Fearless Hyena 2 (88 Films)

[Telemachus]

Is this one like Game of Death II bad (fun) or New Fist of Fury bad (boring)?

[MegatronX]

Originally Posted by Telemachus

Is this one like Game of Death II bad (fun) or New Fist of Fury bad (boring)?

I'll be honest and say boring. There's lots of fights, most quite decent, but the film lacks identity.

[Danespina]

Yeah, and be aware that Game of Death II has that whole ending sequence which makes it worthwhile in my opinion. Fearless Hyena II has nothing new that stands out like that. It's ending is just the first movie's ending again, extended with stuntmen.

[dr. wai]

I didn't see anyone mention this so I will:

It looks like 88 Films has upped their slipcover game with this release. The slipcover for Fearless Hyena 2 is made from a thicker card stock, which is very similar to the slips Vinegar Syndrome has been using for years now. I hope 88 continues using this slipcover style and they don't fall into the trap of raising their prices because of it. I hate the fact that some companies are charging more for this style of slipcover.

The picture and sound quality are what we have come to expect from 88 Films. There are two English dubs that are different but I can't find any info about them. I want to say the main English dub is newer than the alternate one but I don't know.

The commentary is your typical Frank Djeng + guest track which means it is awesome. The featurette about the background and filming of Fearless Hyena 2 is well worth the watch as it is very informative.

The film sucks but it is at least interesting to watch. The film is all over the place and makes very little sense. We do get to see the filmmakers try to hide their "not Jackie Chan" Jackie Chan with a hat, a fake mustache, and a red nose(?) There are a few fight scenes that are pretty damn good while others are very lazy. The climactic fight scene is shot through trees and blades of grass to hide their "non Jackie Chan" Jackie Chan. I laughed quite a few times despite the film not trying to make me laugh during these scenes.

I do recommend this release but only to die hard Jackie Chan fans. Everyone else will not find any value in it.

[Magic Monkey]

The audio tracks are only 1-channel monos, not dual mono. And weirdly, the dolby digital commentary track is also only 1-channel.. never seen that before.

[Magic Monkey]

Anyone know why the other English audio track is "alternative"?

I compared both English tracks and they seem to be 100% identical (didn't compare all though, but everywhere I skipped to, they sounds identical). Same dialogue, same voice actors, same music. Only difference that I could find is that the 1st track is muffled and the 2nd/alternative track is much clearer. Both are 1-channel mono tracks in this release.

I wish audio tracks would be marked more clearly what they are in these releases.

[Danespina]

Originally Posted by Magic Monkey

Anyone know why the other English audio track is "alternative"?

I compared both English tracks and they seem to be 100% identical (didn't compare all though, but everywhere I skipped to, they sounds identical). Same dialogue, same voice actors, same music. Only difference that I could find is that the 1st track is muffled and the 2nd/alternative track is much clearer. Both are 1-channel mono tracks in this release.

I wish audio tracks would be marked more clearly what they are in these releases.

I don't have an answer to your question, but regarding your last comment, I too would welcome audio track notes regarding their release history, differences, restoration, etc. Kind of like a variant of Criterion's ABOUT THE TRANSFER section.

[ShawDonkey]

Originally Posted by dr. wai

I do recommend this release but only to die hard Jackie Chan fans. Everyone else will not find any value in it.

That is not true. It is not bad movie there several dozens lot worse kung fus which are just dire to watch. FH2 is just about very average. It just gets flamed lot in net being Chansploitation or what the heck it is called.

[Magic Monkey]

About the English "alternative" track, 88 just replied:

We have passed your query to the people who provided us with the Fearless Hyena 2 tracks, and I will get back to you with this.

[Magic Monkey]

I asked about it again yesterday and today 88 replied:

To my knowledge we haven't had a reply about this - it's likely that there are just very small differences between the tracks.

Maybe the people who provided the tracks are on holiday? It would have been nice to know more.. but the tracks seem identical, the "alternative" just sounds much clearer. I think I'll use it and drop the 1st track completely.