Bruce Lee in New Guinea (1978)

Too much of everything

Thanks for the memories!

Memorable, crazy movie

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The movie starts with a quick opening fight with Bruce Li versus a few muggers. Next Larry and Bruce explain where they are going and why. A 747 takes then to the jungles of New Guinea where they trudge along to burn up some film time. The banana gag bombs then at night there is a brief fight as they save a native girl from being sacrificed. Next morning the Devil Sect displays their (lack of) fighting skills. Larry and Bruce bump into another guy who is searching for the pearl. After a brief fight they team up. Next a group a natives attack then flee.All the fights so far have been basic, brief, distant, hesitant, and totally lack any real power. They continued to be all that for the rest of the movie plus clumsy, off-balance and monotonous too. All the non- fight parts are either exposition (often repeating what is already known or obvious) or actors moving from one spot to another in long and dragged out motion. The guys are split up and fight. Though Bruce is fine he seems to be missing then he returns home on an airplane. What was that all about? He returns weird and dreaming of some "island girl". There is a flashback and a man in a monkey suit is involved.Bruce had a romantic interlude on the island, was forced to leave, and now he must return – so he returns. As if the fights weren't bad enough they bring in three Western stunt men and Larry Lee gets killed off. IMDb has an 80 minute run time for this movie and the reviewers mention a lot of nudity. Yet the copy I came across had no nudity and the run was 95 minutes. This movie has a reputation as one of the worst if not the very worst martial arts movies ever made – yet I watched it. Yes, it is a deep stinker and I rate it 1 out of 10.

I agree with those who wrote that the movie taken lightly, is hilarious, has some great fight scenes and have to add that in spite of that there are parts that drag on endlessly. Overall I give it a 6 because there aren't many movies I care to watch more than once or twice and this is one.Now the Bruce Lee vs Bruce Li problem. This movie should not be listed under Bruce Lee's work, the actor in it is Bruce Li - two different people. I have spent a couple hours researching this issue and so far I've concluded that this confusion is unfortunate and takes away from the accomplishments of the real Bruce Lee. When you google photos on either one you get photos of both, incorrectly listed as each other, or at least many of Li's photos are billed as Lee. The resemblance is so close that Li starred in many Lee tribute movies after Lee's death, adding to the confusion.

"Boy, this is just one of the worst movies I have ever seen. But it is truly so bad that it's actually good. As is you couldn't tell just from the title itself, Bruce Li in New Guinea is just a damn silly film from beginning to end that is so unintentionally hilarious, it warrants a viewing. So what do we have here? Well, Bruce plays an archaeologist who travels to "Serpent Island" to find some mystical pearl (which looks more like a metal ball to me) and finds the natives persecuted by some cult. Of course, Bruce manages to save the day and gets the girl, all the while aided by a friendly ape. Yes, an ape. However, since Bruce Li in New Guinea has a budget of fifty cents and a case of returnable bottles, it's actually a guy in one of those cheap monkey suits you rent for Halloween. This kind of stuff makes Hercules in New York look like Apocalypse Now. But then again, you probably didn't expect a movie called Bruce Li in New Guinea to be an Oscar winner, did you? Just turn your brain off and get ready for some kung fu shenanigans, cheesy '70's style, and you should get some kicks from this."

A good mixture of traditional old skool kung fu films and a more up to date Bruce Lee style of fighting. Ho Chung Tao shows an impressive array of kicks and strikes and unlike most kung fu films even his friend who travels with him is a very skilled fighter. Opposed to having just one talented actor in the film taking out armies of the dodgiest bad guys ever. There are loads of laugh out loud moments including dialogue and plot but they just add to the film and make the time between fights go easier unlike sitting through a Jackie Chan film which will have half an hour of fantastic stunts and and an hour and a half of awful humour and dodgy plots about being sailors trying to catch pirates (project A). At least this doesn't intend to be funny but ends up being hilarious in all of its low budget glory.