The most important thing to realize about this movie is that it's a Chinese action movie told from the perspective of the hero's sidekick, NOT the hero. Jack Burton was written as a sidekick and he completely is one.
Even a bit of an incompetent sidekick in several instances, but with luck ultimately on his side. Of course, when it comes down to it, it’s all in the reflexes.
AND.....he's a bumbling stooge in way over his head the whole movie, EXCEPT at the very end....his one gimmick parlor trick ends up taking down Lo Pan...BTILC has so many levels most people miss if they are not paying attention....
Yeah, the movie was actually written to star Wang, but Hollywood producers didn't think the movie would succeed with a "foreigner" as the lead in an american movie so they forced John Carpenter to make a "more american" lead. He intentionally made Jack Burton a bit of a buffoon to still secretly have Wang be the main "hero" of the movie.
If I remember correctly, “Escape from New York” was Kurt Russell’s first action movie. Before that he was a child and teenager actor in Disney movies. That movie changed him into an action hero.
@@RicktheCrofter 2 years later rewatching to comment yeah, one of his big ones was 'The computer wore tennis shoes'. It's actively mind-blowing to see him in a Disney movie sooo long ago after watching this or escape from NY
One of my favorite movies. Everything works, but what I love most is that the Burton is CONVINCED that he’s the hero while being one of the great sidekicks in movie history.
Yeah it really caught us off guard for a moment 😂 we had no idea what to expect going in, so it was hilarious to see what was presented as the main character suddenly have very little impact on the story
This film has one of my favorite commentary tracks. Carpenter and Russell hadn’t talked in a while and spend a lot of the commentary track just catching up with each other. Then every so often, Kurt will say, “I think we better talk about the movie,” and they’ll find something to say before changing the subject back to their kids playing guitar.
Love this movie! I love how it's all like some crazy DnD campaign, and Jack's just having a really bad game, rolling 1s almost every time, until he FINALLY rolls a 20 and kills Lo Pan. :D I also love how that monster comes out of the cave, eats that guy before being driven back by Egg Shen. And it's NEVER mentioned again!
The hairy monster was literally Chinese Bigfoot. Because.. why not? Chronologically, this was the first Hollywood movie to ‘get’ the awesome craziness of Hong Kong cinema. Man, I miss those times.
I wonder if Carpenter just told the martial artists in the cast for the big gang fight at the start - "Ok folks lets get the most amazing fight you guys can do."
0:00 Victor Wong had travel to Hollywood to film this scene right after attending the wake for his son Lyon who had been attacked and killed by a high school football player in Sacramento. Because the killer was a minor, he only served 6 months. A consumer advocate reporter for a Bay Area TV station was going to do a feature story about the case to raise public support for the Wong family's fight to get justice for Lyon, but the story was cancelled when all news coverage became focused on the Challenger shuttle explosion. Victor suffered his first stroke soon after.
I would see Victor Wong around Sac at this time when I was living downtown. I read poetry at a local cafe and he showed up to read a lively poem in his unique beat manner. I love that he sat through my piece. A legend.
Essentially, this is the perfect pulp movie, in the best possible way. I love the way Carpenter did the exact opposite of the white saviour trope, and just let Wang Chi be the ultimate action hero and Jack Burton his bonehead sidekick. There are so many things about this movie that I absolutely adore. It's one of the most frequent entries on my rewatch list.
Kim Catrall has some of the most challenging dialogue in this movie with the vast majority of it being long-winded exposition... but she nails it because she knows that hamming it up is perfect for this movie's tone. Not to mention, she's absolutely gorgeous - I get lost in her eyes every time I watch Big Trouble lol
Oh yeah, this was Kim Catrell at peak sexiness! That final scene with her leaning against the wall with the "come hither" look? Was her at her MOST alluring.
@@AshLee92490 Yeah, I heard the same, and that's the reason she qualifies as one of Lo Pan's brides: no normal Western woman with green eyes (much more common) match his needs to lift the curse.
I love how there's all this back-story implied, like past conflict between Egg-Shen and Lo-Pan, but they never go into detail. I also remember wanting to BE Egg-Shen when I watched this in my childhood; he just seemed like such a cool, awesome guy.
My favorite Egg Shen moment: Wang Chi: A brave man likes the feeling of nature in his face! Egg Shen: And a wise man knows when to get in out of the rain.
there are comics that may go into it, but I'm not sure as I haven't gotten around to reading them yet lol... there are also comics for The Thing, and those I can attest are pretty sweet... Also The Thing had a pretty great (for the time) N64 game that played like a sequel to the movie.
@@EarnestEgregore Theres also a comic that has a Big Trouble in Little China/Escape from New York crossover with Jack Burton and Snake Pliskin teaming up.
I've seen this movie so many times over the years, and not once did I ever notice the Chinese symbol when the lightning god falls. Wow! Great reaction! This was the first Kurt Russell movie I ever saw, and I still see him as Jack Burton.
Carpenter admitted later that he just wanted to make his own version of the over the top eastern kung fu movies. Of course no studio would go for that, so he sold it as an action movie starring Kurt Russell. Then he makes Kurt the comic relief. As a kid that loved everything about cheesy martial arts movies this was epic. Carpenter took a goofy idea and treated it seriously, with some badass special effects. Honestly, it still holds up. One of my favorite movies of all time.
As a 50 year old I can't believe you've got so far in life without seeing the movies your patreons are picking for you. This is an absolute classic of different genres and when I watched it 30 years ago I was totally blown away by how good it was. Keep the 80s and 90s movies comin.
