By the 1980s, the genre of fantasy martial arts had produced some of the best martial arts performances of all time. They present the best of both worlds – the action, mythology, and magic of fantasy mixed with the thrill of watching graphic martial arts combat. These films were often set in a fantastical world that allowed martial artists to defy physics and perform gravity-defying stunts. The special effects and the magnetic characters of the 1980s made it a golden age of this hybrid genre. Film-makers have taken the conventions of kung fu and transformed them into something exciting and different.
These movies married martial artists to monsters, magic, and adventure, delivering over-the-top fight scenes and exciting storytelling, bringing with them rich folklore, lore, mythical creatures, and heroes on epic journeys. Films like Shogun Assassin and one of Kurt Russell’s best comedy films, Big Trouble In Little China didn’t just define the genre but helped define cinema in its entirety in the 1980s and beyond. The decades that followed would pay tribute to many of the moments and themes in these styles of film, and left an indelible mark on the pop culture of their era.
- Big Trouble In Little China (1986)
- Encounters Of The Spooky Kind (1980)
- Shogun Assassin (1980)
- Mr. Vampire (1985)
- Fists Of The White Lotus (1980)
- The Last Dragon (1985)
- Zu: Warriors From The Magic Mountain (1983)
- The Boxer’s Omen (1983)
- The Seventh Curse (1986)
- Legend Of The Eight Samurai (1983)
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Some personal favourites in there. BTiLC obviously, Mr Vampire and Encounters of the Spooky Kind are great comedy horror fun, and The Boxer’s Omen is the wildest film I’ve watched (and I’ve seen a lot of weird and wacky movies) but The Seventh Curse isn’t short of memorable scenes either!
On your recommendation, I decided to check out Boxer’s Omen and wow you aren’t wrong. I’m about an hour in, just needed to take a break after the third evil wizard buffet scene. +1
It keeps escalating, to the point where you realise you are grateful you didn’t watch it on drugs, then you wonder if someone has slipped you some drugs until you end up worried you might have lost your mind. It’s either you or the filmmaker, I have yet to figure out which.
Fists of the White Lotus is excellent, just some awesome combat sequences
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How are they going to have a picture of Bruce Leroy, and not include him in the list?
The Last Dragon is #6.
