Review of Shaolin Kung Fu Masters Live

Introduction

This was recorded live while the Shaolin were here in London and for those of you that missed these performances this DVD seems as good as any to get a taste of the incredible feats (incredible feet?) that are regularly undertaken. Incredible feats? Well, apart from kung fu they perform other things that are slightly beyond the reach of everyday folk, such as breaking metal sticks on heads, doing hand stands on just two fingers (finger stand) and breaking concrete slabs on one another. Just watching them perform with amazingly graceful and balletic styles impresses the notion that years and years of training has gone into what they do here.

That`s years and years of training, so whatever you do, please don`t try this at home...

Video

Presented with a 1.78:1 widescreen enhanced video transfer, this live recording looks very good. Having been shot on digital video the quality of the transfer is very good; it has good colour balance and contrast. The only problem I found was that the image seemed a little softer than I would have liked, otherwise there were no other problems.

Audio

There are two soundtracks, Dolby Digital 5.1 & 2.0. There`s very little in the difference other than the 5.1 track sounding clearer and wider. The soundtrack consists of music to accompany the Shaolins stage performance. All the sound comes from the front speakers and it all sounds clear and problem free.

Features

None.

Conclusion

I wanted to see the Shaolin live while they were here in London, but somehow I just missed it so this DVD is a good alternative. Did I miss anything? No, not that I could see. Some of the incredible feats are incredible, such as the finger stands or breaking concrete slabs on ones body, while others, such as sword swallowing and whipping a cigarette from a mouth, are akin to a circus performance (or Royal Variety type show) and these don`t amaze at all. This is a 90-minute DVD and I expected more `wow` factor; I particularly wanted to see things that I hadn`t seen before, things that are distinctively `Shaolin` in nature, whatever they might be. Perhaps I`m expecting too much?

As much as I liked watching this DVD, Shaolin Kung Fu Masters Live is not a DVD that I find holds much in the way of must see entertainment. If you`re into martial arts and gymnastics and want to see smooth flowing patterns and skill this may well appeal to you. Otherwise ignore it, as there`s little in the way of kung fu that you haven`t seen in any number of films before.