Big Trouble in Little China (1986) Review

Big Trouble in Little China (1986), John Carpenter
5/5

This cult classic is a beautiful mish-mash of parody, homage and cheesiness. While too cheesy for some, those that love a good 80s flick will revel in the parody and genre mashing that goes on in this film. It is a classic Carpenter and Kurt Russell pairing, with a witty knowing edge to the cheesy dialogue and the humorous combination and perhaps, bastardization of genres including martial arts, action, scifi and more while being none at all. This film is so much fun and Carpenter pokes fun at the film itself, and the cast are great giving sincerely melodramatic performances that are a lot of fun to watch. Russell gives probably his most memorable performance of his career and he states in the commentary that he is approached most for his role in Big Trouble in Little China (1986). Despite the fact that it was a commercial failure at the box office, it reached a cult following upon it's release to VHS and then later on DVD, appealing to the nostalgia of generation Y who grew up during the 80s and 90s. The film is full of just priceless moments, combining intelligent wit and gratuity, and the performances are so good that the cheesiness comes off humorously rather than cringe-worthy. This film is probably one that divides people between obsessive love and hatred. The film has it all, full of 80s bad effects, crazy costumes, the cowardly bravado of the most unlikely hero that parodies the action genre and reverses the roles of hero and side-kick. Kurt Russell as Jack Burton makes a hilarious unlikely hero whose personality is more like a side-kick and is full of Cowboy arrogance and bravado, while the 'sidekick' Wang is the 'kung-fu fighting' hero-type playing the side-kick. This is all set to the backdrop of a stellar musical score composed by John Carpenter and Alan Howarth. Overall this film is just epic, so much fun and full of hilarious gags. It appeals to a pretty niche audience and is quite an obscure cult film, but those that know and love it, know it obsessively and the quotes and referencing potential are just absolutely amazing. I just had to give this film 5 stars because although it might not be critically 'good' it is absolutely amazing entertainment and has a great cast (including Kim Catrall of Sex and the City (HBO)) and the production value was executed with a sense of commitment to gratuity and cheesy genre blending that preceded Tarantino. Truly the 80s were the golden age of cheesiness, parody and gratuity, and is beautifully and laughably sincere!