Martial arts fans rejoiced as "Kung Fu Jungle," a film directed by Hong Kong director Teddy Chen, finally hit local cinemas on Friday.
Going against traditional period films, "Kung Fu Jungle" took a modern twist, featuring urban backdrops in the film. "Kung Fu Jungle" topbills famed Chinese martial arts star Donnie Yen and comedian Wang Baoqiang.
Yen, who played lead roles in martial arts films such as "Seven Swords," "Ip Man" and last year's "Monkey King," was made popular by his martial arts expertise both in the local and international scene. He was also tapped to do action choreography for the Hollywood film "Blade 2."
The actor, who admits he had his passion for martial arts even at a young age, said it was not an easy journey. Yen said during a press briefing in Beijing on Thursday that even after watching several martial arts films and witnessing the craft's struggle all throughout the years, he still believes that the martial arts industry will not decline.
"It's one of the most precious genres in Chinese film," Yen said, as reported by the Global Times. To attest that, he recalled when Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr. of the "Iron Man" franchise told him over the phone that he loved "Ip Man" and martial arts.
Martial arts films, Yen said, is the kind of film only the Chinese can produce even if many Western filmmakers have already tried to instill it to their films.
Meanwhile, "Kung Fu Jungle" director Chen earned a name for his film "Bodyguards and Assassins." He received numerous awards and nominations for the film in the Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards in Hong Kong.
Chen said that he was grateful on how Yen took the Chinese martial arts scene with him to Western countries and then returned to China with advanced technology in filmmaking. He also revealed that "Kung Fu Jungle" paid tribute to all Chinese martial arts filmmakers at the end of the film.
Wang, on the other hand, played funny roles in movies like "A World Without Thieves" and "Lost On Journey." In "Kung Fu Jungle," he stars as Yen's rival and the film's antagonist. But aside from his comedic prowess, not many people know that Wang studied martial arts at the Shaolin Temple when he was only 8 years old.