Two Taoist Tales Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Two Taoist Tales Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 29, 2024

While it might arguably help viewers to know something about Taoism in order to (no religious pun intended) divine some context in the two films Eureka! Entertainment has aggregated under the title Two Taoist Tales, it may not be strictly necessary for any number of reasons. First of these is the frank admission in some of the supplements that anyone looking for some kind of "authentic" accounting of Taoism in either of these films had probably best keep looking. Perhaps more importantly, and frankly perhaps even more hilariously, is the fact that even Taoist scholars often can't agree on exactly what Taoism is "all about", as evidenced by any number of online "analyses" that can come to almost confoundingly different conclusions about what is alternately termed a "religion" or a "philosophy". Adding into the "comprehensibility maelstrom" both of these films offer is the fact that as commentators Mike Leeder and Arne Venema mention, in a kind of linked follow up to some of their jokes in a commentary included on The Miracle Fighters, another relatively recent Eureka! release of a film often cited as a progenitor for both of these films, there may have been a "controlled substance" or two (or three) in regular use by the filmmakers, resulting in an unabashed hallucinogenic ambience that may either intentionally or unintentionally short circuit any attempt at rational reactions. Somewhat interestingly, there's actually a fourth film that is often lumped in with the two in this set and The Miracle Fighters, 1983's Shaolin Drunkard, which may augur a future release from Eureka! Entertainment.

For reviews of the films in this set, please click on the following links:

Taoism Drunkard Blu-ray review

The Young Taoism Fighter Blu-ray review

Two Taoist Tales Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Two Taoist Tales Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Two Taoist Tales Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Supplements on each disc are detailed in the above linked reviews.

Two Taoist Tales Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is a kind of fun "niche" set that may appeal to those with a penchant for supposedly "magically" themed martial arts outings. The humor in both of these films is unabashedly juvenile a lot of the time, but there are some fun action sequences in both. Technical merits are generally solid, and both the two commentaries and Mudge analyses on each disc are worthwhile. Recommended.