Yeah, sometimes it would have been a good idea to take a step back and have a third party take a gander at what you are about to embark upon. And the 1990 movie "Kung Fu vs Acrobatic" (aka "Mo deng ru lai shen zhang") was one such movie.

And by that I mean, the storyline told in the movie was just so far out there that the comedy was drowned in all the silly nonsense that was going on in the movie. And it was a shame, because the movie suffered terribly at the story that was written by Jing Wong. Seriously, what was the writer thinking here?

While "Kung Fu vs Acrobatic" was watchable, if you were able to get past all the goofy, crazy nonsense on the screen, then it should be said that this was not a memorable movie. I hadn't heard about it before now in 2021, as I sat down to watch it for the first time. And let me just be honest and say that this was my first and only time to watch the movie. This is not something I wish to see again.

It is simply beyond my comprehension why actors like Andy Lau, Wah Yuen and Fui-On Shing even agreed to be in something as atrocious as this was.

And it is supposed to pass as being a comedy martial arts movie, well sure. I suppose so, in an odd and bizarre manner. But if you are into martial arts comedies, there are far better movies readily available in the Hong Kong cinema, namely movies starring Jackie Chan, Stephen Chow or Sammo Hung.

I managed to sit through the entire ordeal that is known as "Kung Fu vs Acrobatic", which is a very strange title actually, but was hardly impressed by the movie. My overall rating of this wacky, strange movie settles on a generous four out of ten stars.

KUNG FU VS. ACROBATIC is a real oddball film, a kind of throwback/homage to the '60s days of BUDDHA'S PALM and various supernatural fantasy comedy action of the kind beloved in Hong Kong cinema. Natalis Chan and Andy Lau play a couple of businessmen who unwittingly wake up an ancient princess on the Chinese mainland and bring her back to modern day Hong Kong for the usual random hijinks. The film is extremely choppy and virtually fight-free despite the title, although it does have a welter of both practical and computer FX to enjoy. The inclusion of a cartoon character at the climax reminded me of WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT and then some! The cast is excellent, with Joey Wang and Cutie Mui particularly good as the ICEMAN COMETH-style fishes-out-of-water, and there's another decent villain turn from Yuen Wah. Not the finest, but certainly goofy and quirky enough to be worth a look.

This is a Hong Kong comedy that is a spin-off from the 1960s Chinese martial arts story, Buddha's Palm. Friends Charles and Chi (Andy Lau, Pak-Cheung Chan) visit Mainland China and discover an ancient cave that houses what is supposed to be the tomb of the legendary martial artist Lung Gim-Fei. The friends find an old spell book and practice some magic, which unintentionally breaks open a wall and releases a dormant princess (Joey Wang) and her handmaiden (Siu-Wai Mui). Charles and Chi take the Princess and her Handmaiden back to Hong Kong with them, unaware that they were followed by the just-awaken evil warlord, Tien Chien (Wah Yuen).

Lead actors Lau and Chan does a good job in delivering comedy and charm, as do lead actresses Joey Wang and Siu-Wai Mui. There are plenty of puns, mostly courtesy of Chan and Siu-Wai. While there are some acrobatic superpower scenes, from Lau taking down a bunch of knife-wielding gangsters to Wah Yuen's powerful drop-kick, the comedy consumes much of the picture, leaving lesser room for action and suspense. I would have liked to see the Buddha Palm plot device emphasized more and the Joey Wang and Siu-Wai Mui characters given a larger purpose in the film.

Overall, it is not a bad comedy, but would like to see more of the fantasy elements emphasized.

Grade B-