Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Challenge of the Tiger Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 23, 2024

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Severin's The Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Vol. 1.

When Severin Films released Kung Fu Trailers of Fury and Return of Kung Fu Trailers of Fury several years ago, I'm sure I wasn't the only one initially thinking, "Well, that's a stupid idea for a release", only to have the sheer lunacy of the trailers assembled in both collections "fight back" against that assessment, as if to say in response, "Yeah, well who's stupid now?" In fact, both Kung Fu Trailers of Fury and Return of Kung Fu Trailers of Fury were kind of deliriously enjoyable in their own slapdash way, and those releases evidently were one of the inspirations for a full on collection of so-called "Brucesploitation" films, this time offering the actual films in addition to their trailers. The goofily affable Michael Worth, who has contributed so many fun commentaries through the years to various kung fu films on Blu-ray, is your "host" of sorts here, offering introductions to all the films and commentaries for many of them. If none of these films is ever going to be acclaimed as an unappreciated masterpiece, and if both video and audio on many of the films in this set might be charitably termed problematic, merely having these films in high definition will be alluring, and an absolute glut of other supplemental material is included as well, making this a probable "must have" for a certain demographic.

Challenge of the Tiger perhaps hilariously comes off as a kind of "big budget epic" when compared to some of the lesser fare offered in Severin's set, with a cast that features Richard Harrison in a major role, but also perhaps surprising cameos from the likes of Jane Seymour, Jack Klugman and Morgan Fairchild (Michael Worth's introduction hints that their actual "participation" may have been unwitting). The hilarious set up for the film is kind of the "flip side" of Children of Men, so to speak, in that a mad scientist has invented a serum that will instantly render men infertile. That might seem like an instant challenge for Harrison's James Bond- esque character Richard Cannon in particular, who frolics with and/or beds an absolutely unbelievable number of naked women throughout the story. The "Brucesploitation" character here is played by Bruce Leung, paired with Harrison to take out the mad scientist. Leung also directed this completely insane enterprise, which features a laugh out loud battle between Leung and a bull, at times seemingly real, at others, hilariously fake to the levels seen between Victor Mature and the "ferocious lion" in Samson and Delilah.

Challenge of the Tiger Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Challenge of the Tiger is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Michael Worth's introduction states that this transfer was scanned from an original camera negative, and as a result this has some of the best color and most appealing detail levels of any of the films in Severin's huge set. There are still noticeable variances in temperatures and densities, but on the whole, the palette is relatively consistently suffused and outdoor material in particular pops really quite well. There is quite a bit of damage still on display, often in scratches that extend horizontally for some reason. There's also some noticeable flicker that is probably most evident toward the edges of the frame.

Challenge of the Tiger Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with the video side of things, Challenge of the Tiger's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track is relatively secure sounding, at least when compared to some of the other tracks in Severin's set. There's still the same boxy sound I've noted in several other reviews, but there's a rather appealingly forceful midrange and low end that helps to support both scoring and sound effects. There's still some minor sibilance and similar phasing sounds that can be discerned in dialogue and some of the funkier cues. Optional English subtitles are available.

Challenge of the Tiger Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary With Actor/Director/Bruceploitation Expert Michael Worth and Film Historian C. Courtney Joyner


• Severin's Kung Fu Theater With Actor/Director/Bruceploitation Expert Michael Worth (HD; 1:27) offers a brief introduction. This is accessible as either a standalone supplement or under the Play Menu, where it's authored to lead directly to the feature.


• Trailer (HD; 3:52)

Challenge of the Tiger Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Challenge of the Tiger may benefit at least in part from the perception that its "Bruceploitation" aspect is almost secondary. There's an almost ludicrous amount of gratuitous nudity paired with mad scientist shenanigans that may seem pretty far removed from the Bruce Lee canon, or in this case (vis a vis Harrison's character), Cannon. This has some of the best video and audio of the set, and has an especially enjoyable commentary by Michael Worth and C. Courtney Joyner.