Customer Reviews

King Kung Fu

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In the course of motion picture history comes an EPIC.

The Ten Commandments, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Lawrence of Arabia.

"King Kung Fu" is like those mentioned aboved. It was made on film.

Possibly not like De Mille, Kubrick or Lean. But film was used. While it may lack in budget,story, acting or comprehensible, well anything...It's a hoot. Completely silly. It does for monster movies what "Plan 9 from Outer Space" did for science fiction. Not much. But for some reason I am drawn to it like a moth to a flame. It's so dated and tacky. But I think that's where part of it's charm lies. It is supremely overacted. Chewing of the scenery by some of the players. Well it needed to be done. I suspect the actors knew how silly things were going to get. I only wish there was an outtake reel on this thing.

But I enjoyed "Mars Needs Women" and "Robot Monster". Classics of low grade B movies. "King Kung Fu" gets five stars. For true goofiness and heart. And just being plain weird.

"King Kung Fu" would have been infinitely more entertaining if it had been played straight and hadn't been done as a broad-brushed farce. I rated it two stars because I genuinely appreciate neophyte low-budget filmmaking, especially when it comes from a locale not known for its cinematic achievements, in this case Wichita, Kansas. The film was made sporadically starting in 1974, and was finally released in 1987, and it actually played in eleven theaters in the US and was distributed as far as Poland according to Producer Bob Walterscheid. That's a genuine accomplishment, and my hat's off to the tenacious team, as that is much more difficult than many people think.

Unfortunately, the movie, while packing a few clever jokes (it was filmed in "SimianScope," for instance) is really quite painfully amateurish and boring. The film opens in China where martial arts master Al Funku (Jim Erickson) trains the man in a gorilla costume the mystical ways of the East. He learns speed ("Will you be quick, little Jungle Jumper?"), agility, and self-mastery, right up until he beats up Al Funku, who then sends him to the US as a goodwill gift. King Kung Fu (John Balee) ends up on display in Wichita where locals protest with signs like "A naked animal is a naughty animal," at which point we meet our primary protagonists, Bo (Bill Schwartz) and Herman (Tim McGill) two local yokels who really want to get into broadcast journalism. (Huh?)

Bo and Herman see an opportunity for their big break, which involves various plots gone horribly awry comingled with the monkey. The chief weapon in their arsenal is a waitress named "Rae Fey" (played by the modestly attractive Maxine Gray.) These plots involve bogus news stories, kidnapping, minor league baseball (where the Wichita minor league team, the Aeros, get beaten after nunchucks are brought into play...or as the script says "It looks like gorilla warfare!"), a terrible law enforcement duo (Police Captain J. W. Duke and Officer Pilgrim, Tom Leahy and Stephen S. Sisley respectively; yes it is what you think, and, no it is not funny,) mayhem in a grocery store and a barber shop, a gorilla in a Carmen Miranda hat, and in the most unseemly spectacle of all, Herman dressed as Betty Lou, the half-ape, half-human hybrid in a pink fur dancing to "Turkey in the Straw." There are even subplots about a caveman and a roller coaster, and ultimately King Kung Fu scales the highest building in Wichita, a Holiday Inn, and in the worst application of miniatures since Ed Wood, Captain Duke confronts the gorilla with a helicopter and a tranquilizer grenade, leading Bo to challenge King Kung Fu to a martial arts showdown. There's a lot going on here, none of it good.

The film drags, and while it does have occasional moments of inspiration (the protestors wanting to clothe animals was actually pretty funny, for instance,) on balance it's a fairly painful experience to sit through. People wrongly compare this to things like "Plan 9 from Outer Space," but to do so misses the point of why Ed Wood movies are funny. Wood was a deadly serious but inept filmmaker who tried to make pieces of genuinely compelling cinema on next to no budget and with dubious talent. "King Kung Fu," on the other hand, is a deliberate spoof which attempts to be funny while simultaneously adopting and mocking numerous low-budget film elements. Wood's films are lasting tributes to genuine but misguided attempts at movie making; this is a topical spoof of the genre, and as such has much less intrinsic entertainment value. I'm not down on spoofs and satire, mind you, movies like "Airplane" and "This is Spinal Tap" are enduringly brilliant. "King Kung Fu" gets credit for trying, but ultimately it is unsatisfying and doesn't have staying power either as a comedy or a B-movie.

This was an extraordinary movie with a forceful performance by Tom Leahy (Major Astro of local Wichita, Kansas TV fame). The story is complex and interwoven. There is humor, drama and romance.

King Kung Fu was an ape raised in a remote monastery. While you might think that most simians would have no heart or intellect, Fu has both. As we romp through Wichita, Kansas it is clear that a surprise climax is in store.

