Nerds That Geek Movie Review – ‘Kung Pow: Enter the Fist’

Written by Scott Edwards

​Back in my youth I was privy to watching some of the finest martial arts classics out there featuring the great Bruce Lee. Fists of Fury along with Enter the Dragon were by far my two favorite movies, not only because of the action, but seeing someone that was not especially big being able to kick the snot out of people twice their size seemed to just sit right with me. Now don’t get me wrong, these were the best of the best, so when you sit back to watch Kung Pow: Enter the Fist, don’t expect anything near what these films gave to you. 

A young man, going by the name Chosen One wanders the world endlessly, trying to find the man who killed his parents. The Chosen One meets many opponents upon his quest for revenge, but without being properly trained, he is in need of the best. Master Tang will be able to help him train to defeat his lifelong nemesis Master Pain, also known as Betty. Only one man will survive the battle between Master Pain (Betty) and the Chosen One. With help from many different resources, the Chosen One is ready to settle the score with the man who robbed him of knowing his family…

Enough of the story line, on to what makes this movie special. This movie was assembled from an old martial arts film and new footage that was inserted into the original to add to the story. Turning something from old to new again is a feat in its own right, but what was done next just blew me away, the dubbing. If you can think back to the seventies and early eighties films you may have watched, if someone did not speak English, their lines would be dubbed over for the American audiences. Kung Pow does this, but takes it to a new level altogether, changing up the original story line, along with playing around with how bad the dubbing delays were when it comes to older films similar to this one.

Kung Pow is a comedy, don’t think of it in any other way. In my mind, this is a cinematic masterpiece for one reason and one alone; Nasty Nes. He is one of Master Pain’s (Betty’s) henchmen whose sole job is to play the proper fighting music when the time arrives. Kung Pow delivers on the laughs, if you are looking for mature humor, or just slapstick, you will not be disappointed when you get them both.  

With outlandish characters, along with Steve Oedekerk directing and starring, Kung Pow will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will leave your head shaking with the product placement of Taco Bell (you may want some after watching). You may still have doubts, but don’t. This movie may deliver one or two messages on an important level, but you will have to learn French if you want to truly understand them. So instead, just sit back and enjoy the adventure, the action and the characters, along with the meadow battle.  

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