Pretty good action featuring Jet Li and Chingmy Yau. There's real story, and action in this well made Hong Kong movie.It's a Wong Jin movie, so you can expect high quality, and entertainment. The movie delivers on both fronts. There's a happy feeling to this movie that's copiously missing from all Hong Kong movies made in the 21st century. Also there's innocence that seems to be scoffed at as cheese these days. But it's these two qualities that makes this movie so good. Jet Li plays the part of a father who bears lot to raise his son. Soon he meets Red Bean (Chingmy Yau) who ends up following him around. The three ends up fighting the bad guys to help the local people.One thing I miss about movies from this era is that there were actors who by their presence can brighten the whole screen. Where are the Chingmy Yau of our generation, or Do Do Chen ? The details have improved but that has pigeon holed actors to play their roles in a certain way. This movie carries the genes from the silver age of Hong Kong cinema that was wildly entertaining.The formula still works, and I hope Wong Jin will find new talents that will brighten the screen as this movie does.

I have to admit, some of the cuts in this movie gave me goosebumps. The director did a great job of putting this family action movie together. The premise is one I have not seen before. The village is destroyed by an evil ex-friend - all except one man and his young baby. Eventually the Evil Ex-Friend confronts his path to doom but not before some very good twists. This is not an adult's movie in the sense that you are looking for grownup action. It is Fantasy Kung-Fu at its best. The action alternates from the Adults to the Children to the Grandparents to the Honorable Strangers and back again. And Evil pays all along the way.I suggest you give your kids something with a lot of sugar and you have a triple-latte before watching this one. Then hold on to your seat as the movie opens in a great action sequence that feels a lot like a Roller Coaster ride. The action and comedy are perfectly woven into a memorable storyline. Many of the action sequences are one take and that is the best part. Jet Li is one of the most amazing Kung-Fu artists ever and teamed up with Jing Wong he is almost out-done by the other great members of the cast. WOW! All of the traditional Chinese story lines are here - respect for your Elders, children minding their elders and honor as the ultimate reward for even the most awkward in society. Fun, Fun and More Fun.

Man. I've seen too many kung fu movies because they are all blending together in my head. As I'm watching this one the opening scene was identical to an 80's samurai movie. Then as the movie progressed I realized that everything was looking very familiar... I had seen this movie under another title: "Legend of the Red Dragon" except a bit choppier.The movie was OK. I like Jet Li, but I especially like the boy playing his son. I found it hard to believe that the movie was from 1994 when it looked like it was from 1984. The story was very rough, broken, and amateur, the fights were nothing special either. The boy saved the movie from being unwatchable.

I liked the "Once Upon a Time in China" series, but I hated this dubbed version of Legend of the New Shaolin. The script is dull, silly (as opposed to humorous) and has a lot of inconsistencies and illogical actions. The thin plot is not particularly interesting, the dialog is incredibly campy and made worse by perhaps the worst dub voice acting I've ever heard (Jet Li's monotone dub actor actually... pauses to... let his Chinese... lips... catch up... to his English... words). The fight scenes -- hello, the whole POINT -- are not particularly good. Jet Li restricts himself to using a "magic" spear through the whole film, does too much wire work and not enough actual demonstration of his awesome talent, and the constant quick camera cuts make it hard to really follow and admire the action. There's a lot more blood than I'm used to in this genre, too. Also, Li spends virtually the whole movie fighting an "invincible" guy, who looks like Pinhead minus the pins, smeared with peanut butter, and who drives around in a ridiculous-looking armadillo version of the Batmobile. These fights are pointless and boring because you already know the "immortal" bad guy can't be beaten by Li's kung fu, and you eventually see his cause of death coming from ten minutes away -- and even that is implausible. I won't spoil the ending, but hey, early in the film the guy lies on a big cartoonish bundle of dynamite straight out of a Roadrunner cartoon and isn't killed by the explosion, so the way they eventually kill him shouldn't work, either (I don't consider that a spoiler, you know darn well the #1 bad guy must die horribly at the end of every action film). So, anyway... bad script, bad dialog, HORRIBLE dubbing (and no option for original Chinese with subtitles), less than enthralling fight scenes, and more blood and guts than usual. What's to like?