Director: Lexi Alexander
Year: 2025
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Kung-Fu/Martial Arts
Plot:
Decades in the future, a global holy war has shifted the balance of the world into a fight for which faith will represent the world as a whole. An aspiring champion is soon selected and offered enough training to put him in the perfect position to lead the upcoming tournament for a chance to offer up the control of Earth, which is put to the test when he finds his status for the competition tested at the final hurdles.
Review:
This was a problematic if still somewhat enjoyable martial arts effort. The majority of the positives here stem from the high energy and brutal fighting that goes on here while trying to carry out the confines of the competition, which manages to offer up a more grounded and realistic form of fighting than expected from a martial arts showcase. The fighters are given achievable and brutal choreography which offers quite a fun sense of energy to see them be carried out which happens as we see him advance though the tournament hooking up and battling with numerous opponents which doesn’t have the spectacle some would want in a film about martial arts fighting but still maintains a fun streak in the few brief instances when it intrudes on the running time to offer something.
Outside of that, though, there’s not much to like here. The plot is a convoluted mess that doesn’t offer up anything about why the state of the world has degenerated into where it is, with the fate of the world’s religious doctrines decided upon by a martial arts tournament. It feels far too goofy and silly to let that be the decision reached upon, and inadvertently gives the film a cheap feel that continues on with how the overall presentation comes off. For what should be a global concept and considering the stakes at play, this feels way too shortsighted and closed off as if it was something that should’ve had a far grander budget than what it was given so everything looks and feels like a cheap indie film with a small budget trying to accomplish something far grander in concept and scale than it can handle.
The other factor against this is the straightforward, dull, and uninteresting pace that doesn’t make for a fun experience. Since we don't get much on why the fight should matter, we spend a large part of the first half wandering around watching him in rehearsals for his fights or listening to the perceived importance of the whole situation, which is bland overall. As a result, that also holds off on the fight scenes themselves, which are far more brief and over too quickly to have the kind of showcase this type of story warranted, with minute-long fights that barely let the other fighter look good or impressive before it's over, as he’s the main star. It changes drastically in the second half with the tournament held there, but it’s too late compared to the other issues within this one.
Overview: */5
An intriguing enough if overall problematic martial arts effort, there are some big issues on display here which are more damaging and overwhelming compared to the few positive points to be had here. Those with an interest in the subject matter, aren’t bothered by the negatives, or are fans of the creative crew will have the most to like here yet most others out there should avoid this one.
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