Film buffs tend to celebrate the 1980s as the golden era of action films and without hesitation I agree with that logic. No other era will ever have the same one liners, massive explosions or upbeat soundtracks that defined the 80s. David Sandberg, the director, writer and star of Kung Fury has captured all of these characteristics in one of the most entertaining films I've watched in years.
Kung Fury is a 31 minute short film available for free viewing on Youtube right now. Almost the entire film was shot with the actors in front of a green screen with the bulk of the film's $600,000 crowdfunding budget going towards creating digital backgrounds and special effects. At first it can be a bit jarring to look at the flat scenary but you eventually adjust to it and no doubt compliments the film's B-grade look.
The movie borrows a lot from 1980s culture and films, although the basic plot mirrors the 1994 film, Time Cop with the Kung Fury's titaluar character, a police office who time travels back to World War 2 Germany to fight Adolf Hilter, who apparently was Kung Fu master dubbed "Kung Führer". This is a film that gives the middle finger to logic, physics and just does what ever feels like. Never was there a moment I didn't smile and laugh at the film's ridiculous action. I would love to mention all my favourite scenes and one-liners but this would only spoil half the fun. Alongside Mad Max Fury Road, this one of the most visually interesting films of 2015.
There's also an amazing attention to detail when it comes to film's props and overall look. Power gloves, chunky computers and big phones will trigger feelings of nostalgia for anyone over the age of 40. You might be looking at the screenshots and think I screwed up the compression, but it's actually what the films look like. They have intentionally given the film a soft focus, dis-coloured look to mimic the experience of watching the film on VHS. Some may argue it's distracting and makes the film look ugly, but to be honest I love it and reminded me of the years I spent watching films on VHS back in the 90s.
The film's mixture of rock and pop with lots of synthesisers matches the 1980s look with David Hasslehoff's final song, True Survivor being the highlight of the entire sountrack.
Kung Fury is an amazing homage to the 1980s. Amazing music, memorable action and funny dialogue puts the film among the classics that defines the era that inspired this film. I honestly can't remember the last time I had this much fun watching a film and you owe it to yourself to watch it. Seriously, why are you still reading this review? You should be watching it right now on Youtube, why are you hesitating? Stop reading, watch it now!!
RATING - 5/5
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