Product Details

• Actors: Jackie Chan, Chih-ping Chiang, Hsiu-yi Fang, Hong Hsu, Kuang Kao
• Directors: Wei Lo
• Writers: Lei Pan
• Producers: Wei Lo
• Format: Color, EP, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Simitar Ent.
• VHS Release Date: February 20, 1997
• Run Time: 94 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304026277
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #354,231 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Another early kung fu flick from Jackie Chan's Wei Lo period (Wei Lo, who also directed Fists of Fury with Bruce Lee, directed seven of Chan's early films), Spiritual Kung Fu (alternatively titled Karate Ghostbuster) has Chan playing a familiar character--the bumbling underdog. Chan is a Shaolin monastery student whose fighting style and wits aren't quite up to par. Dissension and panic arise in the temple when a thief steals the book of the Seven Fist Style, a form of kung fu that allegedly makes its masters invincible. While guarding the temple's library, Chan comes across a lost book that teaches the Five Style Fists, which can defeat the Seven Fist Style. What's more, the book comes with five mischievous spirits that teach the style to Chan. When the monastery is challenged by the man who stole the Seven Fist Style, the spirits help Chan defeat him. The DVD transfer and voice dubbing are more akin to a Saturday afternoon television matinee than a technical tour de force, but the story certainly lends itself to its presentation. A campy and uneven effort (what else can you say about a movie in which spirits don white body paint and bright red fright wigs?), Spiritual Kung Fu, like the Wei Lo-directed Half a Loaf of Kung Fu, was shelved for a couple of years before being released in 1978. --Shannon Gee

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TRUE CLASSIC~!!!, March 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Spiritual Kung Fu (DVD)

This is one of my most memorable Jackie Chan movie which I saw it for the very first time when I was 12 years old, it was 1980 in Japan. Jackie Chan popularity was booming back then, and he made many TV show appearance in Japan. Now almost 25 years later in my life, I finally get to see this film again, here in the USA. The movie was better when I saw it as a child in the past. I suppose I have been spoiled by big money making movie productions such as by Hollywood. I wanted more, and better quality in sound and picture. I wanted it to be a wide screen. I wanted this and that comparing to American movies. But after all, this is a "Classic Chinese movie with a low budget film." The MAGIC of this movie is not so much in quality, but in ACTION, and UNDERSTANDING of culture, APPRECIATION of the art, and the one must have a good sense of IMAGINATION skill. LOT OF Kung-Fu movies require such senses to fully appreciate the movie. After all it is a movie. The movie such as TUXEDO, or THE ONE by Jet Li are so ruined by putting too much money into it in the production, becoming very much like Hollywood movies. Fake, and superficial. Sad to see. This movie will always remain as one of my Jackie Chan's prime time BEST classics.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Humoring with good fight scenes, April 2, 2003

By 

Julie (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spiritual Kung Fu (DVD)

Sure, the panning and the transfer of this movie may not of been so great, but I enjoyed the movie anyway. I certainly don't get these movies for Hollywood style or quality. The 5 clown like ghost threw me off, since I would not of expected to see that in a Kung Fu movie. I liked some of the close ups as it allows you to see how to do the strike better. The Five Animal Style is classic Shao-Lin and this movie gives you a good idea of how it looks and how to execute it. Corny, yet funny, I give this move 3 stars. And learning Shao-Lin Kung Fu myself, I find Spiritual Kung Fu educational.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars my kind of kung fu flick, October 8, 2005

By 

Lu Feng - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spiritual Kung Fu (DVD)

I love this film!!! Excellent!!! Maybe some of you want to watch a kung fu film to see nothing but pointless fight scenes, but I for one like to see some other things in my kung fu flicks. Styles for one, check. A little kung fu humor, check. A little more developed plot then just the regular ol' "you killed my family member now i must get revenge", check. This film is extremely well done and I recommend it to anyone who considers themselves to be a Jackie Chan fan. This is a must have!!!