The best part of this story is there's a thousand years of history behind everything. There is a reason for everything in this movie. If you know enough Chinese folklore and culture you can KINDA piece everything together. But we are seeing it through Jack Burton's outsider point of view. Everybody EXCEPT Jack knows what the f**k is going on, and nobody is telling him, and by extension us, sh*t. And he isn't for the most part bothering to ask because he is just trying to make it through the batsh*t events he has been pulled into. So as a result, the events going on are just as seemingly random, confusing, and wacky to us as they are to Jack and you really end up empathizing and rooting for him since you really understand his position because you are IN that position. Which is made stronger by the fact Jack isn't some all-powerful killing machine action hero. He's just a normal guy putting up a sh*tton of bravado in the face of utter insanity to hide the fact he's pants-wettingly scared and in over his head and knows it. It makes him infinitely relatable... the watcher IS Jack Burton.
Yeah. The backstory is a mashup of classic Chinese mythology and characters. If you have read things like The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, you can recognize some of the concepts.
The writer of this, W.D. Richter, originally wrote it as the sequel to his gonzo scifi action film, THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI (1984), but it bombed, as did Big Trouble, but both became cult classics. Buckaroo Banzai has a lot in common with Big Touble.. both are insane, have a million ideas, great quotes, an insane cast, and dont explain a goddamn thing. It's a must see.
Team Banzai checking in. They've gotta watch that movie, if anything it goes beyond Big Trouble in Little China in terms of sheer WTF-ness. But it's also freaking hilarious.
One of my favourite movies of all time and my outright favourite John Carpenter movie. A perfect homage to the kung fu movies of the 70s and 80s and a brilliant send up of western action hero tropes. Kurt Russell plays it absolutely straight and nails it. Dennis Dun is adorably earnest and low key badass. Kin Cattrall delivers her overblown exposition with such melodrama and intensity that she absolutely sells it every time. Victor Wong and James Hong steal every scene they are in and the rest of the cast leave no inch of scenery unchewed. It is such a joy to see other people discover this movie and get what it is trying to be. So few audiences got it when it was released that it was unjustly overlooked. Luckily it has become a cult classic, allowing new audiences to find and enjoy it.
We haven't even heard of this movie until our audience suggested it and showed a ton of enthusiasm for it! Super glad we ended up watching it, and thanks for checking out our reaction!
@@zerpblerd5966 Shaw Brothers movies were wildly inconsistent in quality. They had some excellent films, but they also had a whole lot of crap! Big Trouble is better than just ok. It's problem is basically that it came out too early. A decade later and this kind of loving homage would have been seen as genre defining. As it was, it was seen as a weird mash up of genres and audiences didn't resonate with it.
One of my favorite action movies from the 80's. The chemistry between all the actors in this is amazing. One of Carpenter's best films. Just a great action movie from the first minute to the last. So underrated. It's a shame they don't make movies like this anymore.
@@thepayne7862 Same note? Mainstream media? Isn't right all the time either. TWO losses on that note, Kurt Russell AND the mainstream media save? We all know who took the REAL hit and Kurt didn't deserve it versus the media that actually earned it. Who would of thunk it?
@@jamesloll4601 What the hell are you babbling about? I didn't say a damn thing about Kurt Russell or the mainstream media. I suggest you get your meds checked.
Love this movie, so entertaining :) I never get used to Kurt Russell saying "Henry Swanson's my name and excitement's my game" since that's basically my name lol. Thanks for your reaction guys! I would love a Carpenter horror marathon this october :D
Great reaction guys. So glad it won the poll. I loved the subversion of who is the hero and who is the comedy side kick in this. Jack Burton's slow acceptance to the insanity of the situation is played so well in the dialog with Egg Shen "What is that in there, magic potion?" "Yeah" "Good. I thought so, what do we do. Drink it?" "Yeah". In the action movies Kurt Russel made with John Carpenter he did impressions of other famous action stars; in this one it was John Wayne and in Escape from New York it was Clint Eastwood.
One of my favourites movies ever. Watched it countless time and still do. One thing personal i like about this movie is that (for me) it has kind of the structure of a classic 80s arcade videogame. Starting in the basic stage (the streets) and level up all the time to the final bosses, with all the cool different sets the movie has that would be the different stages of an arcade videogame. Yes, iknow it sounds a bit weird but this movie and "Streets of Fire" from 1984 always gave me that impression about their structure. And the fact is that both movies gave inspiration for 2 classic videogames, this movie for Mortal Kombat and the other one for Final Fight, the classic Capcom arcade. Love your reactions and waiting fot the nest one guys.
I was soooo young when this came out and I equally loved and was terrified of this movie. As a kid with green eyes whose father was a truck driver I was constantly looking under his truck for hairy ginger monsters looking to kidnap me. 🤣 🤣 🤣
There is no movie that brings a smile to my face like this one. Imagine being 12 in 1986 and seeing this in the theater. It blew my mind. John Carpenter and Kurt Russell together are magic.
Easily one of my favorite movies of all time. They knew exactly what they were making and delivered a campy, tongue in cheek, send up of action movies that delivers at the same time. It's the "Tremors" of action kung fu movies. Russell plays the perfect 'ugly American'
He's not playing the ugly American, which is a bigoted term. Burton isn't written or played as the ugly American, he's written to be an entertaining sidekick.
@@Objectified Yeah, at no time does Jack disrespect Chinese culture--he readily admits his ignorance of a lot of it. Besides, his best buddy is Chinese-American, and he respects Egg. He's just a bumbling goof.
I cannot even count the number of times I've seen this film, myself, or watching reactions, and I have never noticed the characters here 23:29 . Thank you so much for showing me something new about one of my favorite movies.
Big trouble in Little China was released In July 2, 1986. The first Mortal Kombat video game released in August 1992. Raiden was based on the movie character more likely.
