Kung Fu Rascals (1992) Visual Vengeance Blu-ray Review

Plot: Three “kung fu rascals” make off with a map that leads to a power that can save their village, but they incite the wrath a super villain.

Review: Chen Chow Mein (Steve Wang, this film’s creator) and his two bumbling sidekicks Lao Ze (Troy Fromin, whose character wears a wig for confidence) and Mohawk-headed Reepo (Johnnie Saiko) steal a map in the shape of a gingerbread man (sort of) from a Skeletor-style supervillain named The Bamboo Man that resides in an underground lair with his longsuffering pig-faced minion wizard Rasputant. Chen and his bumbling buddies are trying to save their village, thinking that the map they’ve pilfered will lead them to a champion who can help them out, but their quest is fraught with all sorts of perils, including a flushed-faced sheriff of Nottingham-type who works for The Bamboo Man. The Kung Fu Rascals must fend off wave after wave of attacks of ninjas, mutants, unstable landscapes, and a final battle where they unleash the power of a massive stone terra cotta warrior from the sea, who dukes it out with another megalith who has the power of The Bamboo Man’s evil magic.

Unexpectedly inventive, funny, and gobsmackingly awesome with incredible makeup effects, zany camera angles, snappy editing, and an overall sense of can-do practical filmmaking in the face of impossible odds, Steve Wang’s Kung Fu Rascals is a wonder to behold, but its greatest drawback is that it was shot in Super 8 and has not aged well visually. Despite the fact that Visual Vengeance has transferred the film to high definition, no effort was made to clean up the murky darkness that almost ruins entire shots and sequences, and sometimes it’s very, very difficult to see what’s going on. It makes the film feel like a “lost” film discovered in a vault or a garage, but time and the elements have tarnished the visual quality of the entire film. It’s truly a shame because the movie is really fun and eye opening for fans of martial arts films, cult movies, and an entire VHS era before the age of digital technology. Wang and his team really created something special here, and it’s a true “find” or discovery if you’ve never seen it before, and it’s a wonder to behold, but it’s a real shame that it looks so crummy and dark.

Big points to Visual Vengeance for bringing Kung Fu Rascals to Blu-ray. It’s not for lack of trying that they produced some nice bonus content, including a feature-length documentary about the making of the film with new interviews with the cast and crew, which was fun to watch. Kudos, also, for the great cover artwork they commissioned (The Dude Designs did the slipcover art), and there’s just a ton of bonus material here for new fans to explore.

Bonus Materials

• Region Free Blu-ray
• Director-supervised SD master from original tape elements
• The Making of Kung Fu Rascals: Brand New Feature Length Documentary
• The Reunion of the Three Rascals
• Commentary with director Steve Wang, Actor Johnnie Saiko, Actor Troy Fromin, Composer & Actor Les Calypool III and Actor Ted Smith
• Commentary with Kung Fu Rascals superfans Justin Decloux and Dylan Cheung
• Steve Wang & Les Claypool III Meet Again
• Chris Gore Interview: Distributing Kung Fu Rascals on VHS
• Behind The Scenes Video Diaries
• Original Kung Fu Rascals Super 8 Short Film
• Steve Wang Short Film: Code 9
• Complete Film Threat Video #6 BTS Article
• Stills Gallery
• Behind The Scenes Image Gallery
• Visual Vengeance Trailer
• 12 page mini comic book – FIRST PRESSING ONLY
• Limited Edition Slipcase by The Dude – FIRST PRESSING ONLY
• ‘Stick Your Own’ VHS Sticker Set
• Reversible Sleeve Featuring Original VHS Art
• Folded mini-poster
• 2-sided insert with alternate art
• Optional English subtitles