The Shaolin Boxer Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Shaolin Boxer Blu-ray Movie Review

Shaolin Boxers is an exciting action-adventure classic. Produced by Chia-Fu Lo (Young Hero, Devil Hunters), Shaolin Boxers is an impressive production with a lot of fun for kung-fu fans. Starring James Tien, Mi Tien, Tien Ying Li, Min-Lang Li, Tin Leung, Shui-Ching Tsai, and Mu Chu.

Chuan Tai (James Tien) is a Shaolin school master with ambitions to win the coveted martial arts tournament. The yearly tournament brings together a wide range of martial arts experts for an epic battle. The tournament provides Chuan a rare chance to help out his fellow villagers and defeat an evil, tyrannical security guard (Ho Yun).  

James Tien does a solid job as the leading martial arts master. The performance adds to the charms of Shaolin Boxers. Ho Yun does a good job, too. Yun is impressive as the security guard – adding superb range to the role.

Composed by Eddie Wang (Rendezvous with Death, To Kill a Mastermind), Shaolin Boxers is a well- scored feature-film. Wang is a talented composer and someone with a knack for music. The fun original score is a solid backdrop to the martial arts action. The score helps the storytelling unfold.

The cinematography by Tat-Lung Wong (The Iron Butterfly, Tomorrow) is an impressive aspect of the feature- filmmaking. The cinematography highlights the visual wonderment of the martial arts. The photography has enormous gravitas and it creates a sense of wonder in the film. Wong’s visuals are quite special and important to the film.

Edited by Keng-Sheng Wang, Shaolin Boxers is well-paced. The editing style is excellent throughout. Effective editing helps the storytelling unfold. The flow and rhythm of the feature-film well done throughout.

Featuring stunts coordinated by Siu-Tung Ching (Hero, Curse of the Golden Flower), Shaolin Boxers is exciting and it offers action-packed fun. There is something wonderful about old-school martial arts films. It doesn’t cease to amaze me how much joy I feel while watching a good kung-fu film. The action builds and crescendos.

Written by Tien Huang (Fists of the White Lotus), Shaolin Boxers is a solid script. The screenplay is fun and there are some good moments for the cast of characters. Shaolin Boxers isn’t the best kung-fu screenplay but it is a solid one. There are plenty of enjoyable moments.

Directed by Ta Huang (Chinese Hercules), Shaolin Boxers is especially noteworthy for its fun direction and martial arts. Huang does a good job with the action sequences and providing something full of charm. Shaolin Boxers is engaging throughout and the sense of energy in the film is in part due to Huang. An entertaining old-school kung-fu film.

The Shaolin Boxer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory, Shaolin Boxers is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. The release also features a nice high-definition transfer. The video quality is excellent on the release.

The detail is crisp and the nice encoding quality adds to the presentation. The color reproduction is well done on the release, too. Throughout the transfer, both fine detail and film grain is also visible.

The Shaolin Boxer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (with English subtitles). The lossless audio is well done and sounds impressive on the release. The presentation features clear dynamics. Dialogue is crisp and well reproduced. The score is well highlighted and integrated into the soundstage. The English subtitles are well-done – free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

The Shaolin Boxer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary With Film Critic James Mudge

Audio Commentary With Frank Djeng Of The New York Asian Film Festival

Original Theatrical Trailer (SD, 3:24)

Image Gallery (HD, 2:01)

The Shaolin Boxer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Shaolin Boxers is an enormously entertaining old-school martial arts feature. The filmmaking is well-done: excellent martial arts sequences. The kung-fu action is top-notch.

The Blu-ray release features a quality high-definition presentation and lossless audio encoding. The release also includes a selection of bonus features – including multiple audio commentaries. Recommended.