Holy Flame of the Martial World (1983)

Demons! Ghosts!  Killer Clans!  And one sword to rule them all!

If you like your Kung-Fu completely bonkers and all sorts of SPACED OUT, then Holy Flame of the Martial World is the wild tale you have been waiting for!  In it a reunited brother and sister battle all sorts of otherworldly villains on their way to find the legendary Holy Flame sword and avenge the deaths of their parents.

"If you like your Kung-Fu completely bonkers and all sorts of SPACED OUT, then Holy Flame of the Martial World is the wild tale you have been waiting for"


This is inspired Kung-Fu and, quite honestly, it’s completely irresistible thanks to the all the fun and all the fantasy elements at play here as Yin Tien-Chou (Max Mok) is taken in by Yama Elder (Philip Kwok), while his sister, Tan-Feng (Ching-Ching Yeung) is taken in by Tsing Yin (Leanne Lu) and Monster Yu (Jason Pai), who killed their parents.  Uh-oh. 

Of course, they aren’t going to announce their betrayal.  We know the truth though.  And it makes for an exhilarating watch as magical powers are combined with early special effects to give off a strange wizard appearance to a whole lot of the chop socky on display as the two siblings eventually unite to take their places in the pantheon of over-the-top heroes. 

Directed by Tony Lou Chun-Ku (Bastard Swordsman, Angel Terminators II, and The Holy Virgin Versus the Evil Dead) and featuring so many blink-and-you’ll miss it aerial stunts that you won’t be able to even breathe, Holy Flame of the Martial World balances the mystical with the maddening quite well.   With lasers flying every which way and telepathic powers to boot, this space age fantasy also manages to pull off some great comedic moments, too.Holy Flame of the Martial World (1983)

But, in all seriousness, this is one wild ride.  It features skeletons rising from the dead, pools of acid, lots of early (and cool!!!) visual effects, a killing technique caused by ghostly laughing, and a whole lot of questions about gender identity as an assassin named Snake Boy might not actually live up to his name and 7 grandmasters arrive to do absolutely nothing . . .

. . . but it all works to create a magical bath of kung-fu soapy and sudsy cleansing that you will never tire of smelling on your skin.  This one is for the true believers out there.

Holy Flame of the Martial World is now on blu-ray as a part of Shout Factory’s Shaw Brothers Classics, Vol 4.

5/5 chops

 Holy Flame of the Martial World (1983)

Blu-ray Details

Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray
- December 19, 2023
Screen Formats: 2.35:1
Subtitles
: English
Audio:
Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Video: MPEG-4 AVC 1080p
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; 12-disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

This internationally popular tale of a brother and sister seeking vengeance for the death of their parents through the mythical yin/yang Holy Flame technique is an eye-popping epic. Phillip Kwok, famous as the star of Chang Cheh's internationally famous Venoms film series, both co-stars and choreographs this impressive tale – leading to a vaunted "action director" career with the cult classic Brotherhood Of The Wolf to his credit.

Video

Shout Factory brings Holy Flame of the Martial World to Blu-ray with a restored AVC encoded 1080p with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Interiors are strong.  Colors pop throughout, but it is the blood effects - burning bright in the transfer - which seal the deal.  It’s full of great atmosphere thanks to the quick-footed script and looks visually eye-popping due to the 1080-upgrade.  Black levels are strong throughout, bringing out nice details in both the loud and quiet moments.

Audio

The film is supplied with the original Cantonese Mono DTS-HD Master Audio with new subtitle translation and an English Dubbed DTS-HD Master Audio with SDH subtitles. 

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • There is a new commentary from James Mudge which is absolutely fun!

Special Features:

We are getting near the end of Shout Factory’s collection of Shaw Brothers films, but the hits keep coming in the supplemental items.

  • NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Veteran Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
  • NEW “Fire And Slice” – An Interview With Veteran Shaw Actor Chu Ke
  • Original Theatrical Trailer
  • Celestial Trailer

Blu-ray Rating

  Movie 5/5 stars
  Video  4/5 stars
  Audio 3/5 stars
  Extras 5/5 stars

Composite Blu-ray Grade

4/5 stars

 Film Details

Holy Flame of the Martial World

MPAA Rating: Unrated
Runtime:
85 mins
Director
: Chun-Ku Lu
Writer:
Kwok-Yuen Cheung; Chun-Ku Lu; Sang Siu
Cast:
Leanne Lau; Siu Chung Mok; Jason Piao Pai
Genre
: Action | Drama
Tagline:

Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor:
Shaw Brothers
Official Site:
Release Date:
June 10, 1983
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
December 19, 2023
Synopsis: A brother and sister seek vengeance for the death of their parents.

Art

Holy Flame of the Martial World