Ah the 1980’s! They had their share of really good movies, movies that stand the test of time to geeks of all types and species. Many of these movies didn’t do well upon release, not having the www based hype machine we have now. They, instead, formed a loyal and cultish type of viewer based on the hefty plastic brick like VCR tape. Many of the movies were viewed by today’s geeks as children, sitting in front of the flickering imagery that filled the screen with light and the mind with joy. They often didn’t have the greatest special effects or were the world’s biggest block busters, but they fueled the imaginations of a generation of people.

One of these movies, for me, is Big Trouble in Little China.

Set in San Francisco’s Little China district, the movie is steeped in the both real and pop mythology of the culture. Directed by John Carpenter and Starring Kurt Russell and Kim Catrall (back when she wasn’t so weirdly creepy,) the movie centers on an All American truck driver helping his Chinese friend rescue a damsel in distress. As the duo go to pick up the damsel at the airport, a band of Chinese ruffians kidnap the newly arrived green eyed beauty. Green, the color of Jade, is rare in the eyes of Chinese women; one evil Chinese Sorcerer Lo Pan is searching for a green eyed woman to release his 2,000 year curse. Kim Catrall, in the guise of a Lawyer who has her home in Little China, finds her way in to the site of the evil magician because her eyes, also, are green. The duo have to fight their way through the massed enemy and 3 naturally afflicted lieutenants to finally confront the dangerous Pan, picking up friends and enemies along the way.

This movie is full of martial arts action, snappy one liners, lightening, exploding bodies, and creepy floating multiple eye puppets. It also has the unassuming Chinese magician that is fighting for Good, waiting for the day to confront his nemesis, Lo Pan. It has all that you would expect from an Asian action movie: the acting isn’t the greatest, the stunts are awesome, there is magic and martial arts a plenty. The main character (Russell) isn’t exactly the model for a hero, but he does the job. His side kick (played by Dennis Dun) is the real hero, able to punch and kick his way through many an entanglement.

This movie has that fun factor so many movies seem to be lacking today. I know movie didn’t do well at the box office, but the popularity on video wasn’t a fluke: Big Trouble is a enjoyable movie to watch. There is no pretensions about it; it is a silly action comedy set to chinese mythology. You can nit pick the movie to death finding issues with it (Like what happened to the other Chinese girl at the airport? You think she would be a bigger part of the plot but nope…) I would say just pop some pop corn or make a sandwich, get a drink, and just have fun with this movie. You can probably find it for 5 or 10 bucks at your local wal-mart and it is worth it.

Besides, would we have Raiden in Mortal Kombat if this movie had never existed? I don’t think so.

- Warren

This entry was posted on Friday, June 27th, 2008 at 5:36 am and is filed under Columns, Friday Morning Movie Madness, Sections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.