|
Starring
:
Scott
Mcquaid
Li
Man Chong
Paul
Wise
Li
Shing Kei (voice)
Action
:
Scott
Mcquaid
Producer
:
Li
Man Chong
Steve
Bambury
Director
:
Steve
Bambury
|
RETURN
TO EARTH (2001)
Reviewed
by Tony Ryan
In
this, their debut production, Kata Hajime have attempted to
simultaneously break the mould of traditional kung fu films
while hopefully creating a place for themselves in an
increasingly crowded area of cinema.
In
little over a year, an aspiration has developed into a fully
fledged company showing great potential, and at last their
hard work has been translated into something solid:
"Return to Earth". A 50-minute feature centred
around the inner struggle of a lone warrior; filled with
martial artistry and unusual images - "RTE" is a
fresh take on martial art filmmaking and a nice way of
whetting one's appetite for bigger and better things.
The
film opens with the sight of Pakwa (Li Man Chong) walking a
lonely path in search of a place to put himself to rest. We
learn of his defeat to a savage warrior Gwai Lo, a man of
little honour, and by way of redemption must commit the
ultimate sacrifice. Before doing so, a mysterious figure
emerges from the woods revealing himself as Seppuku, who
challenges Pakwa to a duel to the death. Pakwa accepts the
challenge, but must first defeat his nemesis, Gwai Lo, who
wants Seppuku's head as a trophy for himself.
During
production of the film, Li suffered a severe injury to his
eye. As a result, the script and storyline, which the team had
worked so hard on, had to be swiftly re-written in order for
the film to be completed. What follows is a twisting exercise
in Martial art filmmaking the likes of which a British company
has never previously attempted.
The
look of the film is fairly simple, but refreshingly different.
Instead of the bold, brash colours so closely associated with
Hollywood and Hong Kong in the 21st century, we are met with a
sepia toned forest environment. The costumes are traditional -
and to a certain degree stereotypical – fitting the
characters perfectly. There is a definite student film
look to it all, but having seen more than my fair share of
student films, many differences are clear. Firstly, the
director allows touches of special effects and camera tricks
to enhance what we see on screen without overly relying on
them to the detriment of the story. On such a minimal budget,
Hollywood style effects are never going to appear, but those
that do are smoothly integrated and stylishly shot. Also,
there is as much emphasis as possible in such a short time on
characterisation. The personalities of all three characters
come through very quickly, and one immediately empathises with
Pakwa while simultaneously despising Gwai Lo. Seppuku captures
the mysterious, noble edge his character is supposed to
portray.
For
a martial arts film, it is the execution of technique that
suffers when compared to the big budget productions we are
accustomed to. Although by no means flush with cash, 80's
all-action Jade Screen vehicles such as "Dragons
Forever" and "Righting Wrongs" had honed
martial arts choreography, editing and camera positioning down
to a 'T' and the cash behind them was what allowed the
time to do it. Kata Hajime, in their first ever outing, had
little time and no money. Scott McQuaid acting as performer
and choreographer displayed a clear ability with his fluid
movements and generally tight execution. On the other hand, Li
(perhaps due to the injury) had little chance to impress,
while Paul Wise as Gwai Lo performed in the true style of his
character – slow and powerful but unexciting. The extended
fight sequence that closes the film does have some genuinely
good moments – all courtesy of McQuaid – and underlines
the potential on offer if they could enlist some more true
martial artists and find the time to work together. The follow
up feature "Return to Earth 2: Shades of Myth"
promises just this and should improve on the action sequences
exponentially.
The
editing of fights in Kung fu films is often a source of
annoyance to me, especially when Hollywood try their hand at
the genre. Fortunately, here Li takes a sensible approach and
allows sequences to flow where possible, but integrating cuts
and “double-takes” where appropriate, and as a result
achieves maximum results. It is clear that with experience,
time and not to mention the cash, we have much to look forward
to.
In
essence, this is a stepping-stone to what should hopefully
become a flourishing company, and provide valuable experience
for their future productions. This venture was constantly
entertaining, and providing the potential becomes reality,
should prove a very worthwhile experience. I wish them nothing
but the greatest of fortunes.
Rating:
 
|