Jack is literally a sidekick who thinks he's the hero. Also, the them for this movie played at the credits was done by John Carpenter and his band. Carpenter is the singer with the deep voice, and the higher voice was Nick Castle, one of the people who played Michael Myers in Halloween when he was masked.
A wonderful film that is subtly about the sidekick. The film company didn’t get that and had the director add a scene at the beginning so they could pretend Kurt Russel was the hero. It didn’t work. We all knew he was the comedy sidekick. Even he did, and he gave it his all. Can you guys take a look at Warm Bodies at some point?
There was a tv show on Syfy called the Chronicle about a newspaper that reported on weird shit going on. There was an episode involving David Lo Pan, also played by James Hong, though to be honest I don't know if it's supposed to be the same Lo Pan or if it was some weird coincidence.
I seriously believe this movie was 20-30 yrs ahead of it's time. Hong Kong/Asian style martial arts films weren't main stream, Manga/Anime was really in it's infancy in the "West". You could fully do a one for one Anime version of this and it would totally work! Fantastic movie! Edit: A few years ago it was announced that the Rock had signed on for a reboot of this film. Haven't seen it mentioned for ages now.
This is one of my favorite 80s movies. I've easily watched it a dozen times (probably more) and thought I'd picked up on every minute detail - but I never noticed the Chinese word/character in the lightning after Raiden gets pummeled by the statue until watching this reaction video. Thank you for that! Much love.
Neither of my two favourite Gracie Law moments were in this reaction. The first is when they're going to confront Lo Pan for the last time and she says to Jack "do you have a gun I hope?" The second is how she said she can't go into the White Tigress because people around there know her face, and then in a later scene she says "I'd go with you but..." and Jack finishes for her "I know, there's a problem with your face". And, yes, you called it exactly right - the point of the film is that it focuses on the white guy becasue that's what films like this do, but he's *not* the white saviour. He's the comedy sidekick and Wang is the protagonist, it's just that neither Jack nor the film itself realise it.
This is one of my favorite movies. Action Comedy that's attempting to be serious but all the actors get the joke with a whole lotta cheese. Great reaction, guys!
I worked as an actor in L.A. for a number of years. I got cast in a short-lived sit com that starred Daniel Stern and Judd Hirsch called Regular Joe. When I checked in in the morning I realized I was standing next to James Hong. As we were being walked to our dressing rooms James Hong turned and looked at me and said "We have worked together before, haven't we?" I said no sir, I would remember that. Mr. Hong cocked his head and said "Then you must have interviewed me." He didn't wait for my response, but just turned into his room.
That's so funny. I've had the VHS for decades and the DVD for at least 10. I just watched it first time in about 2-3 years because my 9 year old wanted to know what it was! We had great fun together. Now I scroll YT and see you guys. My grandson talked all the way through it too. Maybe he has a future in doing reaction vids.😉
I had the best time watching this movie; they did a screening of it in the Great Star Theater right in Chinatown in SF, audience packed full of fans, great fun, perfect atmosphere.
23:29 nicely spotted! how to hell have i missed that , this was my favorite movie as a kid, even before i could read or understand english language at all. I have watched it prorpably more than 50 times, althought with the quality of vhs and tv from the 80's
This has been my all time favorite movie for 30 years. There is a comic book that came out years ago that picks up right where the movie left off and Jack befriends that monster at the end and names him “pete”. Super fun ridiculous series.
Great reaction! You guys nailed it, 13 year old me felt exactly the way y’all do watching this in the theater and freaking the fuck out. Still holds up as one of the greatest movies ever .
Great review! It felt like the studio didn’t know how to advertise this movie when it came out, and many didn’t realize that Kurt Russell was the comic sidekick to Wang Chi. The film was an inspiration to Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnorok.
Yeah this movie seems like it'd be hard to market! I feel like The Cabin in the Woods had the same effect, where you don't wanna over-share and ruin the experience, but you don't to mislead the audience either.
The Thing and Big Trouble in little china were my favourite movies. I watched them as a kid.. and rewatch them so many times.... there's so many thigns in this movie.. you should catch it again lol.
16:27 You know the building Egg owns is the same building they did the interior shots of the Ghostbusters firehouse. You can tell if you look at the tile pattern on the walls of the garage area.
You know what Jack Burton says in a time like this?? Oh What the hell!!! Best line of the movie. I also think when Thunder blow’s himself up he looks like the old Garbage Pale kids from back n the day!!
I just discovered your channel & to me so many of these movies you are "discovering" are old favorites of mine. Like "twinsthenewtrend" who are discovering classic rock/soul/blues/country music for the first time, I am LOVING your reactions to my movie favorites.
Surprised you guys never called Lo-Pans minions by what they were. “the 3 storms” Thunder ( that guy who bloated ) lightning ( obvious ) and rain ( obvious ). This was one of my all time favs and your reactions were fun! Happy to sub!
@@BogeyTheBear actually thunder did have some talking going on: You play your cards right, you live to talk about it… ( before Gracie Law saw his master Lo-pan scene ). Then also “master, you are flesh!” “Now we will satisfy, the first sovereign emperor by destroying this” and a one word to jack burton “Who?!”…. 😉
@@BogeyTheBear only thing I remember rain saying was to Burton when he asked his friend wang where they were, when they were hand tied in the wheel chairs - “You are NO WHERE!!!” , I may have missed English dialogue elsewhere or per the deleted scenes….
This movie is a cult classic! A legend among 80s sci fi/fantasy/ action (and John Carpenter) fans! It was great to watch your reactions to this! It's one of my all-time faves! (It's no mistake that Kurt Russell was mimicking John Wayne a bit, incidentally. Lol. Did you notice?) Another great John Carpenter/Kurt Russell team up you'll enjoy is Escape From New York!
