Shaolin Kung Fu Mystagogue (1976, aka. 18 Shaolin Disciples, Killer Fists) is pure comic book kung fu. Rapid editing, camera zooming, outlandish weapons, think Swordsman 2, Duel to the Death, Chinese Super Ninjas, or if you want to go way back, a not-so-tame version of the serialized adventure films of the 30's and 40's. A fun, over the top adventure.

The evil Ching government has taken over and is out to rid the land of the remaining Ming rebel patriots, including the still surviving Ming Prince. Hot on the rebels trail is skunk-haired Ma Yuen Ning, a deadly fighter with weapons called the "bloody birds"- a three bladed spinning device that can cut down trees (which the filmmakers never miss an opportunity to show it doing). Unknowingly, the evil Ching overlord and his men capture the incognito Prince and throw him in their jail. Cut to the Ming rebel sympathizing Shaolin Temple, where brother Fang Shao Chang and sister Fang Ping train for revenge against the corrupt Ching Overlord. Shao Chang is informed that he does not posses the patience to learn the 18th final form, a style so deadly, to use it wrong can kill you.

Hearing word of the Prince's capture, Shao Chang and Fang Ping mount a rescue effort to get the Prince before his identity is found out. They are thwarted by the booby trapped jail and a backstabbing Ching spy within their midst. Luckily, the Ming rebels have a spy of their own, who helps them escape, and the Prince's identity is not revealed, however now the Ching's know one of their prisoners is important. In an attempt to lure out the rebels and destroy them, the Chings move all the prisoners, including the Prince, and attempt to ambush another rescue attempt. Eventually, the Ming rebels get the Prince back and move him to the temple, but they still have a spy within their group, and the evil overlord, with his Invincible Iron Body Style, his men, and Yuen Ming with his "bloody birds" and his own secret agenda, all make their way to the temple for a final confrontation.

This film is really a lot of fun, and a great example of the more fantasy, pulp fiction style of chop socky features. This isn't a film about martial skill as much as it is about crazy booby traps (both the Ching jail and the Temple have booby traps that would make mincemeat of Indiana Jones), and lots of neat weapons (the awesome "bloody birds", lots of chain weapons- chains with daggers, chains with discs, chains with balls, chains with starfish shaped blades, swords, etc). Its all very quickly paced, and never boring. An interesting thing, is that there isn't really a "star" of the film. Its relatively divided pretty equally between scenes with the bad guys and the good guys, with no one person really overshadowing anyone else in either group (except for maybe the bad guys, with the Ching Overlord chewing up the scenery quite menacingly). Usually the film is mainly credited to Carter Wong (a third tier HK action star, 18 Bronzemen, Magnificent Fist, Fatal Flying Guillotine) who plays Shao Chang, and is probably best known as Thunder, the "god who blows himself up", in Big trouble in Little China. Its good entry into the outlandish, trampoline fu, HK action genre.

Speaking of Big Trouble in Little China... Shaolin Kung Fu Mystagogue is a good example of the kind of HK action films that inspired John Carpenter to make Big Trouble in Little China. But, where Big Trouble in Little China may have a budget and wit that the HK films inspiring it lacked, what it doest have quite right is the energy. The one thing Shaolin Kung Fu Mystagogue, and films like it, have in spades is relentless energy. And, sure, they may lack in budget, have thin plots, and no standout moments of acting, but they have a freshness and vigor, a pacing and inventiveness that more than makes up for any of their stumbles. Its the kind of energy that Hong Kong somehow had, but its imitators like Big Trouble in Little China couldnt quite duplicate.

DVD Quality: World Video.

Picture- World Video presents a pretty worn print of the film, with all the characteristics one often finds in older kung fu films, from dirt, to graininess, muted color, and grayed tones in the black levels (especially in the night scenes). Unfortunately, in such a fast cutting film, the fullscreen presentation is a bit disorienting in the action scenes. These are the things one has to put up with when you are an old school fan, another in the long line of tape-sourced transfers. So that said, it is still a decent enough DVD of the film.

Sound- The limited mono track is at least, fairly loud, English dub only, with a little background distortion. Overall, clear enough, and does an okay job with films rousing orchestral score which I really liked.

Extras- It has a static menu with silly techno music playing, website address page, trailers for Jet Li's Shaolin Kid, The Shaolin Temple, and Born to Defense. The film has 8 Chapter selections and glaringly pauses between each of them as well as during the layer change. The disc itself has no artwork, and was upside down in the case, which lead me to put it in wrong and get a "DISC ERROR" warning my player- so look out for that. The box art is horrible, as is most World Video box art (hey guys, I got a D in high school Graphic Arts, but I can do way better).

Conclusion- Booby Traps. Crazy Weapons. I'm sold. All in all, its got the flubs one is used to with old school kung fu transfers, but, if you are a fan, its a neat enough film to have and forgive the lackluster disc.