Wu Assassins

The effects suck big time. The acting could be better. I had more expectations from the lead actor as he is ranked quite high for his roles in the Raid movie series. Somehow the hip hop tracks don't just fit in with the mood or scene. Honestly don't know how it has such a high rating.

Kai Jin is a serene and calm chef in a restaurant of San Francisco. He becomes the latest Wu assassin, i.e. the chosen one, thanks to a monk piece which gives him the power of a thousand monks. His mission, should he choose to accept it, consists in restoring balance in San Francisco's Chinatown.

A series avec Iko Uwais et Mark Dacascos, that's an offer you can't refuse. It's globally well-interpreted with a childish and cheesy atmosphère which reminds me Iron Fist (2017) and with a script freely inspired from Le dernier maître de l'air (2010). Even if the Computer-Generated Imagery is perfectible, the series is worth a stab, thanks to talented and perfectly orchestrated kung-fu fighting.

Wu-Assassins was a lot better than I expected it to be and much better than the 6.4 rating it has. It has plenty of action with great fight scenes. People seem to be all over the place on it, a lot of people either love it or hate it. I'm one of the people who liked it and can't wait for another season! Iko Uwais is one of the best martial artists in the world and so fun to watch.

I gave this a 6 but it doesn't deserve that. But - on the other hand I don't want the movie execs to think "oh - people don't like martial arts tv shows".

I do love martial arts shows. "Warrior", "Into the Badlands", "Daredevil". They can be made.

But this is just silly. The CGI is (very) low budget and low talent.

The stunt coordination is not worthy of skilled people like Dacascos and Uwais.

The use of stock footage, stock sounds and music is too much.

The story is good, but it's told in a really condescending way.

I sooo wanted to see Dascasos in a TV show. I was disapointed.

I really enjoyed Wu Assassins. The plot is a little out there... kind of like what you would expect from an anime series. But it's filled with lots of lore to explore, and characters I want to see more of.

The only big problem I have is with the digital effects. They're pretty bad... it's almost kind of funny. A good comparison would be the Mortal Kombat films from the 90's. Just like that!

Bottom line, it's a fun, mystical, action thriller that needs some more seasons to flesh out what it brought to the table.

(Oh, and if you're reading this and have connections to the show, please don't waste an easter egg of Katheryn Winnick watching and rooting for a Minnesota "Vikings" game)