You guys are a lot of fun to watch. You actually react to stuff the way I would hope to see! This movie is excellent and you guys really got it. Thanks for the good times.
I was watching this and Kurt Russell's boot knife suddenly reminded me of something out of the Atlanta Cutlery catalog, which I hadn't even thought about in over 20 years. I looked them up and they still exist. They sell all kinds of knives and swords and self defense weapons including some movie replicas.
This is my favourite reaction of yours. The perfectly appropriate amount of "what the hell?!" and "oh shit!" :D I'll tell ya somethin' fun: the Chinese character that appears when Lightning dies, according to someone on reddit coz I had to google it, means Carpenter. It feels like John Carpenter popping up like "hey, film's awesome isn't it? That's me, I did that"
I love that the knife is a call back to the beginning with the bottle. It's just a perfect bow. Also, I've seen this movie dozens of times and until you spotted it I never noticed the Chinese writing in the lightning. Can anyone tell me what it says?
This movie has it all...Kung fu, Kurt Russel, Chinese culture, hamming actors...the perfect no-budget film! If you want to do Indiana Jones, please do Lost Ark and Temple of Doom
Unfotunately you guys had to cut my favorite joke/one liner out. Jack to Egg Shin. "how did you get up there?" Egg: Wasn't easy!" I say this almost every time someone asks me how I did something.
The most important thing to realize about this movie is that it's a Chinese action movie told from the perspective of the hero's sidekick, NOT the hero. Jack Burton was written as a sidekick and he completely is one.
Even a bit of an incompetent sidekick in several instances, but with luck ultimately on his side. Of course, when it comes down to it, it’s all in the reflexes.
AND.....he's a bumbling stooge in way over his head the whole movie, EXCEPT at the very end....his one gimmick parlor trick ends up taking down Lo Pan...BTILC has so many levels most people miss if they are not paying attention....
...the whole time thinking *he's* the hero... but no; Wang's the hero.
Yeah, the movie was actually written to star Wang, but Hollywood producers didn't think the movie would succeed with a "foreigner" as the lead in an american movie so they forced John Carpenter to make a "more american" lead.
He intentionally made Jack Burton a bit of a buffoon to still secretly have Wang be the main "hero" of the movie.
Completely useless, but his reflexes were required for a split second to win the day.
Carpenter described Jack as a sidekick that thinks he's the hero of the story.
That couldn't be more perfect.
You know what old jack burton says at a time like this? Thunder: WHO? Jack: Jack Burton… ME! Ol’ Jack always says: What The Hell. 🤣
Luckily, Wang is more of a hero than Jack Burton.
I know it is a one-year-old comment, but in the end he was the one who killed Lo pan so he was truly the hero of the story.
@@NiceDudeMovieNight one of the reactors did interview with Thunder guy right after reaction :D
Kurt's line "If I'm not back by midnight, call the President." is a callback to 1981's Escape from New York, which also stared Kurt Russell.
Oh nice! Altaf's seen that one, but I haven't. Perhaps a reaction in the future...? 🤔
@@NiceDudeMovieNight The hell you're waiting for!!! GO! GO! GO!
If I remember correctly, “Escape from New York” was Kurt Russell’s first action movie. Before that he was a child and teenager actor in Disney movies. That movie changed him into an action hero.
Snaaaaaaake
@@RicktheCrofter 2 years later rewatching to comment yeah, one of his big ones was 'The computer wore tennis shoes'.
It's actively mind-blowing to see him in a Disney movie sooo long ago after watching this or escape from NY
"Don't worry, it's only me - Gracie Law." The way she says this is so funny to me. Kim Cattrall knew exactly what movie she was in lol.
She understood the assignment incredibly well 😂
she's so perfect in this movie.
One of my favorite movies.
Everything works, but what I love most is that the Burton is CONVINCED that he’s the hero while being one of the great sidekicks in movie history.
Yeah it really caught us off guard for a moment 😂 we had no idea what to expect going in, so it was hilarious to see what was presented as the main character suddenly have very little impact on the story
This film has one of my favorite commentary tracks. Carpenter and Russell hadn’t talked in a while and spend a lot of the commentary track just catching up with each other.
Then every so often, Kurt will say, “I think we better talk about the movie,” and they’ll find something to say before changing the subject back to their kids playing guitar.
Love this movie!
I love how it's all like some crazy DnD campaign, and Jack's just having a really bad game, rolling 1s almost every time, until he FINALLY rolls a 20 and kills Lo Pan. :D
I also love how that monster comes out of the cave, eats that guy before being driven back by Egg Shen. And it's NEVER mentioned again!
It even has its own weird version of a Beholder
One of the best analogies I have ever heard.
The hairy monster was literally Chinese Bigfoot. Because.. why not? Chronologically, this was the first Hollywood movie to ‘get’ the awesome craziness of Hong Kong cinema. Man, I miss those times.
It’s more like a orangutan 🦧 🐺 man.
"Yes sir the check is in the mail"
How can one single line reek of so much badassness? lol
One of my favorite carpenter movies
The moment he said it we knew it was a classic line 😂
This way maby!!
Also, hes gnawing on a sandwich in that scene while spittin philosophy. lol
You can tell everyone involved was having a blast making this movie . I love Russell's John Wayne impression playing Jack Burton.
Ha! I never noticed that, but we can't unhear it now 😂
I wonder if Carpenter just told the martial artists in the cast for the big gang fight at the start - "Ok folks lets get the most amazing fight you guys can do."
