Search - The Evil Cult on DVD

Wonderful Fantasy, but get the Original Version!!!!!

Dragon Man X | Sunnyvale, CA USA | 01/19/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ok first off, all of you who are buying this silly Lord of the Wutang title are getting the cover up bootleg of the original movie which is The Kung Fu Colt Master (or Kung Fu Master here in US). Don't get the Lord of the Wutang version for the sound and picture really suck, and the distributors are known for cutting stuff too. With that aside, let me just say that this is one of the very few hk fantasy films that I own, and yet its one of my favorite movies. The story is basically about 2 swords that make the users superpowerful, and there are several kung fu schools looking and fighting for it. Jet represents one of these schools and througout the film, he masters several martial art techniques at an interestingly fast pace. He needs to protect his great grandfather, who happens to know where the swords are, from the corrupt schools. Warning, this is no Fist of Legend, but the martial arts are quite decent in my opinion. Yes, there is flying and superhuman powers in this film, but it actually makes it fun, not like dumb movies like the Storm Riders (this movie is too much). Plus, the film is extremely hilarious, especially the scene where Jet gets stuck in a cave. There are also 2 extremely beautiful women in this film that just made me go gaga. Watch it and find out what I mean. I'd totally recommend a buy tho, but like I said get the original Kung Fu Colt Master. I got the HK version which is presented in 5.1 dolby, and the picture is pretty clear as well. I can't say much for the World Video US release version, except that the cover looks really crappy. However, I've heard the transfer is pretty good and it has an english dub as well. But original Chinese w/ subs is the way to go for me. So go check this one out, and if you like it, try Swordsman II(w/Jet also)...check out my other reviews too, mostly HK flicks. Hope this was helpful."

Fantastic incomplete Kung Fu saga

W. C. Chaddock | Montreal, Canada | 04/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jet Li plays Chang Mo Kei, a young fellow who was injured as a child by a life threatening Kung Fu move called the "Jinx Palm", which has made him weak and unable to learn Kung Fu. Plus on the same day his parents were both forced to commit suicide, which, as you might expect, was also no fun. Mo Kei is raised by his father's former master, a spry 100 year-old played with great aplomb by an unrecognizable, white-haired Sammo Hung, who also did a very good job as the fight choreographer for the film. The plotline is too complex to summarize, but needless to say Jet Li starts kicking ass and taking names pretty quickly. The film is of the fantastic Kung Fu variety, with people flying through the air, and using magical Kung Fu powers which put Jedi Knights and Neo to shame.

"The Evil Cult" has a variety of english titles and is based on a chinese martial arts novel which hasn't been translated to any western languages as far as I'm aware. It was supposed to be the first in a trilogy, but it didn't make enough money and so even though Jet Li, Sammo Hung, and the others involved fought to make them, it never came to pass. Apparently there have been some other films and TV Series made following the same story, but the most recent TV Series from 2003 hasn't made it to North America yet.
Still this first part of an incomplete saga is a great kung fu flick, primarily because of the incredibly quick pace, intricate plotline, bad humour, and non stop ass-kicking fun. It overwhelms the senses and if this type of flick is your cup of tea, I think you'll find this is as good as it gets. It seems to be a style of film you either get or you don't, so don't be put off by any bad reviews you see. This isn't Proust, but has its own virtues. If you like it, you likely be frustrated when it ends before resolving much of anything plot-wise, but just hold on, I'm sure they'll do a proper remake in ten years with genetic clones of the original cast or thereabouts. We'll see."

Cracktacular chop sokky!

Shantell Powell | Kitchener, ON, Canada | 04/14/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Kung Fu Master, also known as The Evil Cult, is one of the most bizarre martial arts flicks I've seen in a long time. The plot is nigh-unto incomprehensible, but involves six martial arts clans from China and Persia who are fighting over two magical swords--a skinny glowing one and a big, fat, choppy one with curlicues. Somehow, a very young Mo-Kei, maybe only six or seven at most, is attacked by evil martial artists and left with a grey handprint on his chest. This is the dreaded Jinx Hand.His parents are understandably upset by this marking, and so is Mo-Kei's uncle, who is a powerful martial arts master. You see, this handprint means young Mo-Kei will never be able to use kung-fu or have sex, or else he will die. At least, I think that's what it means. In the meantime, it makes him "very painful" and subjected to frequent bouts of near-hypothermia.Mo-Kei's parents and his uncle rush him off to a temple where they try fruitlessly to cure him. The parents kill themselves so that the bad guys don't learn where their "buddy" is hiding with his magical sword. Just before his mother dies, she tells Mo-Kei to avenge their deaths on all the baddies. Unfortunately, that's pretty hard to do if you don't know kung fu. After all, there were no machine guns in this time period.Eight years later, there's a bizarre scene where the uncle, now 108 years old discusses his morning erections with a very mature-looking 14- or 15-year old Mo-Kei (played by Jet Li). Uncle explains that Mo-Kei does not get erections because he is weak, but that he himself is no old granny, and has them every morning!Mo-Kei is kept alive by energy transfusions from his uncle and can only look wistfully at all the cool kung fu guys practicing their mad martial arts skillz. Then a hot chick shows up, and he becomes even more confused when she tricks him into watching her get ready for a bath.This is, of course, grounds to off the inoffensive Mo-Kei, and he gets chased off a cliff along with a kung fu mama with a jug-handle hairdo. After groping her chest on the way down, Mo-Kei and the girl meet an old man imbedded in a giant boulder. He teaches Invincible Solar Stance (or something like that) to Mo-Kei, which somehow cures him of his Jinx Hand affliction and allows Mo-Kei to kick ...The story only gets weirder from here, with a kung fu vampire named Green Bat (who asks a master to suck poison out of his bottom), an evil queen with a lethal harpsichord (complete with harpsichord battle), a master with foot-long eyebrows, Red Cross workers with a penchant for hookers and rape, and more talk of erections. Because Mo-Kei has become a master of Invincible Solar Stance, he learns yet another advanced style--Magical Stance--in a scant six hours. For anyone else, it would take thirty years. He then proceeds to kick more ... with this technique.Mo-Kei's learning skills are increasing at an astronomical rate. The final fight scene is great because Mo-Kei learns the entire art of t'ai chi chu'an in approximately ten seconds. Of course, he kicks even more ...Many ... are filled with footprints by this point.I really don't quite understand what happens at the end, and since the movie stops without really wrapping anything up, I can only assume there is a sequel, or at least the intention for a sequel.If you're in the mood for some REALLY over-the-top martial arts involving ropes, wires, and terrible subtitling, this is the film for you. If you're in the mood for well-filmed martial arts choreography, look elsewhere. This is far too silly."

Kung Fu at it's best!

Gungfu Dude | 01/11/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This video is the best kung fu movies that I have seen in a long time. Jet Li is simply trilling! the fighting seen's are fare better than the WU-Tang series you can see the time it took for the fighting scenes to take place the story line is better planed out than all other movies I've seen! this is a must see."