Review of Arhats In Fury

Introduction

Right, time to get this over with. The final Soulblade DVD review of their recent batch of releases. If you don`t want to read this one, just read one of the others. It will say almost exactly the same things, because the product is pretty much the same pile of garbage.

Insert standard plea here...

Can any DVD company who have rights to martial arts films, and who aren`t called Hong Kong Legends, please transfer all those rights to the aforementioned Hong Kong Legends effective immediately. Nobody does it better than Hong Kong Legends, although perhaps because nobody is trying. But if you won`t try, then don`t do it at all.

Right then, on with this DVD. It`s supposed to be all about some all-action fighting monks.

Video

Yuck.

Again.

A rare, anamorphic transfer, framed somwehere around the 2.10:1 mark (a rough guess, I don`t take a tape measure to the screen). But as ever it is still in a little bit of a mess, with plenty of scratches, dust and dirt.

Better than some of these titles (at least it`s anamorphic), but still not what we`re used to in this day and age.

Audio

Some rather bad soundtracks to accompany the film. Some very clumsy DD1.5 remixes accompanied by some awful subtitles. I`m sick and tired of these by now.

Features

Nothing worth talking about (trailers for other DVDs as well as the main feature itself).

Conclusion

Another terrible DVD. Again it`s just too hard to watch due to the nastiness of what`s up on screen. A shame really, but typical of these releases from Soulblade DVD.

Once again the film is a mess, the picture`s a mess, the sound is a mess.

If you want to see some great martial arts (with nice picture, sound, subtitles and more) then try Iron Monkey, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Legend of a Fighter, Magnificent Butcher, Drunken Master, Snake in the Eagle`s Shadow, Once Upon a Time in China or Fist of Legend. Or why not get a Bruce Lee film instead? You can pick some of these titles up in the sales for about the same price as this nonsense.

If you want a piece of old tat that no-one has lavished any care and attention upon, this is your thing.

Avoid, even if it`s in a bargain bucket for 10p.