And besides, it’s a martial arts movie centered around sword fighting, with some downright beautiful choreography and cinematography… Not to mention, it’s set in the 1930s, which is a very unique era for these types of movies. Now, technically this flick came out last year in China, but it’ll be released globally in 2018, which is why I’m counting it. Some look fun, others are fairly standard for the genre, but there’s one that absolutely caught my eye and I can’t wait to see – Xu Haofeng’s “The Hidden Sword”. Now, there’s a TON of original movies that are going to be coming out this year, most of which will, naturally, be from China.
While most of his movies haven’t really caught on like “Dynamite” did, Hess has a knack for writing quirky, memorable characters, and I have no doubt that “Shanghai Dawn” will be among his very best work! Who knows, with a little bit of luck it might even surpass the popularity of “Napoleon Dynamite”! The director will be Jared Hess, most known for the 2004 hit “Napoleon Dynamite”. The movie entered development back in 2015, when all principle cast members from the previous two films were announced as returning. Next on the list is another sequel to a VERY beloved franchise, this time coming from Hollywood – “Shanghai Dawn” is the third movie in the one and only Jackie Chan’s “Shanghai” trilogy, which started with “Shanghai Noon” and continued with the excellent “Shanghai Knights”. Fans were distraught, but luckily for us, Yen himself announced that he and director Wilson Yip will be back for a fourth part, set to come out this year! And if that wasn’t enough, Max Zhang from “Ip Man 3” is getting his own spinoff movie as well in 2018! Is this officially the start of the Ip Man Cinematic Universe? One can only hope!
Unfortunately, after the third installment came out in 2015, Donnie Yen announced that he was done with the role and was willing to let the series go.
Donnie Yen’s semi-biographical series centered on Bruce Lee’s master, has been a huge inspiration for me and for many other kung-fu fanatics, and continues to be universally beloved and recognized to this day. Thankfully, from what I’m seeing, 2018 seems like it’s going to more than make up for its lackluster little sister by providing us with a whole bunch of REALLY cool kung-fu movies, from sequels to beloved franchises to brand new Eastern productions that look absolutely stunning!įirst, and for me, foremost, is “Ip Man 4”. Oh, sure, there were some really decent ones, like “Paradox” (also known as “Chinese Taken”), but none that I personally feel were worth talking about. Man Without Fear is not just a retcon done right, but a retcon that, quite frankly, was necessary.Happy new year, my fellow martial artists! 2017 was, admittedly, relatively uneventful – we didn’t really get all that many memorable kung-fu flicks, in either Hollywood or the East. The Kingpin was always a much better Daredevil villain than a Spider-Man one (despite first appearing in Amazing Spider-Man #50), while the mysticism of Matt Murdock’s mentor Stick, and his college relationship with Elektra, were a critical part of fleshing out and developing the Daredevil franchise. With no disrespect meant to Stan Lee or Bill Everett, who first created the character in 1964, Miller’s inaugural run with Daredevil was so influential and groundbreaking (not to mention critically and commercially successful enough to save the title from near-certain cancellation), the universe he fleshed out deserved to be part of ‘Ol Hornhead’s origin story. Elektra, Kingpin and Stick are all here, and none feel out of place or clumsily inserted. What makes Man Without Fear such an effective piece of storytelling, and not some origin rehash designed to make a quick buck, is the way Miller integrates most of Daredevil’s mythology that he first introduced during his famed late 70s/early 80s run into the character’s roots.