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Big Trouble in Little China

Writer's picture: Evan KingEvan King

Production/Release Info


Big Trouble in Little China is a 1986 American fantasy martial arts/action-comedy film. It was directed by John Carpenter who is also responsible for directing 1982's the Thing, and most of the Halloween Franchise. Like many of Carpenter's films, it stars Kurt Russell as the leading man, but also has an awesome supporting cast in Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun and James Hong.


The movie grossed $2.7 million on its opening weekend and would go on to bring in over $11 million in North America. While this sounds good, the movie fell well short of its $19-$25 million budget. Many believe that this is due to James Cameron's Aliens coming out just a few weeks later.


While it did not do as well as hoped in the box office, it was received well and continues to be well liked by many. At the time of writing it has a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.2/10 on IMDb.


Brief Summary


Big Trouble in Little China follows Jack Burton (Kurt Russell), a big talking truck driver as he tries to help his friend Wang Chi (Dennis Dun) rescue his fiancé Miao Yin (Suzee Pai) from the Lord's of Death, a group of bandits in San Fransisco's Chinatown. However, this is just the beginning of their problems. Miao Yin is quickly abducted by the 3 storms (Thunder, Rain, and Lighting) and taken back to David Lo Pan (James Hong).


Lo Pan is somewhat of a legend in Chinatown. It is said that he angered one of the gods and must now roam the Earth looking for a green eyed girl so that he can wed her and ultimately appease the god who cursed him.


Throughout the movie we see Jack try and fail to rescue Miao Yin, and save his truck. As he continues to delve deeper in to the heart of Chinatown, he quickly begins to realize that some legends are true.


Review


I remember watching this movie as a kid with my mom. While I remembered some of the movie, I did not remember most. It is always fun to go back and watch movies that you watched as a kid and haven't seen since. One reason for this is that often times the movie is different than what you remember. But more than that, you are able to fully comprehend what is going on. As a kid watching this movie, all I knew was kung-fu and magic. But after recently rewatching this movie, I have come to truly love and appreciate it.


Now let me be as clear as possible, this movie is not the best movie ever made. Watching it now in 2021, 35 years after its release, shows how it is a product of its time. Like many other 80's action movies it is cheesy and over the top. But this does not hinder the movie, in fact I believe that it enhances the overall viewing experience. At no point does the movie take itself too seriously but rather walks a fine line of being just ridiculous enough while also being serious enough.


Conclusion/Recommendation


I love this movie for many reasons. I will admit that part of this is due to nostalgia, but I believe that this plays a very minor role in my overall enjoyment of the movie. While this movie is campy and over the top, it is fun and engaging. If you love 80's action movies, or are just looking for a fun movie to watch you will enjoy this movie. As I said above, it is not the best movie ever made, but it has quickly become one of my all-time favorite movies.


Rating - 4.5/5

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