I got "Mantis Fist Boxer" on a DVD which also has the movie "Tiger From Canton" from Ground Zero Entertainment. I really wish that Mantis Fist Boxer had been released under the Black Belt Theater Digital Remix collection as opposed to the Brooklyn Zu collection. The print of this movie reeks like the real Brooklyn Zoo and could sorely use some digital touching up.
I've watched my fair share of old school Kung Fu movies, and when I say the print of this film is BAD I mean it is an atrocity. In many scenes the film is so over-exposed in either red or blue you can scarcely tell what you're viewing. And when the film isn't over-exposed the pan and scan ratio is so messed up the actors look like you're seeing them in fun house mirrors that make them taller and thinner. Of the more than 100 old school Kung Fu movies I've seen, the Brooklyn Zu print of Mantis Fist Boxer is THE WORST I've seen to date.
Normally, cheesy dubbing in crazy British voices would amuse me, but in this film it just adds to the painful experience of having to sit through the movie.
Nothing can save this film. Even having the same band of bandits from Dragon Lee's "Champ Against Champ" doesn't help this movie. Even my normal fascination with the mystique of the 18 Bronzemen of Shaolin doesn't help. The plot is so rushed we learn nothing about nor care for the hero. Nor is it explained how or why the evil boss has the 18 Bronzemen of Shaolin at his disposal.
"Mantis Fist Boxer" SCREAMS amateur production from the shoddy quality of the print, to the lack of a coherent plot, to visual effects that are anything BUT special, all capped off by a rushed stereotypical ending.
"Mantis Fist Boxer" is now currently tied with "18 Bronzegirls" on my list of worst Kung Fu films ever. Avoid this low budget stinker at all costs
