As with any collection of this nature, Everyone is Kung Fu Fighting: Reloaded contains the good, the bad and the ugly… with a few gems scattered among the ruins. One in particular stands head and shoulders above the rest, at least in my opinion, and that one was Mahri's Revenge. Director Stephen Reedy really nailed the sense of style and fun that can be had with this type of project. With the paper-thin plot of a girl seeking revenge due to a failed Ebay transaction, he just lets loose with tons of fights, some nice CGI effects and even some fan service to boot. This is probably the most surprising element, as a majority of these shorts are fairly PG Rated, but the addition of some more "mature" moments is not out of place in the world he has created, and though a bit gratuitous, did bring a smile to my face. Reedy's work was impressive enough that Jeff Centauri, the collection's creator, had him do the DVDs menus and even devoted a majority of the cover to him and the star of Mahri's Revenge, Jennifer Hansen. The other good short on this DVD was HK, which was a French Production detailing a Chinese gang member out to avenge his brother's death. With a well-worn plot device such as that to build upon, they are able to present a stylish array of fighting and stunts with all the polish of a big-budget martial arts movie.

When I say that some of these are bad, that's not to say that they're bad, it's just that there was something missing, whether it was an interesting story, or exciting action, or just some crucial element that could have elevated the proceedings. Some of the shorts guilty of this are The Immortal and Chicks with Sticks. The Immortal is actually an annotated version of a 110 minute feature done by The Stunt People out of San Francisco. As such, maybe seeing the whole thing would have made more sense, although I probably would have never made it through 10 minutes of said feature. The problem being that the acting and videography were atrocious, while the stunts and fighting were actually very impressive. I watched all of the extra features and demos that The Stunt People put together and really enjoyed their skill and how they apply it to their craft, but seeing them act was just painful to endure. Same with Chicks with Sticks, which actually was beautifully shot and edited, but the acting chops weren't there and even the fighting and stunts were a bit off. This now brings us to the ugly.

I consider the ugly to be something that is just that… UGLY. Something that just doesn't really have anything about it that would redeem it and make it worth watching again or recommending to someone else to watch. Sadly, Jeff Centauri, has given us just that with Zombie Ninja. Originally released as a direct to video feature in '97 under the title, Zombie Ninja Gangbangers, this rehash has all, or most, of the sex removed and the mind-numbing plot and kung-fu taking over the reins. The original plot involved a woman who was repeatedly attacked and raped by a group of zombies. When she tells her story to the police, not only don't they believe her, but they rape her as well. She finally finds a man that has also been attacked by the zombies (I guess they didn't rape him) and together they go to a man who experiments with corpses and he creates… a Zombie Ninja to protect them. Even in it's truncated version, Zombie Ninja is pretty loathsome, I mean, it's not a lot of fun to see a woman get repeatedly beaten by zombies (even though the rapes have been cut). While Centauri seems to have found his niche with the Everyone is Kung Fu Fighting series, Zombie Ninja should probably have been left in it's grave. An equally odious addition to this collection is a short simply titled, The Video Game, in which two brothers duke it out in a VR world. However it all becomes a bit hypocritical when after showcasing some decent live-action "Mortal Kombat" type maneuvers, the filmmaker shows that the kids don't limit the violence to the artificial world, and continue to maim each other in real life. The last place I want to see an anti-videogame movie is on a collection devoted to Martial Arts and videogame inspired shorts.

The Shorts:

Blackstar (2002): This is an animated short, in which members of the 4th Dynasty Clan (looking more like super-heroes than a martial arts dynasty) confront their master's nemesis, Blackstar. Running time is 3 ½ minutes. Extras: Gallery, Bio

HK (2003): A Chinese gang member is out to avenge his brother's death and walks into a club owned by the rival gang's leader, Yin. HK, a $15,000 French Production, is a fitting tribute to Hong Kong's famed kung fu films. Running time is 12 ½ minutes. Extras: Making Of Featurette, Gallery, Bio, Trailer

The Video Game (2002): Two brothers take their real life altercation into the virtual world, or is it? The fight scenes in the "video game" are well done, but the not-so-subtle message about games violent influence on children is hypocritical. Running time is 4 ½ minutes. Extras: Gallery, Bio

The Judgment (2001): A prisoner of war from a far away planet is chased to Earth by an alien cop. After invading the earthly bodies and evolving for twenty-five years, the confrontation is ready to begin. There can be only one victor - only one judgment. Running time is 5 minutes. Extras: Bike Montage, Animatics, Gallery, Bio

Mahri's Revenge (2003): Mahri got ripped off. Mahri is mad. This hyper-kinetic short is a delight to watch and provides a bit of Fan Service to boot. Running time is 6 ½ minutes. Extras: Outtakes, Menu outtakes, Behind the Menu Featurette, BBHB (Short Film), Gallery, Bio

The Chase (????): An amusing, and forever escalating chase sequence, using bikes, boards and cars, as well as, kung-fu action. This takes the place of Madman's Revenge which is listed on the DVD cover. Running time is 4 minutes. Extras: Gallery, Bio

The Arbitrators (????): In a Matrix-esque future, people in suits will swordfight for control of the world. Running time is 6 ½ minutes. Extras: Gallery, Bio

Chicks with Sticks (2002): Beware 'cause these girls have attitude and weapons...and they're not afraid to use them! Watch Tyler and Morgan settle their score in this fierce duel for domination. Running time is 6 minutes. Extras: Bloopers, Gallery, Bio

The Immortal (????): This is an abridged version of a 110 minute Feature Film by San Francisco's The Stunt People. It follows an Immortal Warrior's journey around the world and through time. Running time is 20 minutes. Extras: Outtakes, Gallery, Stunt People's Reel, Padman Short, That's the Thief Short, Bio

Zombie Ninja (1997): Alice Hudson gets raped by zombies, but no one believes her story. She meets a guy and together they find a scientist, who experiments on corpses. Alice convinces the scientist to create an ultimate warrior to combat the returning zombies… a Zombie Ninja. Running time is 25 minutes. Extras: Outtakes, Crazy Breaking Short, Gallery, Shira Trailer, Fear of Speed Trailer, Bio

The DVD:

Picture: Since Everyone is Kung Fu Fighting: Reloaded is a collection, there are different aspect ratios for each of the short films on display here. Most are presented in Full Screen (1.33:1), but some are in 16:9 Widescreen. There are also various quality issues with the different videos, some being more pristine than others.

Audio: This DVD set features an English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround track, which sounds fairly clear from short to short.

Extras: This DVD has tons and tons of extras on it. I took the liberty of listing the Short-specific extras with their project, but the disc itself has extra features of it's own. Included are an Interactive Kung Fu Fighting Game (like a choose your own adventure), 2 short amateur films (The Battlefield III and Madman's Return) and some Trailers for other A55 Films releases.

Conclusion: The biggest problem with a compilation of marital arts shorts is that it can get really monotonous, which is why the gems on this DVD really shine bright. They have the ability to transport you for those 5 or 6 minutes into another world. It's a shame that a majority of this DVD is a bit pedestrian, some good ideas hampered by lack of skill or resources, but maybe worth a rental for the Kung Fu fanatic.