Shawscope Volume Two (released fall 2023) [Arrow Video] 

Now available from Arrow Video 

This box set is a big one, almost THE big one (but that may actually go to Volume Three, review of that one posting shortly). This set has 14, yes 14, Shaw Brothers martial arts films and 2 discs of music from these films, all in this beautiful box. The number of special features in this set is staggering and will take any dedicated fan days, weeks even, to watch through. Here are our thoughts on this set: 

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (aka Shao Lin san shi liu fang) (1978)
This one is a classic and one of the most seen Shaw Brothers films, so it was a no-brainer to include it (and its 2 sequels) in this box set. In this first of three, a young man joins a Shaolin temple to learn their style of martial art to be able to fight the powers that be. Written by Kuang Ni and directed by Chia-Liang Liu, this one is entertaining and shows great martial arts training and fights. Star Chia-Hui Liu is fun to watch and clearly makes the most of the film’s fights and stunts while also giving a decent acting performance. This one is a classic and it’s easy to see why. 

Return to the 36th Chamber (aka Shao Lin da peng da shi) (1980)
This first sequel to the previous film is possibly the best of them (yes, even better than the first) as it offers the stars return as a scammer who trains to take revenge but finds more along the way. It’s a bit cheesy, but it’s also a lot of fun and the fights are on point. Lead Chia-Hui Liu returns from the first film and shows that his skills are only getting better, and he gives the script by Kuang Ni and direction from Chia-Liang Liu a good set of shoulders to rest on. The film here looks great, sounds great, has solid fight choreography, and makes fr a very entertaining return to the chamber. 

Disciples of the 36th Chamber (aka Pi li shi jie) (1985)
A later in the game sequel, this time written and directed by Chia-Liang Liu and starring Chia-Hui Liu as Monk San Te, the film has a weaker story this time, one where the lead goes to train to defend a town while also possibly being a bit shifty. The film here is entertaining, the fights are good, but something feels like it’s missing leading to the viewer caring a lot less about the outcome than in the previous two entries. The film still looks good and sounds good, it’s decently directed, but the writing is missing that special something and loses the magic of the other films. 

Mad Monkey Kung Fu (aka Fen hou) (1979)
Another Kuang Ni and Chia-Liang Liu film with Chia-Liang Liu starring this time. This film follows a merchant who used to be a respected martial artist when him and his fellow merchants are bullied, and he decides to help them learn how to fight so they can all defend themselves. The acting in this one is a little less good than the previous films but not bad while the story is a bit more chaotic something that isn’t necessarily bad. The fights are fun, the sets are familiar, the style works, so no reason to change what isn’t broken.  

Five Superfighters (aka Tang shan wu hu) (1979)
This film follows a martial arts master who goes from school to school to correct their bad martial arts. As one can guess, things don’t go as expected and it leads to a film that is predictable with some repetitiveness to it. The acting is decent and the writing On Szeto and directed by Mar Lo work decently well. The film is an ok watch, but it is also not entirely memorable.  

Invisible Shaolin (aka Nan Shao Lin yu bei Shao Lin) (1978)
This fight-centric film brings the Five Venoms along for a film that is more fight sequences than story with a thread managing to string these fights along. Written by Cheh Chang and Kuang Ni and directed by Cheh Chang the film could have used more interesting elements to the story to keep the attention beyond the fight scenes. As it is, the fights work, and the story not as much, leading to a film that is too repetitive, too long, and a bit boring. A better story around the fights would allow the viewer to have something better to connect with while giving the cast a better chance at showing their acting skills.  

The Kid with the Golden Arm (aka Jin bi tong) (1979)
Another feature from Cheh Chang and Kuang Ni, this one follows the Five Venoms through their second most popular adventure. The cast here works decently and gets a bit more of a chance to flex their acting muscles on top of their fighting skills. This one is almost entirely about the fights again, but the surrounding story works better. The look of the film connects better with the story as well with good cinematography and editing that is fight-centric, giving the viewer a good view of everything. This one is fun and entertaining. 

Magnificent Ruffians (aka Mai ming xiao zi) (1979)
A descendant of the Golden Sword, a master himself, fights other martial artists with a cruelty that is unusual when a man finds four fighters who could easily take him on and possibly teach him a lesson. The film here is written by Cheh Chang and Kuang Ni and directed by the former, a team up seen many times in the Shaw Brothers universe and one that works quite well for this film. Magnificent Ruffians is one of the more fun films of the set here and could even be considered a good place to start for someone who is unfamiliar with Shaw Brothers films. The acting is good, the fights are fun to watch, there is an easily identifiable villain, good guys who are flawed, and a whole lot of action.  

 

Stay tuned for part 2 of this set’s review!