The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk 1 & 2 (Deluxe Limited Edition) 88 Films

[cooey]

Payment taken by HMV for the UHD set. Doesn’t sting so much costing £39.99, still a high price though.

[the13thman]

Mine just arrived but I don't want to upset myself opening it yet. My initial impression is that it's extremely poor value compared to the Project A set, at least that one had four discs.

[cooey]

Originally Posted by the13thman

Mine just arrived but I don't want to upset myself opening it yet. My initial impression is that it's extremely poor value compared to the Project A set, at least that one had four discs.

Yeah mine is here too. The £39.99 that I’ve paid for it I feel is still expensive for it what it is, however I’d much rather pay that than the £50 RRP! I think we were very spoilt with the Project A release, I don’t see what 88 could do to top that as that was very good value for money, regardless of how many discs were included.

[the13thman]

Originally Posted by cooey

Yeah mine is here too. The £39.99 that I’ve paid for it I feel is still expensive for it what it is, however I’d much rather pay that than the £50 RRP! I think we were very spoilt with the Project A release, I don’t see what 88 could do to top that as that was very good value for money, regardless of how many discs were included.

It is a beautiful set and holding it I really feel like it was worth the expense.

This set is so much smaller and lighter. With only a single format included ordinarily I'd only consider it worth buying as a standard edition in a sale for a considerable discount. I'd assume a standard edition would come in a standard case too, I'd much prefer that over a digipak.

[drush9999]

HMV cancelled my order of this as my card had expired in the meanwhilst, and changing the card details doesn't work. Just got confirmation they're now sending.
Had to re-order a ton of stuff

[tomblu]

I want this, but £50 (even 40 at HMV, is a lot). Wonder how long it will stick around for.

[tomblu]

Originally Posted by drush9999

HMV cancelled my order of this as my card had expired in the meanwhilst, and changing the card details doesn't work. Just got confirmation they're now sending.
Had to re-order a ton of stuff

That's one reason I prefer to pre-order with PayPal, as they take payment right away so no need to faff about with payment failed issues

[KayJay22]

Judging from youtube unboxing videos, Both blu and 4k sets have the exact same digipaks holding the discs. I think that's the reason the 4k set doesn't include blu rays.

But anyway, I've got the regular blu ray set. I have to say it's a thing of beauty. The poster featuring the artwork of Kung Fu Bob really is special.

The films themselves look absolutely outstanding.

The only downside is the lack of special features. I would have liked some archive interviews/featurettes. But I feel, that due the recent surge in popularity of HK cinema, the licensing may have become too expensive.

The absence of a Frank Djeng commentary feels very odd.

[ShawDonkey]

Originally Posted by tomblu

I want this, but £50 (even 40 at HMV, is a lot). Wonder how long it will stick around for.

Hopefully not long and standard case release arrives.

[the13thman]

As I expected, there were scrape marks on both the discs in my 4K set so I am sending that back for a refund.

Against my better judgement I tried another copy and that was fine, apart from a very small mark.

[KUNG FU BOB]

Wow, the picture quality on these is stunning! Finally, we get the PQ the films deserve with properly translated subtitles. Before this release, it was decent PQ with shit subs, or poor PQ with... er... okay subtitles.

The films themselves are as vastly entertaining as they were the first time I saw them. Fong Sai-Yuk is a young, cheerful rascal with a heroic spirit who loves to fight. This starkly contrasts Jet Li's portrayal of another famous historical figure: Wong Fei-Hung, who is mature, serious, stoic, and values peace over combat. Jet's Fong has a quick, winning smile and loves goofing on lowlifes, but also has a fiery temper when things get nasty. I mostly prefer my martial arts action sans comedy, but these films are exceptions. The characters are all interesting and endearing and the excellent cast delivers lots of laughs (Josephine Siao is fantastic as Fong's mother). Both films also offer some serious story points, and, for a change, tonally, they work perfectly with the comedy. However, it's the action sequences that command center stage here, and there's plenty of them. What you get here easily ranks among the best wire-assisted kung fu ever put on screen, and features many unforgettable battles and moments. In the first film, Jet's main adversary is played by Vincent Zhao (star of THE BLADE) and they literally tear apart everything around them as they clash. In the sequel, the number one big bad is played by Chi Chuen-Hwa, a guy who plays similar roles in NEW LEGEND OF SHAOLIN, WHITE LOTUS CULT, and TAI CHI II.

I consider FONG SAI-YUK 1 and 2 among the top Jet Li films ever made, and it's great to have them get both the Blu-Ray and 4K treatment.

[schmutzig]

One of these releases where I'm on the fence of wether to get the UHD or the bluray set.
I still haven't made the move to 4k so I would have no use for the UHD-set right now and it would feel kinda stupid to have these movies on the shelf that I definitely want to watch...but can't.

I guess I'll go for the bluray set eventually and hope that it's good enough to also be an good experience on a 4k TV.

[ShawDonkey]

Originally Posted by schmutzig

One of these releases where I'm on the fence of wether to get the UHD or the bluray set.
I still haven't made the move to 4k so I would have no use for the UHD-set right now and it would feel kinda stupid to have these movies on the shelf that I definitely want to watch...but can't.

I guess I'll go for the bluray set eventually and hope that it's good enough to also be an good experience on a 4k TV.