@@NiceDudeMovieNight FYI 23:28 That Chinese letter is 木匠, it means "Carpenter" as an occupation.
0:00 Victor Wong had travel to Hollywood to film this scene right after attending the wake for his son Lyon who had been attacked and killed by a high school football player in Sacramento. Because the killer was a minor, he only served 6 months. A consumer advocate reporter for a Bay Area TV station was going to do a feature story about the case to raise public support for the Wong family's fight to get justice for Lyon, but the story was cancelled when all news coverage became focused on the Challenger shuttle explosion. Victor suffered his first stroke soon after.
He died 2001 is this not an 86 film
@@michaellivingstone2829 I mean…he said his first stroke.
I would see Victor Wong around Sac at this time when I was living downtown. I read poetry at a local cafe and he showed up to read a lively poem in his unique beat manner. I love that he sat through my piece. A legend.
Essentially, this is the perfect pulp movie, in the best possible way.
I love the way Carpenter did the exact opposite of the white saviour trope, and just let Wang Chi be the ultimate action hero and Jack Burton his bonehead sidekick.
There are so many things about this movie that I absolutely adore. It's one of the most frequent entries on my rewatch list.
Yeah bur remember it was Jack Burton who killed Lo Pan
Well Burton literally saves Wang and his fiancé in the end. Neither of them are perfect. They both screw up plenty.
Kim Catrall has some of the most challenging dialogue in this movie with the vast majority of it being long-winded exposition... but she nails it because she knows that hamming it up is perfect for this movie's tone. Not to mention, she's absolutely gorgeous - I get lost in her eyes every time I watch Big Trouble lol
Oh yeah, this was Kim Catrell at peak sexiness!
That final scene with her leaning against the wall with the "come hither" look? Was her at her MOST alluring.
I never understood how she can call Jack an Oustider when she is also an Outsider to the Chinese people.
@@biguy617 I always had a theory that Gracie's supposed to be half Chinese...
@@AshLee92490 oh maybe. I am half Mexican even though I have white skin. That is possible.
@@AshLee92490 Yeah, I heard the same, and that's the reason she qualifies as one of Lo Pan's brides: no normal Western woman with green eyes (much more common) match his needs to lift the curse.
I love how there's all this back-story implied, like past conflict between Egg-Shen and Lo-Pan, but they never go into detail. I also remember wanting to BE Egg-Shen when I watched this in my childhood; he just seemed like such a cool, awesome guy.
Egg-Shen was amazing! Perfect role model to have as a kid 😂
My favorite Egg Shen moment:
Wang Chi: A brave man likes the feeling of nature in his face!
Egg Shen: And a wise man knows when to get in out of the rain.
there are comics that may go into it, but I'm not sure as I haven't gotten around to reading them yet lol... there are also comics for The Thing, and those I can attest are pretty sweet... Also The Thing had a pretty great (for the time) N64 game that played like a sequel to the movie.
@@EarnestEgregore the thing was for ps2.
@@EarnestEgregore Theres also a comic that has a Big Trouble in Little China/Escape from New York crossover with Jack Burton and Snake Pliskin teaming up.
I've seen this movie so many times over the years, and not once did I ever notice the Chinese symbol when the lightning god falls. Wow! Great reaction!
This was the first Kurt Russell movie I ever saw, and I still see him as Jack Burton.
Same here. I never have seen that symbol. And they better not make a remake. Can't replicate or duplicate this awesome movie
Agree..who doesn't love Jack Burton.
Me either! Like heart skipped when they showed it lol...
@@AshLee92490 The character is Chinese (Mandarin?) for 'carpenter'
Cantonese.
Carpenter admitted later that he just wanted to make his own version of the over the top eastern kung fu movies. Of course no studio would go for that, so he sold it as an action movie starring Kurt Russell. Then he makes Kurt the comic relief.
As a kid that loved everything about cheesy martial arts movies this was epic. Carpenter took a goofy idea and treated it seriously, with some badass special effects. Honestly, it still holds up. One of my favorite movies of all time.
YES! For me it was this movie, Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, Karate Kid and Aliens that really shaped my childhood.
And Kurt Russell loved being the sidekick who thinks he's the hero.
As a 50 year old I can't believe you've got so far in life without seeing the movies your patreons are picking for you. This is an absolute classic of different genres and when I watched it 30 years ago I was totally blown away by how good it was. Keep the 80s and 90s movies comin.
😂😅😂❤
The best part of this story is there's a thousand years of history behind everything. There is a reason for everything in this movie. If you know enough Chinese folklore and culture you can KINDA piece everything together.
But we are seeing it through Jack Burton's outsider point of view. Everybody EXCEPT Jack knows what the f**k is going on, and nobody is telling him, and by extension us, sh*t. And he isn't for the most part bothering to ask because he is just trying to make it through the batsh*t events he has been pulled into.
So as a result, the events going on are just as seemingly random, confusing, and wacky to us as they are to Jack and you really end up empathizing and rooting for him since you really understand his position because you are IN that position.
Which is made stronger by the fact Jack isn't some all-powerful killing machine action hero. He's just a normal guy putting up a sh*tton of bravado in the face of utter insanity to hide the fact he's pants-wettingly scared and in over his head and knows it. It makes him infinitely relatable... the watcher IS Jack Burton.
Yeah. The backstory is a mashup of classic Chinese mythology and characters.
If you have read things like The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, you can recognize some of the concepts.
The writer of this, W.D. Richter, originally wrote it as the sequel to his gonzo scifi action film, THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI (1984), but it bombed, as did Big Trouble, but both became cult classics. Buckaroo Banzai has a lot in common with Big Touble.. both are insane, have a million ideas, great quotes, an insane cast, and dont explain a goddamn thing. It's a must see.
