Growing up, I watched a lot of Kung fu movies and one thing that is common with this movie is the violence and blood. So I was surprised when I watched this series ’Kung Fu (2021)’ and it has mild violence and bloodshed. To think that this series's violence was mild on the scale and will not be engaging, it still was able to give me the feeling that I was watching a Chinese based film that centers around Kung Fu. It was intriguing and entertaining at the same time.
This series is the reboot of the 1972 Kung Fu tv show. I didn't watch this so I don't know how interesting it was but 80% of critics said this reboot was a mess and it didn't live up to the 1972 show. In my opinion, I think this reboot was great and it is a light-hearted series that shouldn't be taken seriously.
This series just made me appreciate how Asians always keep records of everything in various forms. Hence why their culture, tradition, art and folklores are still present up till date. This made me feel bad on how Africans have been denied the opportunity to keep records of our traditions, culture and folklores. So many of them have been lost in time, some died with our ancestors, some burnt away, some have been scattered around the world and forcefully owned by world powers.
’Kung Fu (2021)’ was distributed by The CW and produced by Warner Bros. Television. It is a martial art action adventure and it was developed by Christina M. Kim. It starred Olivia Liang, Eddie Liu, Shannon Dang, Kheng Hua TanTzi Ma, Vanessa Kai, Jon Prasida, Gavin Stenhouse, Tony Chung, Yvonne Chapman, JB Tadena, Marissa Cuevas, Vanessa Yao, Kee Chan, Ludi Lin, Ben Levin, Annie Q. Riegel and Donald Heng.
The plot of this series revolves around a young Chinese-American woman, Nicky Shen, who because of her relationship with her mother dropped out of college, and ran away from home to an isolated monastery in China. In China Nicky was trained in the art of Kung Fu by Pei-Ling Zhang who became her Shifu.
For three years, Nicky was in the monastery while her family had already given up on searching for her. Then one day, the monastery was attacked by unknown armed men led by a renegade warrior, Zhilan who also steals a sacred sword and burns down the monastery after killing Nicky’s Shifu along with the sisters. Though Nicky tried to stop this warrior, she lost.
Disappointed with nowhere to go, Nicky finds her way back home to San Francisco, where everyone welcomes her back home except for her mother Mei-Li and younger brother Ryan who were still angry with her for running away. After a few hours of being home, Nicky discovered that her family were being bullied and threatened by a drug lord who wanted to collect his money . Nicky then stepped in when she saw her father being manhandled, but what she didn't know was that this was just the beginning.
My Review And Rating.
I really enjoyed watching this series but unfortunately the show was canceled after the third season. With each season, a formidable villain was created to match with the lead character, Nicky and a mystery was created to be solved. It was filled with fun, well developed characters, good action scenes that weren't gory, and solid storylines in each of the episodes.
I love how this series is centered around the dynamics of Nicky's family, their relationship, their history, their culture and bloodline. It didn't only focus on the lead character, it also focused on her family’s lives and love interest, the villains and some Chinese folktales. With these blends, it gave the show a sense of adventure and supernatural which I had fun watching.
The plot was well developed and written. All the stories incorporated in each episode were fast-paced, intriguing and engaging. The characters were developed around the themes that were explored. Like the theme of Power, greed, family, and betrayal. Each character is unique in their way and I like that their mannerism didn't seem forced but it all came naturally.
The scene arrangements were perfect, the action scenes were shot well and decently. The camera work was amazing, the few CGI that was incorporated in the show was well done. The scenery was all beautiful and homely. The visuals were also good.
The cast were exceptional. I love that the creators of this show made sure that almost all of their actors were Asian. My favorite actors in the show are Shannon Dang who acted as Nicky's sister. She performed her role seamlessly. She was the comic relief and I love her enthusiastic energy throughout the show. Also, Eddie Liu who acted as Nicky's love interest. He was loveable and at the same tough. He was a very good partner to Nicky.
Tzi Ma, this man made me believe that he is actually a gentleman in real life. I enjoyed his character and I find him cute don't ask me why. Yvonne Chapman, was a formidable foe in the first season but in following seasons she came to the good side. I like her, but oh she was very annoying in the initial season. Also, our lead character Olivia Liang was very entertaining to watch. I love how she was not all serious all the time. She carried her role like a champ.
Rating this series, I will give it 8 out 10 stars. It is worth the watch and if you are scared to watch this series because of violence or gore, don't be, this show has got you covered.
All images above are from the movie screenshots
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