Unless you need to watch movies immediately and are absolutely certain move to 4k eventually buying UHDs would feel better choice. When upgrading system it is always nice to have some collection already.

[reason108]

Yeah, this is one title that I was on the fence about. In the end I decided to go with the blu-ray release due to cost (being in the USA) and me remembering that this isn't one of my favorite Jet films. Though, I did enjoy it back in the day. Maybe there will be a re-evaluation once my set arrives. I wish money wasn't so tight right now as having the 4k would be the superior option but at least we have a choice!

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by reason108

Yeah, this is one title that I was on the fence about. In the end I decided to go with the blu-ray release due to cost (being in the USA) and me remembering that this isn't one of my favorite Jet films. Though, I did enjoy it back in the day. Maybe there will be a re-evaluation once my set arrives. I wish money wasn't so tight right now as having the 4k would be the superior option but at least we have a choice!

It would have been waaaaaaay better had they just put it out in a combo pack, like with the Project A set. I really hate it when they do separate releases.

[Eibon]

Originally Posted by KUNG FU BOB

The subs will be much better than decent.

I respectfully disagree. Despite the high price tag, I decided to upgrade my uncut dvd with this slightly cut hd release because I didn't have #2, and I was fine with the cut because it wasn't too jarring, but omg, I wasn't prepared for the incomprehensible subtitles and continuous expletives. Was it subtitled by a juvenile amateur with an AI app? One of the plot points involves poetry which was nicely translated before but rendered meaningless gibberish here. And did officials exchanging formal platitudes really sprinkle their lobbying with "f"s and "mf"s?

I'm done with Eureka and 88 films HK fare until they hire paid professionals or offer multiple sub tracks including legacy ones.

Maybe I'm being overly critical but it really ruined the experience for me. Is it just me?

EDIT: corrected bad subtitling opinion from "Arrow" to "Eureka"

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by Eibon

I respectfully disagree. Despite the high price tag, I decided to upgrade my uncut dvd with this slightly cut hd release because I didn't have #2, and I was fine with the cut because it wasn't too jarring, but omg, I wasn't prepared for the incomprehensible subtitles and continuous expletives. Was it subtitled by a juvenile amateur with an AI app? One of the plot points involves poetry which was nicely translated before but rendered meaningless gibberish here. And did officials exchanging formal platitudes really sprinkle their lobbying with "f"s and "mf"s?

I'm done with Arrow and 88 films HK fare until they hire paid professionals or offer multiple sub tracks including legacy ones.

Maybe I'm being overly critical but it really ruined the experience for me. Is it just me?

Can you list the older poetry translation and the new translation for comparison?

[Eibon]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

Can you list the older poetry translation and the new translation for comparison?

A:
"The beauty puts up the curtain.
and sits moody with furrowed brows.
We only see traces of her tears.
Who does her heart belong to?"

B:
"The beauty rolls up the beaded curtain.
She sits, her eyebrows knitted deep.
But visible are traces of tears.
Not knowing who her heart hates."

To illustrate the impact of this beautiful poetry, the reactions compare as follows to play out the scene:

A:
I can't resist it!
He's just too romantic!
Every time he recites poetry, I get so excited.
My head is spinning.

Was I wrong to scold you?
No.
Come to bed then.

B:
I can't resist him, I really can't. He's so stylish.
Why do I get excited for no reason every time he recites poetry?
Giddy, dizzy, dead...

Was I right about you?
Right.
Then why don't you go to sleep?

[KUNG FU BOB]

Originally Posted by Eibon

I respectfully disagree. Despite the high price tag, I decided to upgrade my uncut dvd with this slightly cut hd release because I didn't have #2, and I was fine with the cut because it wasn't too jarring, but omg, I wasn't prepared for the incomprehensible subtitles and continuous expletives. Was it subtitled by a juvenile amateur with an AI app? One of the plot points involves poetry which was nicely translated before but rendered meaningless gibberish here. And did officials exchanging formal platitudes really sprinkle their lobbying with "f"s and "mf"s?

I'm done with Arrow and 88 films HK fare until they hire paid professionals or offer multiple sub tracks including legacy ones.

Maybe I'm being overly critical but it really ruined the experience for me. Is it just me?

Originally Posted by Eibon

A:
"The beauty puts up the curtain.
and sits moody with furrowed brows.
We only see traces of her tears.
Who does her heart belong to?"

B:
"The beauty rolls up the beaded curtain.
She sits, her eyebrows knitted deep.
But visible are traces of tears.
Not knowing who her heart hates."

To illustrate the impact of this beautiful poetry, the reactions compare as follows to play out the scene:

A:
I can't resist it!
He's just too romantic!
Every time he recites poetry, I get so excited.
My head is spinning.

Was I wrong to scold you?
No.
Come to bed then.

B:
I can't resist him, I really can't. He's so stylish.
Why do I get excited for no reason every time he recites poetry?
Giddy, dizzy, dead...

Was I right about you?
Right.
Then why don't you go to sleep?

I stand corrected.

That specific exchange is a special moment from the film, so I find it unfortunate that it would be translated this way.

[filmlover22]

Originally Posted by KUNG FU BOB

I stand corrected.

That specific exchange is a special moment from the film, so I find it unfortunate that it would be translated this way.

Will the subtitles on the forthcoming Shout version be different?