10 Exaggerated Martial Arts Movies With Ridiculous Fight Scenes

Martial arts films have been a staple genre of Western culture since the 1970s. Pioneers like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan set the standard for fast-paced, epic fight scenes and brought them to the silver screen. Films like Robert Clouse Enter the dragon and Yuen Woo-Ping’s Drunken Master helped create the world of martial arts cinema that is famous today.

The genre hasn’t slowed down since its inception, with many upcoming projects such as the highly anticipated Karate Kid reboot set to hit screens in 2025. However, certain martial arts films take themselves more seriously than others. While some plots are centered around character development and realistic fighting applications, other films go further and focus on completely absurd scenarios. These exaggerated martial arts films leave out realism and include fights that are Truly ridiculous, but extremely fun to watch.

10

Dragon Tiger Gate (2006)

Clash of brothers

Wilson Yip Tiger Dragon Gate is certainly a solid martial arts film, but some of the fight scenes can be a little over the top. The story follows half-brothers Tiger Wong (Nicholas Tse) and Dragon (Donnie Yen), who were separated at a young age. Leading different lives, the two finally realize their common heritage and reunite.

The absurdity begins to escalate towards the end of the film, when Dragon, Tiger and Turbo Shek (Shawn Yue) team up to fight Shibumi (Yu Kang), the main antagonist. Throughout the battle, the characters employ incredible traditional kung fu techniques as well as unrealistic moves. In an epic sequence filled with gravity-defying jumps, nunchuck-generated force fields, and wall-shattering kicks, The final battle is as incredible as it is crazy.

9

Kung Fu Buried (2008)

Martial arts meets basketball

The genre of comedic sports-related martial arts films first gained popularity following the release of Stephen Chow’s 2001 film Shaolin Football. Kung Fu dunk follows a similar model but focuses on basketball. The story follows Shi-Jie (Jay Chou), who, after being abandoned as a child, spends his youth training with the master of a kung fu school.

In this campy film, martial arts meets basketball, and that doesn’t seem out of the ordinary for the characters. Instead of playing normally, each possession includes brutal elbows, flashy spin moves and flying dunks. Sometimes the game just stops and a ridiculous fight breaks out. At one point, Shie-Jie even uses a kung fu “technique” where he literally freezes the entire arena to add more time to the clock.

8

Ninja III: Domination (1984)

An Invincible Samurai

The film follows aerobics instructor Christie Ryder (Lucinda Dickey), who becomes possessed by the evil spirit of a dead ninja. As the plot continues, he uses Christie as an avatar to get revenge on the police officers who murdered him. Undoubtedly, the most ridiculous fight scene takes place inside the origin story of the death of the evil ninja (David Chung).

It’s a cheesy martial arts horror movie, it’s over the top and doesn’t make sense, but that makes it all the better. He evades an army of police officers, but effectively avoids them at every turn and even shoots down their helicopter. Turning and fighting his way through the enemies, he finally becomes surrounded. After being shot an absurd number of times, he still manages to set off a smoke bomb and escape before passing on his spirit to Christie.

7

Ninjas of the Five Elements (1982)

Wood, Earth, Gold, Water and Fire

Ninjas of the Five Elements It’s a revenge story. After a martial arts academy is taken over and destroyed by ninjas, the sole survivor, Tien Hao (Tien-Chi Cheng), eventually regroups with three other students to seek revenge. Now, they must face the five ninja elements: wood, earth, gold, water and fire.

From the beginning, the film is so campy but equally fun. The detailed costumes, fast-paced cinematography, and drawn-out fight sequences make for a unique experience. There are five times as many spins, dodges and spear spins as you would find in your average martial arts film, but it fits very well with the tone of the film. It’s absurd and comically violent, but a lot of fun to watch. It’s no surprise that Five Elements Ninjas is considered legendary in its genre.

6

Kung Pow! Enter the Fist (2002)

A martial arts parody

Kung Pow: Enter the Fist it shouldn’t be considered a martial arts film, but rather a comedy with martial arts elements. Intended to be a parody of Hong Kong action cinema, and it certainly achieves that goal. The story follows the Chosen One (Steve Oedekerk) as he searches for the man who killed his family.