Oh man, love _Buckaroo Banzai_ .
Yes, my fellow Buckaroo fans. I was waiting.
Team Banzai checking in. They've gotta watch that movie, if anything it goes beyond Big Trouble in Little China in terms of sheer WTF-ness. But it's also freaking hilarious.
It is a crime that there aren’t more reactions to it.
Why is there a watermelon there?
One of my favourite movies of all time and my outright favourite John Carpenter movie. A perfect homage to the kung fu movies of the 70s and 80s and a brilliant send up of western action hero tropes. Kurt Russell plays it absolutely straight and nails it. Dennis Dun is adorably earnest and low key badass. Kin Cattrall delivers her overblown exposition with such melodrama and intensity that she absolutely sells it every time. Victor Wong and James Hong steal every scene they are in and the rest of the cast leave no inch of scenery unchewed.
It is such a joy to see other people discover this movie and get what it is trying to be. So few audiences got it when it was released that it was unjustly overlooked. Luckily it has become a cult classic, allowing new audiences to find and enjoy it.
We haven't even heard of this movie until our audience suggested it and showed a ton of enthusiasm for it! Super glad we ended up watching it, and thanks for checking out our reaction!
@@zerpblerd5966 Shaw Brothers movies were wildly inconsistent in quality. They had some excellent films, but they also had a whole lot of crap!
Big Trouble is better than just ok. It's problem is basically that it came out too early. A decade later and this kind of loving homage would have been seen as genre defining. As it was, it was seen as a weird mash up of genres and audiences didn't resonate with it.
This and The Fog are my favorite Carpenter films.
This is my favorite movie of all time. I love seeing people’s reactions when they watch it for the first time.
This movie & The Fifth Element are great for watching, cause pretty much every reactor is trying to figure out what the hell is going on!🤣🤣
showing someone this movie for the first time is pure joy.
20:18 me too.
One of my favorite action movies from the 80's. The chemistry between all the actors in this is amazing. One of Carpenter's best films. Just a great action movie from the first minute to the last. So underrated. It's a shame they don't make movies like this anymore.
It's a shame it flopped working on this movie is what got him disillusioned with mainstream Hollywood and going back to his indy film making.
@@thepayne7862 Same note? Mainstream media? Isn't right all the time either. TWO losses on that note, Kurt Russell AND the mainstream media save? We all know who took the REAL hit and Kurt didn't deserve it versus the media that actually earned it. Who would of thunk it?
@@jamesloll4601 What the hell are you babbling about? I didn't say a damn thing about Kurt Russell or the mainstream media. I suggest you get your meds checked.
Love this movie, so entertaining :) I never get used to Kurt Russell saying "Henry Swanson's my name and excitement's my game" since that's basically my name lol. Thanks for your reaction guys! I would love a Carpenter horror marathon this october :D
Great reaction guys. So glad it won the poll. I loved the subversion of who is the hero and who is the comedy side kick in this. Jack Burton's slow acceptance to the insanity of the situation is played so well in the dialog with Egg Shen "What is that in there, magic potion?" "Yeah" "Good. I thought so, what do we do. Drink it?" "Yeah".
In the action movies Kurt Russel made with John Carpenter he did impressions of other famous action stars; in this one it was John Wayne and in Escape from New York it was Clint Eastwood.
Thanks for voting in it! And yeah, he stops caring later in the story 😂 "Hollow? F*ck it!" is a classic to us now
John Carpenter said in an interview Jack is a guy who thinks the hero but he's actually the sidekick and Kurt Russell plays the part perfectly.
One of my favourites movies ever. Watched it countless time and still do. One thing personal i like about this movie is that (for me) it has kind of the structure of a classic 80s arcade videogame. Starting in the basic stage (the streets) and level up all the time to the final bosses, with all the cool different sets the movie has that would be the different stages of an arcade videogame. Yes, iknow it sounds a bit weird but this movie and "Streets of Fire" from 1984 always gave me that impression about their structure. And the fact is that both movies gave inspiration for 2 classic videogames, this movie for Mortal Kombat and the other one for Final Fight, the classic Capcom arcade. Love your reactions and waiting fot the nest one guys.
The old guy playing David Lo Pan is James Hong and he is currently 94 yrs young.
This movie has some of the best quotable lines, period. Just fun to say: "The check is in the mail."
You guys should watch The Golden Child.
"The check is in the mail" is a pretty old expression, not invented for this movie.
Hell yeah, The Golden Child is so bizarre and wild. Not a great film, but definitely its own thing for sure.
Oh yes! I forgot about Golden Child! So much fun
One of the Best Movies ever made.
It is always a blast to see someone watch a movie you love as if you recommended it to them.
Thanks
I'm not ashamed to say that this is one of my favourite movies of all times.
22:36 me too.
2:40 the photography and lighting in this scene are incredible
I was soooo young when this came out and I equally loved and was terrified of this movie. As a kid with green eyes whose father was a truck driver I was constantly looking under his truck for hairy ginger monsters looking to kidnap me. 🤣 🤣 🤣
John Carpenter, the director, put it great. Jack is playing the typical sidekick role while the sidekick, Wang, is playing the hero role
There is no movie that brings a smile to my face like this one. Imagine being 12 in 1986 and seeing this in the theater. It blew my mind. John Carpenter and Kurt Russell together are magic.
Oh now I remember where I saw a guy literally explode of anger ! 😆
When Lightning dies the Chinese characters which are formed in the electricity say "carpenter". Cool little easter egg.
Easily one of my favorite movies of all time. They knew exactly what they were making and delivered a campy, tongue in cheek, send up of action movies that delivers at the same time. It's the "Tremors" of action kung fu movies.
