In his lifetime, Lau Kar-leung’s worked as an actor (How Wong Fei-Hung Defeated Three Bullies with a Rod (1953); Golden Swallow (1968)), a stuntman (The Black Musketeer ‘F’ (1968); Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)), a writer (Legendary Weapons of China (1982); The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter (1984)), a choreographer (The Fantastic Magic Baby (1975)), and a director of over 30 films including Martial Club (1981), Disciples of the 36th Chamber (1985), and Drunken Master II (1994). His official directorial debut is the 1975 Shaw Brothers-distributed action comedy The Spiritual Boxer starring Wong Yu (The 36th Chamber of the Shaolin) and, some four years later, would reteam with Yu for horror action comedy The Shadow Boxing (茅山殭屍拳), also known as The Spiritual Boxer 2. Now, thanks to 88 Films, audiences can visit (or revisit) the weirdness, the wackiness, and the hilariousness that is The Shadow Boxing via a high-definition restoration that’s available now in a limited edition package.
When the living transition to death, it’s up to Master Chen Wu (Lau Kar-Wing, listed here as Chia-Yung Liu) to prepare their bodies and transport them to their homes. With his master missing and corpses piling up, assistant corpse herder Fan Yuan (Yu) prepares the bodies (referred to as “vampires” for their seeming animation despite death) for transport before tracking down his master. Compared to what lies ahead of them involving a relentless young woman set on escaping her arranged marriage (Cecilia Wong’s Fei), a bald corpse not heeding the mystical charms (Gordon Liu Chia-hui’s Zhang Jie), and political intrigue that brings a deadly threat, pulling his drunken and stubborn master out of a gambling house will be a piece of cake.
Compared to other 88 Films releases, The Shadow Boxing is a bare-bones on-disc release with the enticing elements being the packaging and additional materials moreso than on-disc special features. With that in mind, let’s start with what’s included before digging into the restoration and film.
Like with most 88 Films releases, The Shadow Boxing includes a slipcase with updated artwork, this time from artist Mark Bell, that is mimicked on the front-facing liner. Slipcase enthusiasts will appreciate the slight golden metallic sheen of the artwork, itself a depiction of the vampires (re: mystically animated corpses) dressed for travel pointing toward us, charms adorned to their hats and covering their faces. Underneath the larger image of the five vampires and set around the middle is a smaller depiction of Gordon Liu Chia-hui’s (The 36th Chamber of the Shaolin) Zhang Jie in combat. The reverse of the liner is the original theatrical artwork, which is carried over to the reverse back cover. If you’re fast enough to get the limited-edition version of The Shadow Boxing with the slipcase, then you’re likely to *also* get the limited edition set of four art cards depicting individual scenes from the film. On disc, this restoration includes a high-definition transfer of the film, a trailer, and a still gallery. This makes up the bonus materials and special features of this limited edition.
If that doesn’t seem like enough, thankfully, the HD restoration is quite lovely. It’s unclear what the restoration process is or who it was accomplished by (information not included with the retail release provided by MVD Entertainment Group), but the press notes indicate that the transfer was made from the original negative. Though there are some visual issues (such as the scene with Fei leading the burial ceremony and her face is visibly blurred or a couple scenes in which the cinematography is possibly unintentionally a different tint from the scenes around it, the bulk of the film is quite clean and clear. The white of Wong Yu’s Fan’s jacket doesn’t blind and we can make out the details; the yellow paper of the charms and the red upon them are easy to discern whether as part of Master Chen Wu’s white messenger bag or placed against one of the vampires; and the natural settings of the combat sequences at the end possess a nice clarity of color (healthy greens on the trees, soft blue in the sky, gentle tans in the straw for the huts) in the surroundings. It’s not as visibly detailed as one might receive in a 2K restoration or a 4K UHD edition, but it’s certainly leagues ahead of the prior standard definition release. For the tech inclined, The Shadow Boxing maintains a steady 30+ Mbps during the presentation, which, given the 40 Mbps max of a Blu-ray, impresses.
The audio options are equal to the video in that there’s no advanced 5.1 support or even 2.1 surround that might accompany modern remasters or restorations, but the included 2.0 mono soundtrack is still clear and crisp. Once started and having found a comfortable volume, there was no need to adjust whether to follow dialogue or the action.
For those immersed in the world of the Shaw Brothers who may have picked up (or plan to) any of the Shawscope collections (Vol 1. – 3) from Arrow Video, thus far, The Shadow Boxing is not included. This means that the only way to get an HD edition currently is right here.
One doesn’t need to have seen The Spiritual Boxer to understand The Shadow Boxing as the narrative and its execution are entirely contained from start to finish. Additionally, from some cursory research, even the return of Yu appears to be as a different character, making The Shadow Boxing more “spiritual” a sequel than in name. In any case, The Shadow Boxing offers the exact kind of martial arts that audiences expect from a Shaw Brothers film, with lovely choreography aided by Gordon Liu and Chia-Yung (who also serves as assistant director on the project) to give the stuntwork a marvelous punch. The comedy is largely physical — sometimes incorporated with the action scenes, sometimes involving the vampires being more active than expected, sometimes in the act of the being a humble corpse herder — with little left for dialogue, but that’s a feature not a bug. This affords plenty of opportunities for Yu, Wong, Gordon Liu, and Chia-Yung to not only showcase their physical capabilities (a big draw for Shaw Brothers fans) while also inserting some personality to the total film. Their interactions and reactions make the whole a delight. What serves as a drawback is that the film plays a little too long with the subterfuge regarding Zhang Jie and Fan Yuan’s ignorance, making one wish it would just get on with things well before the truth is revealed. Once it is, though, the film fast-tracks toward a really fun throwdown between friends and enemies alike that makes great use of everything setup by this point.
While not the best Shaw Brothers film, The Shadow Boxing is a good time that delivers on what it promises. It’s not the sort of film that’ll have you thinking too deeply; rather, it’s upfront with its rough-and-tumble crudeness and leans into it, empowering it to get creative and have fun. If this sounds like a good time for you, then picking this up is a simple recommendation. But it’s difficult not to advise against this edition as a full-price buy solely due to the lack of on-disc features. The inclusion of even a commentary feature track would make this limited edition far more enticing because it would provide fans and newbies alike the chance to engage with the film through a modern lens. That said, that this film isn’t included in the currently available (or soon-to-be-coming available at the time of this writing) Shawscope collections, this edition may be the only current way to get a HD transfer of Lau Kar-leung’s The Shadow Boxing. These are important things to consider before throwing your money down.
The Shadow Boxing Special Features:
- Limited edition slipcase with brand-new artwork by Mark Bell
- Limited edition four (4) collectable art cards
- HD Transfer from the original negative in 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray Presentation
- 2.0 Mandarin Mono with English Subtitles
- Trailer
- Stills Gallery
- Reversible sleeve featuring original Hong Kong poster artwork
Available on Blu-ray September 10th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official 88 Films The Shadow Boxing webpage.
To purchase, head to the official MVD Entertainment Group The Shadow Boxing webpage.
Share this:
Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews
Leave a Reply