After the huge success of 'Shaolin Soccer', many fans eagerly awaited Stephen Chow's next project.  When their patience was rewarded with the announcement of 'Kung Fu Hustle', word of mouth was immense with many hoping that Chow could spoof the Kung Fu genre in a similar fashion to his assault on football (or soccer).  So does it live up to these huge expectations or is Chow already falling from grace?

Sing (Chow) is a petty thief who aspires to be a notorious gangster as he believes that only the bad are successful.  When he visits a small town and masquerades as a member of the infamous Axe Gang he uncovers three martial arts masters who are in hiding.  Believing him to be one of their members, the real Axe Gang come to Sing's aid but are harshly dealt with by the heroic masters who give an impressive display of their skills.  However, by revealing themselves they stir up a hornet's nest as the Axe Gang undertake a relentless pursuit to exact revenge at any cost.  As Sing finds himself caught between the two sides of good and evil he is forced to re-evaluate his values as to whether he should continue his lifelong dream to become a gangster or help out a town in need.  But what can he do when he isn't even a skilled kung fu master, or is he?

The first thing that is instantly noticeable about 'Kung Fu Hustle' (and a fact that has been bemoaned throughout the various reviews) is that Stephen Chow himself seems to be surprisingly absent for a relatively large portion of the movie.  Now whether this is because of his extensive off-screen duties or just a purposeful attempt to flesh out the other characters, it remains an extremely noticeable trait and one that may detract his hardcore fans.  However, on the larger scale of things this can be considered a minor issue as 'Kung Fu Hustle' is thankfully an extremely entertaining film and a very succinct parody of the Kung Fu genre.  Utilising a superb cast that includes the likes of the badly-missed Yuen Wah and various recognisable players from 'Shaolin Soccer', the movie offers up a particularly clever slant on the martial arts classics of the past, slyly poking fun at the fact that these heroes have vanished from centre stage which draws obvious comparisons with the situation for the genre in movies today.  This is aided by Chow's very distinct brand of comedy that, although slightly subdued in parts for this film, is always consistent and combines successfully with computer generated effects to create the feeling of a live action cartoon.

A movie with 'Kung Fu' in the title also raises expectations for the audience when it comes to the fight sequences but it's important to note that this is a comedy first and a Martial Arts related movie second.  That said though, with notable choreographers like Sammo Hung and Yuen Woo Ping on board you can always expect something exciting when it comes to the combat and 'Kung Fu Hustle' is no exception.  The assembled cast of real life fighters may well be old but they can certainly still bust a move and their opening duel contains some outstanding demonstrations of kung fu, setting the pace for the majority of the movie.  Alongside the real talent, computer generated effects are also relied on heavily (particularly for the finale) but as the technology advances this becomes less obvious and they are always well integrated.  My one minor disappointment though is actually attributable to Chow himself who seems somewhat limited in moves during his shot in the spotlight for the closing battle.  I've spent so long requesting he do a martial arts related role that perhaps I expected more from him but this is probably just me picking holes for sake of it.

'Kung Fu Hustle' was always bound to draw comparisons with 'Shaolin Soccer' (unfairly in my opinion), but for me this is a totally separate feature that offers a very different brand of humour.  It effectively combines all the elements that create a successful parody and contains all the traits that have made Chow into such a star.  If he can continue making films that are as innovative as this then its no wonder that he is making waves internationally but lets just hope that Hollywood doesn't go down the remake avenue and start dismantling his back catalogue.