Russell plays the perfect 'ugly American'
He's not playing the ugly American, which is a bigoted term. Burton isn't written or played as the ugly American, he's written to be an entertaining sidekick.
@@Objectified Yeah, at no time does Jack disrespect Chinese culture--he readily admits his ignorance of a lot of it. Besides, his best buddy is Chinese-American, and he respects Egg. He's just a bumbling goof.
I cannot even count the number of times I've seen this film, myself, or watching reactions, and I have never noticed the characters here 23:29 . Thank you so much for showing me something new about one of my favorite movies.
That symbol that pops up when the lightning guy bites it translates to "carpenter".
Big trouble in Little China was released In July 2, 1986.
The first Mortal Kombat video game released in August 1992.
Raiden was based on the movie character more likely.
Jack is literally a sidekick who thinks he's the hero.
Also, the them for this movie played at the credits was done by John Carpenter and his band. Carpenter is the singer with the deep voice, and the higher voice was Nick Castle, one of the people who played Michael Myers in Halloween when he was masked.
Nick Castle was also the director of The Last Starfighter. What a varied career.
You can watch this movie 200 times and still get something out of it every time.
BTW GUYS! Just about the lore of this movie... Rayden from Mortal Kombat originated from the inspiration from this movie.
This is in my top 3 movies of all time. I even saw it in the theatre when it came out.
Thank you for showing it the respect it deserves.
A wonderful film that is subtly about the sidekick. The film company didn’t get that and had the director add a scene at the beginning so they could pretend Kurt Russel was the hero. It didn’t work. We all knew he was the comedy sidekick. Even he did, and he gave it his all.
Can you guys take a look at Warm Bodies at some point?
There was a tv show on Syfy called the Chronicle about a newspaper that reported on weird shit going on. There was an episode involving David Lo Pan, also played by James Hong, though to be honest I don't know if it's supposed to be the same Lo Pan or if it was some weird coincidence.
"While you're watching it Big Trouble In Little China is the greatest movie ever" Red Letter Media
I seriously believe this movie was 20-30 yrs ahead of it's time. Hong Kong/Asian style martial arts films weren't main stream, Manga/Anime was really in it's infancy in the "West". You could fully do a one for one Anime version of this and it would totally work!
Fantastic movie!
Edit: A few years ago it was announced that the Rock had signed on for a reboot of this film. Haven't seen it mentioned for ages now.
This is one of my favorite 80s movies. I've easily watched it a dozen times (probably more) and thought I'd picked up on every minute detail - but I never noticed the Chinese word/character in the lightning after Raiden gets pummeled by the statue until watching this reaction video. Thank you for that! Much love.
This movie was so sick! Watched it way back when, when it randomly aired on TV in my region.
Big Trouble in Little China is a John Carpenter movie more deserving of a "30 years later" sequel than any movie John Carpenter ever made.
Neither of my two favourite Gracie Law moments were in this reaction. The first is when they're going to confront Lo Pan for the last time and she says to Jack "do you have a gun I hope?"
The second is how she said she can't go into the White Tigress because people around there know her face, and then in a later scene she says "I'd go with you but..." and Jack finishes for her "I know, there's a problem with your face".
And, yes, you called it exactly right - the point of the film is that it focuses on the white guy becasue that's what films like this do, but he's *not* the white saviour. He's the comedy sidekick and Wang is the protagonist, it's just that neither Jack nor the film itself realise it.
Watched this movie a hundred times. A classic
Fun Fact: The lightning Chinese symbol that appears at 23:22 for a brief moment translates to "Carpenter".
This is one of my favorite movies. Action Comedy that's attempting to be serious but all the actors get the joke with a whole lotta cheese. Great reaction, guys!
Big Trouble in Little China has been one of my favorite movies since i was a little kid. I can appreciate it differently now.
I worked as an actor in L.A. for a number of years. I got cast in a short-lived sit com that starred Daniel Stern and Judd Hirsch called Regular Joe. When I checked in in the morning I realized I was standing next to James Hong. As we were being walked to our dressing rooms James Hong turned and looked at me and said "We have worked together before, haven't we?" I said no sir, I would remember that. Mr. Hong cocked his head and said "Then you must have interviewed me." He didn't wait for my response, but just turned into his room.
That's so funny. I've had the VHS for decades and the DVD for at least 10. I just watched it first time in about 2-3 years because my 9 year old wanted to know what it was! We had great fun together. Now I scroll YT and see you guys. My grandson talked all the way through it too. Maybe he has a future in doing reaction vids.😉
I had the best time watching this movie; they did a screening of it in the Great Star Theater right in Chinatown in SF, audience packed full of fans, great fun, perfect atmosphere.
Thanks!
Thanks a lot Jonathan! We’re glad you’re enjoying our videos 😍
This reaction will appease my Emperor indeed!
23:29 nicely spotted! how to hell have i missed that ,
this was my favorite movie as a kid, even before i could read or understand english language at all.
I have watched it prorpably more than 50 times,
althought with the quality of vhs and tv from the 80's
So much inspiration from this movie going into Mortal Kombat!
This has been my all time favorite movie for 30 years. There is a comic book that came out years ago that picks up right where the movie left off and Jack befriends that monster at the end and names him “pete”. Super fun ridiculous series.
Great reaction! You guys nailed it, 13 year old me felt exactly the way y’all do watching this in the theater and freaking the fuck out. Still holds up as one of the greatest movies ever .
I've gotta say, I have wtched this reaction so many times and I love these guys friendship!