The final scenes shows Rae Fae torn between her love for the confused ape and her previously rebuffed paramour. That tragedy, it seems, has removed the scales from both their eyes.

This movie is a MUST HAVE !! Outstanding acting. Superior cinemaphotography. Excellent directing. You can't go wrong with this movie, a glass of wine and someone you love on a long winter night.

King Kung Fu will clearly go down in movie history ....... Leahy should clearly have received a best support actor Oscar for this movie.

God bless all of those involved in this wonderful production.

Densel Myers
Yukon, Oklahoma
Raised A Hilltop Kid and Major Astro Fan In Wichita, KS

How many films can righteously claim the adjective "phantasmagorical" in respect to it's inexplainably preposterous, outlandish, fanciful, freakishly dead-on out-and-out totality of grinding to the earth of all that is coveted within the all-encompassing cinematic recipe book? Only one, and this does it whole hog. Why even deign to make another movie? What possible use is any other reel of celluloid after this gem stormed the theaters in the mid 70s? None, I say! None!
Bravo, beloved monkey! Bravo! Bravo!

This fine piece of cinematic history is a part of the rich history of Wichita, KS. It provides a stunning display of A-class acting coupled with cutting edge video mixing to create a dazzling mirage of scenes that will change your view of B movies. A must have for any movie lovers library!

Actually not the worst movie ever made. The film is a comedy, and if you are familiar with some older movies, you'll get the
spoofs and jokes. A "chase movie" entails the whole town after
a Chinese gorilla who knows Karate. Police Capt. J.W.Duke and his first officer Pilgrim try to protect Rae Fey from harm, as
does the gorilla, KING KUNG FU. Plenty of laughs which begin in
the opening titles when it says: "Filmed in SimianScope". A fun
film with a number of laughs and should be enjoyed by all ages.

If Benny Hill inbred with itself and The Monkeys inbred with itself and the two got together and the offspring inbred with itself you'd get something as dumb as this movie. Indeed it is reminiscent of those too great shows but far fallen from grace. The slapstick bad prop comedy of Benny Hill an the zany far out plots and mischief of The Monkeys. From the first few seconds of the movie just a still shot of a guy with a ridiculous mustache) I knew it was gonna be amateurish and stupid. It only got worse. At first I thought maybe it was some rich kids final project for a degree in film making. Then it got worse and began to think maybe it was some high school project. The acting is of the worst sort. The dialogue itself is so bleedingly transparent it makes you embarrassed for who ever wrote it and the poor actors who had to repeat it. Marijuana or acid might give you an appreciation for this movie because of the outlandishly acted characters and the oddly garish scenery. If you love to hate movies an make fun of them while you watch you might get a kick out of it. Other than that don't waste time... Even if you can see it for free.

I'm not even sure what to say about "King Kung Fu"??? It's simply, amazing in it's awfulness. Within the first couple of minutes your jaw will drop as scene after scene of inept film making is put on display. The acting, writing, music, effects, editing, costumes, sound and every other aspect of this film are simply awful. BUT...
You will also find youself chuckling at "King Kung Fu" for those reasons and more. Unlike another reviewer's comparison to "Plan 9 From Outer Space", I really think the folks behind "King Kung Fu" knew exactly what they were doing. I would draw a comparison to "Attack of the Killer Tomatos" or "Microwave Massacre", in that "King Kung Fu" is an intentional comedy...for the most part. And where "King Kung Fu" works, is that when the intentional comedy fails, the unintentional elements save the day.
Be it the Benny Hill like fast-motion employed in several scenes, or the goofy special effects (check out the guys cartoon-like eye popping scene when he sees the female lead in her bikini), "King Kung Fu" does deliver the chuckles.
Unfortunately, the film drags on a bit too long, and when the jokes being to get repetitive you know you're in trouble.
Still, if you are a fan of awful films, this is a must see.

Its a great movie its one of those so bad its good movies you just have to be in the right mood to see it so go give it a watch

if you love "so bad it is good" movies, chances are, you already own this. but if you are like me and enjoy them only occasionally, then you should still get this movie. some scenes with the three non-ape main characters are boring, but, that is the only reason it lost a star. the side characters are all so stupid that they are great. they were trying for the purposely campy humor, but became so mush more stupid then that that is it's own level of awful humor. the best feature, is the police chief, an obvious caricature of John Wayne. lot's of fun as long as you can sit through the boring scenes with the three main characters, because they actually have a few good jokes that you don't want to miss between their boring boring boring dialogue.

also, if you are a fan of the old David Carradine kung fu tv show, then you will enjoy the spoofs on that.