This film takes the term nonsense to a whole new level. Don’t take yourself seriously, and you don’t need. At a certain point in the plot, the Chosen One comes across a cow in an open field. Unsurprisingly, the cow knows martial arts, and the two begin to fight in a scene full of twists and ridiculous CGI. Despite the chaos, it’s a beloved parody film and there’s still enthusiasm for a Kung Pow 2: Enter the fist.

5

Shaolin Football (2001)

Martial arts meets football

Sports cinema purists may find this film difficult to watchbut director Stephen Chow does a surprising and absolutely hilarious job of blending the worlds of kung fu and football. Following Mighty Steel Leg Sing (Stephen Chow), Shaolin Football shows what happens when martial arts masters take to the field – and it doesn’t disappoint.

Stephen Chow elevates the sport of football to levels that were never considered possible. The matches are not simply competitions, but rather demonstrations of insane kung fu techniques that are ridiculously exaggerated. In one scene, a player infuses the ball with the energy of a dark spirit, hurling it toward the net in a cloud of fire. Even with such ridiculous strength in his shot, the goalkeeper manages to use a spinning kung fu technique to defend it.

4

Kung Fu Rampage (2004)

Martial arts gangsters

Kung Fu Rampage showcases director Stephen Chow at his best, both on screen and behind the scenes. The story follows Sing (Stephen Chow) in his town, nicknamed Pig Sty Alley, just before the Ax Gang shows up to create chaos. Unbeknownst to the gang, Pig Sty Alley is home to three martial arts masters. The film often It doesn’t even seem real.

The fight scenes are sporadic, performed on a grand scale, and feature jaw-dropping kung fu techniques. The Ax Gang’s antics make it even better. While hundreds of axe-wielding members, all dressed in black suits and top hats, fall prey to some powerful characters, It’s hard not to laugh. Given the popularity of the first film Kung Fu Rampage 2 it is rumored to be in development.

3

The God of Cooking (1996)

Culinary Martial Arts

Stephen Chow’s third film, The God of Cooking, it set the tone for his directing style. In the film, he plays the role of a fraudulent chef, known as “The God of Cooking,” who judges others in an Iron Chef-style competition. After losing his title, he strives to regain his status and improve his cooking skills.

In the film, the fight scenes do not follow the model of martial arts hand-to-hand combat, but build on culinary confrontations who become violent. In the final battle, Chow faces an opposing chef. As the two engage in a comical food fight sequence, they continue to throw knives and hot oil at each other, utilizing outrageous kung fu techniques. Chow takes cooking to another level in the film, solidifying himself as one of the best chefs in film history.

2

Gymcata (1985)

Gymnastics meets martial arts

Gymcata takes place primarily in the fictional country Parmistan, in which foreigners are forced to participate in “The Game” –a death race in which participants are forced to fight warriors. Jonathan Cabot (Kurt Thomas), a gymnast, is approached by agents who want him to participate in the competition.

The plot is relatively subpar and lacking in substance, but it doesn’t take away from the film’s hilarity. Cabot combines his gymnastics prowess with martial arts training, creating truly ridiculous fight scenes. It wouldn’t seem viable for gymnastics to be effective in the context of karate, but this film proves otherwise. For example, at the end of the story, Cabot performs a pommel horse routine. As he spins around a platform, he continually knocks out surrounding enemies, exemplifying the absurdity Gymcata fighting style.

1

Riki-Oh: The Story of Riki (1991)

Superhuman Violence

This martial arts horror classic follows Riki-Oh (Fan Siu-Wong), a man with superhuman strength who finds himself in a privatized prison after killing his girlfriend’s killer. ONEAs Riki-Oh survives in a hostile environment filled with enemies, he uses his divine fighting skills to defend himself.

The film is incredibly violent and undoubtedly entertaining, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that The fight scenes are completely absurd. Riki-Oh is so domineering, and the gore produced by anyone who fights him makes everything so much better. In one epic scene, he hits an opponent so hard that his eyeball falls out. While the film is certainly chaotic, the sequences are simply incredible, so it’s no surprise that Riki-Oh: The Story of Riki It is considered a cult classic.