30 Kung Fu Movie Cliches

Random Observation/Comment #529: There’s nothing better than finding a common interest with the one you love. In this case, it’s kung fu movies and everything else.

kung fu photos

Wanessa loves watching kung fu movies from the 90’s and all the cliches that come with it. As we’ve covered all the famous Jet Li and Jackie Chan films, we started to see some hilarious patterns. When we watch these movies on some chill nights at home, we’d check through all this list and have a good laugh when we cover from 25 to sometimes all 30 of these characteristics in these classic movies.

  1. Some type of long scroll decreed by an emperor
  2. Old government official or monk that loves to laugh loudly at nothing
  3. Young monks practicing kung fu exercises in unison
  4. A fight involving food of some sort
  5. A corrupt government official
  6. A kung fu competition of some sort
  7. A protagonist fighter demonstrating a special style of kung fu that no one else can beat
  8. Badass female fighter
  9. Someone mildly important dies and gives the protagonist strength
  10. A workout or training montage
  11. The protagonist faces a ransom of person or holy object
  12. The protagonist always starts by losing his final fight
  13. Miraculously the protagonist digs deep and finds extra strength to win the epic battle showdown after thinking of a new strategy
  14. There’s a quick zoom pan and evil music soundtrack for the bad guy
  15. Using a random prop (furniture) as a weapon
  16. Initial resistance of the protagonist for fighting
  17. Protagonist stumble upon a random stranger and comes to the aid in a heroic gesture
  18. Fu man chu mustache and ridiculously long eyebrows
  19. Someone scrambling on a roof
  20. Steamed buns (for eating and sometimes throwing at enemies)
  21. Dramatic head toss of braid/hair over the shoulder in a method to make any Pantene model green with envy
  22. Praying to a Buddha
  23. Incompetent government henchmen
  24. Plot twist of more evil people
  25. Semi-comedic death of a henchman or mid level boss
  26. Reference to a philosophical Buddhist hymn
  27. Elderly mentor counseling the young protagonist
  28. Large urns of Chinese liquor or soup
  29. Clothing gets ripped off to show the surprisingly muscular fighter
  30. Terrible English translations

~See Lemons Love Kung Fu

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