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Hero of Shaolin
R2 - United Kingdom - Terracotta Distribution Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (4th November 2014). |
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The Film
 ***This is a technical review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** The safety of the Shaolin Temple is in their hands. A troop of monks from the Shaolin Temple embark on a mission to get the Golden Sutra to Tibet after the Shaolin Abbot is killed by their traitorous teacher. They are joined on their quest by a beautiful, female warrior – with aims to avenge her father's death. They traverse forests and mountains on their mission, all the while fighting off deadly ninja assassins, vicious gangsters and even the undead.
Video
Independent British company Terracotta Distribution have released the kung fu movie "Hero of Shaolin" on to DVD in the United Kingdom, as their first release as part of their new "Classic Kung Fu Collection" line. The transfer is anamorphic and in the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. It's a decent enough effort. Kung fu movies are notorious for being treated like crap on home media, so although this is far from a perfect transfer, it is a promising look at what is hopefully to come from this range. Don't get me wrong, this print has quite a lot of damage, but it seems to be rather limited in comparison to the old Tai Seng DVD that was released in America, which was of VHS quality. This transfer is a lot more stable, but still has some issues with noticeable wobble, whilst scratches are light, but obvious throughout. Sometimes there are quite big blemishes, but these last only several frames at a time. I'm not 100% convinced this has been framed correctly for the duration, as tops of heads seem to be cut off quite often, but after comparing with Youtube videos (I no longer have the Tai Seng disc) of full frame versions, I am reasonably sure this is how it was filmed. I'm not familiar enough with the feature to make a certain statement though. Overall? Yes, more damage than you would expect on any film, but when you compare it to similar movies from this era and genre, this looks above average, and the instability even gives it an old picture-house feel that suits the movie. The film has no cuts that I am aware of, and runs 86:58.
Audio
Only a single audio option is available here, and unfortunately it is not in the original language. It's an English Dolby Digital 2.0 Dual Mono dub. Audio is of reasonable quality, but like the transfer, shows a few obvious problems. One of the most noticeable of these problems is the occasional ringing in the background as certain characters speak in some scenes, and although the dialogue is still audible, it is a problem which could have been extremely annoying had it been more prevalent. There are also a couple of pops in the track, and the dialogue sounds quite flat. Sound effects from the kung fu scenes are the highlight though, with a good level of clarity and oomph. No subtitles have been included.
Extras
The extras are self-explantory. "About Terracotta" text (1 page) "What Is Terracotta Festival?" promotional trailer (1:55) Stills Gallery (3:06) Start-up Trailers (5:00): - "The Lady Assassin" (1:26) - "Moebius" (1:17) - "Shackled" (2:17) Bonus Trailers: - "Crocodile" (1:14) - "Breathless" (1:56) - "Gyo: Tokyo Fish Attack" (0:36) - "Revenge: A Love Story" (1:14) Theatrical Trailer (3:33)
Overall
This is a fun entry into the kung fu genre, with some solid fight scenes and an entertaining enough (if formulaic) story. Although I can't being myself to give the transfer a higher score than I have, those familiar with movies of this ilk will likely be reasonably happy, though improvements could certainly be made. I look forward to seeing more titles in this new range.
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