as I am to see it in such a good print I was surprised HK Legends released this film above others (like Pedicab Driver, still not released). It is not a straight kung fu film and to expect protracted one on one human fight scenes is to miss the point of such a film. Enjoy it for what it is, fantasy with reasonable (for the time) special effects and Yuen Biao as an actor.

semprini-2 Despite reasonably pitiful special effects, this was still quite an entertaining martial arts movie. Quite a good amount of fighting, acceptable acting and an unremarkable plot, this was an acceptable way to pass the time.If you like Yuen Biao or Hong Kong martial arts movies, you will probably get enough entertainment out of this without being blown away. The first time I saw this I think I must have been pretty tired as I fell asleep. The second time it seemsd a lot better...!!I think it deserves a 6 out of 10 which is pretty good going.