Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

GL84 After a boxer is crippled in the ring, his brother seeks the party responsible which brings him into contact with a Thailand-based wizard attempting to conjure a spell that will grant him immortality and teams up with a good wizard trying to stop him in order to prevent his quest.Frankly, this is easily one of the finest examples of the genre around. One of the brightest spots of the film is the need to rely on a stylized series of over-the-top examples of black magic and sorcery. The film wastes no time at all detailing the kind of wild and extravagant sorcery-based tricks to be expected here, from casting spells that turns a person into a bat, reviving animal skeletons to be controlled hypnotically and utilizing hosts of creatures to do his bidding. The type of power evident here is readily apparent from the start, and this all happens within the first half-hour of the film so it only grows throughout the rest of the running time. A large part of this is due to just utterly disturbing and gross-out material as the idea of conjuring up spells that require people to spit up blood, piercing eyeballs with needles and finding mummified corpses sealed gigantic urns gives this a start to the sort of madness presented here is enough to settle on one of the most disgusting sequences ever featured. This is the celebrated reincarnation sequence wherein the dead wizard is brought back to life by his servants which has some of the most extreme visual gags ever and has plenty of staying power to this day as it mixes together every kind of gross activity imaginable as they raise their fallen leader. Beyond the gross-outs, the film works in other areas. The martial arts fighting is quite enjoyable, as the fight at the very beginning gives an idea of the brutality to be expected throughout here and a return battle is also rather brutal as it's mixed alongside the reanimation sequence which may or may not affect their brawl. Likewise, there's also an exceptional attention to detail about the different forms of sorcery here. There's obviously great care here to accomplish the transformation or spell-casting scenes with accuracy and detail, allowing for shining examples of both good and black magic. Examining the tribulations he goes through in order to be accepted into the monastery is a fine example, while the wizards' manipulation of various liquids and animal parts for his calculating spells gives this a great contrast. Even better are the massively entertaining and enjoyable battles the two endure, from animating bats and crocodile heads to relying on conjuring protective fields of self-defense, the battle soon degenerates into a duel with a floating head and using the dangling veins beneath it. The final battle that takes place inside the temple is where this one really picks up by offering a slew of impressive scenes utilizing the guardian statues to attack him before the demon wizard arrives and starts attacking which results in the resurrection of the monks' spirit from the main statue. This whole sequence is a well-spring of creative and visual imagination that offers a rousing fantasy-driven conclusion. There's plenty of stellar special effects courtesy of throughout the sequence, and the range of styles makes for an exceptionally fun viewing.Rated Unrated/NC-17: Extreme Graphic Violence, Full Nudity, Language and disturbing visuals of animal violence.

lucius_420 Yeah! This movie is totally awesome! The special effects are really great. Well, some of the puppets were a little cheesy, but I can truly appreciate the fact that it was done without entirely editing everything you see on a blue or green screen the way Hollywood seems to do with all its computer graphics stuff these days. That gets all too similar after a while. The old stuff that requires lots of food dye and corn starch rocks my world.Any movie with exposed nipples is sure to be a hit. I thought this movie had a great spooky atmosphere at times. It really took me back to the old days. I see maybe some of the same elements from movies like Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain, Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind 1 and 2, Evil Dead, The Exorcist, and a little bit of Kickboxer thrown in for good measure. (That's the one with the brother, Van Damne?, who gets revenge against the Thai boxer that hospitalized his buddy.)Sure, some of the effects look cheesy, but the footage of real people counters that and makes a very unique balance between the all too real world of the Buddhist monks and villagers and the fantastical realm of the dark voodoo spells that require fuzzy puppets. If it were up to me I would give this picture an Academy Award just for having the most burning bat puppets on screen at the same time. Honestly the bat puppets are rather cute and that's an adjective I'd prefer never to mention but perhaps it could give you some more ideas about wanting to see this movie if you haven't. Definitely a classic. In my opinion, Boxer's Curse aka Mo, is way better than Ju-On and the Grudge type of ghost stories that are all too common these days and unimaginative.The elephant was an especially nice surprise. Hooray for elephants and their grand majesty!

HumanoidOfFlesh Ko plays Xiong,out to avenge his brother,crippled in a kick-boxing fight by Bolo Yeung.His hallucinations lead him to a temple and his karmic twin priest;their fates are inextricably linked, and that's bad,since the priest was killed by a black magician.Xiong initially sceptical is eventually convinced-the graphic scene of eel-vomiting seems to do the trick - and agrees to become a monk in order to take on the forces of darkness and save both the priest's soul and his own.This surreal and completely over-the-top HK trashy horror flick has to be seen to be believed.The special effects are weak,however you will laugh until it hurts watching several totally weird moments.The action is fast and the film is loaded with hallucinatory imagery straight from Jodorovsky's works.9 out of 10 for sheer pleasure of watching this surreal madness.

centurymantra-2 As if Jodorowsky met Coffin Joe in Hong Kong and decided to collaborate on a supernatural martial-arts action film. Filled to the brim with visual overload, mystical drama, Buddhist symoblism and dark supernatural atmosphere, this film follows the life of a boxer embroiled in a vengeful feud sparked by the brutal, nearly fatal beating of his brother in a sparring match. He is overwhelmed one night by a vision, an omen as it were, which ultimately leads him towards the realization of his own destiny that takes him along a path of spirituality and a quest for the power and inner peace that may free his lineage from an ages old curse. This scenario is used as a launching point for what is surely one of the most bizarre, chaotic & excessive Hong Kong flicks ever made. Most of the movies effects are obviously low budget but the rather excellent filmwork and audaciously gonzo, over-the-top nature of the imagery far than makes up for any budgetary restrictions. The indelibly weird vibe that permeates the film is, in fact, partially due to it's low-fidelity nature. Those familiar with the "Chinese Ghost Story" and similar fare will be familiar with the themes conjured up by these supernatural Hong Kong action flicks and may know what to expect. But those who are not should get ready for a pretty wild trip down a road full of wild twists of logic that lead through glowing supernatural vistas, magical terrorist attacks, flying eyeball creatures, and wild clashes with demonic entities and manifestations of all sorts. A crazy little nugget of a film that could even be an accidental masterpiece. At the very least, a unique cinematic experience that's probably like nothing else you've ever seen. Virtually impossible to track down and not, as far as I know, offically available. In spite of this, fans of offbeat & mondo cinema should do whatever they can to track this gem down.