As a big fan of Lau Kar-Leung, Gordon Liu, and Wu Jing I absolutely loved this movie. Wu Jing will be a face to watch out for in future action movies and it's good to see the old timers still going at it.The story is a standard Kung Fu tale with signature dumb Asian comedy thrown in. In all actuality I could go without the silliness but it doesn't degrade the movie at all. The title may lead some to believe that this film will have many drunken fights in it but this movie focuses more on the monkey style without so much drunkenness thrown in. Drunken Monkey really feels like the old Kung-Fu films of the 70's and 80's and that's a welcome surprise. The last action scene of the movie (that last like 30 minutes) is simply amazing and this movie is worth seeing for it alone, although the movie as a whole is great too.Overall this is a very enjoyable Kung Fu film with some old and new faces throughout. I'm glad they're still making old-style martial arts films.

When I discovered that Liu Chia Liang did again a movie a few years ago, as a big fan of many of his movies, I was glad... Unfortunately, this is a melting-pot which is on my opinion (even I had pleasure to see it), a rather very weak one.Even with my greatest respect to LCL, not very excellent, even not very good nor funny ! Basically traditional Kung Fu and/or comedy, I can appreciate...An LCL did so fantastic ones, that frankly I'm disappointed...It's not because the weakness of the plot (almost never mind that, it's alike in many KF stories)...In the beginning, the movie looks like a dark "cowboy KF movie." OK... hum... why not ?The first fighting scene between LCL and his son Gordon Liu, as usual in LCL movies is... just perfect ! Fast, imaginative, concise, a good short fight sequence. Super, OK.A little further, with the next scenes, suddenly I wondered if I had not a strange Alice in Wonderland copy ! Did they make a surprising mistake ? Like if they had burned a part of a complete different film together after the first sequence ?!It looked to me like if I was in a complete other movie... So I checked out, and no, it seems the movie was a whole one... Incredible !!! To put it down bluntly, it follows with a stupid comedy part... and then some fighting again... Wow ! What incoherent parts put together...And so it went on... Some parts are good... and some belong to the low silly comedy.Still with my respect to LCL, I like him a lot, and Gordon Liu too, but unfortunately, this strange mixture is a big mess...In fact the only goods things in this movie are their faces and the fights. Fights like LCL used us, very creative, even if he, LCL, for instance, survives to everything, to remain in the story... (that doesn't bother me!)But the rest in just a bag of no interest...Mr Yaguy Tajima's comment put perfectly the finger on the holes of that Drunken Monkey 2002. I agree completely with what he wrote, and advise you to read it (dated 29 November 2005).But, as I said, I had pleasure to see again LCL and Gordon Liu together, but true, for KF buffs only, and even not sure...If you like the classical type, like me, please search for Return of the Master Killer (LCL 1980, KF comedy type), or one of my obviously preferred Shaolin Master Killer LCL 1978, more deep.Not knowing these two, if you liked Drunken Monkey 2002, you just will be enchanted of an incomparable higher level... those two, among many others, show what LCL is able to... I beg you, Mr LCL, please offer us another one, but not a silly one !!! Well, let's hope...8 to 9*** for the fights, say 4 or 5*** for the rest ... 6*** all in all... and definitively not more !

It is true many movies from Hong Kong are strange if not awkward in the humor department. But holy crap man, this one takes the cake. I have seen hundreds of martial arts movies, and this one is among the worst. There are many reasons not to watch this. However, because Lau Kar Leung(Legend of Drunken Master),Gordon Liu(Kill Bill 1&2), and Jacky Wu(The Legend of Zu) are in it, some will watch anyway. But understand before watching that the plot was ridiculously stupid at best, and despite the martial arts talent in the movie, the fights aren't anything to brag about. And for you martial arts enthusiasts out there, who heard this movie is the first movie made by the re-opened old Shaw Bros studio- you're right. And to all those who heard this movie was a throwback to traditional Kung Fu in movies- you will be sorely disappointed; while they do fight in a traditional style they use wires so much, it seemed like it was caught in limbo between a Shaw Bros movie and a Tsui Hark movie.Damn this was a disappointing movie...........seriously, go rent Legend of Drunken Master instead.

After watching Drunken Monkey the first time, I wasn't all that impressed, and rated the movie a 6.But in hindsight, I have to say the action was really good, the kung fu was superb, and the story almost epic - not so much in its content, but in the way it was presented. The movie looked really good in a graphic and cinematic sense, and many scenes are quite memorable. While the plot structure and most of the characterization weren't fantastic, the comedy was after all fairly effective most of the time, and the movie also managed to maintain the serious story quite well.I have now amended my rating of Drunken Monkey from 6 to 7 - if it wasn't for some very silly things (like, why is the "young uncle" suddenly considered head of the family??), it could have gone as high as 8 (edit: which in fact it now has). The production values were consistently great.Edit (may 10, '05): Having seen the movie again, I am now up to an 8 rating. Man, these guys take kung fu seriously! The silly things no longer strike me as all that sillly, and I'm growing much more fond of the characters. What a crime that the fabulous Jacky Wu has only done three movies. All three are great; the two others (Tai Chi Boxer from '96 and Legend of Zu from '01) have both earned a 9 rating from me.