IT LOOKED LIKE YOUR ARM! HAHA
This movie is 100% crowd pleasing
The lettering is actually, appropriately enough, ‘Carpenter’
Another good Kurt Russel movie to watch that I think you'd enjoy is "Soldier" He has almost no expression through the movie and yet conveys so much.
So many great parts in this movie. I was a kid when pops took me to see this movie. Those were wonderful times.
This movie is a *perfect* example of pacing. Beautifully done.
Great review! It felt like the studio didn’t know how to advertise this movie when it came out, and many didn’t realize that Kurt Russell was the comic sidekick to Wang Chi. The film was an inspiration to Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnorok.
Yeah this movie seems like it'd be hard to market! I feel like The Cabin in the Woods had the same effect, where you don't wanna over-share and ruin the experience, but you don't to mislead the audience either.
I can watch this movie round the clock 24/7 and NEVER tire of it. I love this movie!
My dad was a truck driver and this was one of his favorite movies. Grew up watched it together a lot.
"The most Kurt Russell role." lol I couldn't agree more, he's one of the greats!
The Thing and Big Trouble in little china were my favourite movies. I watched them as a kid.. and rewatch them so many times.... there's so many thigns in this movie.. you should catch it again lol.
Have you guys seen John Carpenter’s They Live? Or Hell Comes To Frogtown, also with Roddy Piper?
16:27 You know the building Egg owns is the same building they did the interior shots of the Ghostbusters firehouse. You can tell if you look at the tile pattern on the walls of the garage area.
ive seen this movie over 365 times and tht was the first time i seent he chinease letter in lightning..TYVM for showing me something new
We’re honored!!
Apparently when you translate them they say "John Carpenter".
I think it's on the Blu-Ray commentary.
@@johnboy2562- Just “Carpenter.” Still a clever easter egg.
Kim Cattrall as Gracie Law was always one of my favorite characters played by Kim. She is so beautiful.
You know what Jack Burton says in a time like this?? Oh What the hell!!! Best line of the movie. I also think when Thunder blow’s himself up he looks like the old Garbage Pale kids from back n the day!!
I just discovered your channel & to me so many of these movies you are "discovering" are old favorites of mine.
Like "twinsthenewtrend" who are discovering classic rock/soul/blues/country music for the first time, I am LOVING your reactions to my movie favorites.
Surprised you guys never called Lo-Pans minions by what they were. “the 3 storms” Thunder ( that guy who bloated ) lightning ( obvious ) and rain ( obvious ). This was one of my all time favs and your reactions were fun! Happy to sub!
Rain is the only one of three with any substantial dialogue because he was the only one of three actors who actually spoke English.
@@BogeyTheBear actually thunder did have some talking going on: You play your cards right, you live to talk about it… ( before Gracie Law saw his master Lo-pan scene ). Then also “master, you are flesh!” “Now we will satisfy, the first sovereign emperor by destroying this” and a one word to jack burton “Who?!”…. 😉
@@BogeyTheBear only thing I remember rain saying was to Burton when he asked his friend wang where they were, when they were hand tied in the wheel chairs - “You are NO WHERE!!!” , I may have missed English dialogue elsewhere or per the deleted scenes….
One guy in street fight scene was a bad guy in Die Hard. He snuck the candy bar. Fun to recognize extras!
This movie is a cult classic! A legend among 80s sci fi/fantasy/ action (and John Carpenter) fans!
It was great to watch your reactions to this! It's one of my all-time faves! (It's no mistake that Kurt Russell was mimicking John Wayne a bit, incidentally. Lol. Did you notice?)
Another great John Carpenter/Kurt Russell team up you'll enjoy is Escape From New York!
Amazing movie, When my friend and I were younger we watched this movie 4 times in a row. At the age of 45 it's still a great movie and never gets old.
You guys are a lot of fun to watch. You actually react to stuff the way I would hope to see! This movie is excellent and you guys really got it. Thanks for the good times.
I was watching this and Kurt Russell's boot knife suddenly reminded me of something out of the Atlanta Cutlery catalog, which I hadn't even thought about in over 20 years. I looked them up and they still exist. They sell all kinds of knives and swords and self defense weapons including some movie replicas.
Wang is the hero, Jack is the clueless sidekick. Love it!
Yaaasss, just found you guys a week ago. This is my fav movie of all time. So glad you guys did this
1986 was a good year for movies and music. Holy 😍
This is my favourite reaction of yours. The perfectly appropriate amount of "what the hell?!" and "oh shit!" :D I'll tell ya somethin' fun: the Chinese character that appears when Lightning dies, according to someone on reddit coz I had to google it, means Carpenter. It feels like John Carpenter popping up like "hey, film's awesome isn't it? That's me, I did that"
I love that the knife is a call back to the beginning with the bottle. It's just a perfect bow.
Also, I've seen this movie dozens of times and until you spotted it I never noticed the Chinese writing in the lightning. Can anyone tell me what it says?
One of the most fun movies ever. I love it ever since i've seen as a kid in the early 90s.
So many quotable lines, great action set pieces and fun characters - love this movie!
This movie has it all...Kung fu, Kurt Russel, Chinese culture, hamming actors...the perfect no-budget film!
If you want to do Indiana Jones, please do Lost Ark and Temple of Doom
This is the kind of movie you introduce friends to. While they are overwhelmed you can get more than your share of the pizza.
One of my all time favourite movies, I've been quoting it since I first saw it as a wean in the early 90's.
thats the same set at the end of the movie that is in the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Check it out
Wang is the hero Jack is the sidekick
This was the inspiration for Mortal kombat
Unfotunately you guys had to cut my favorite joke/one liner out. Jack to Egg Shin. "how did you get up there?" Egg: Wasn't easy!" I say this almost every time someone asks me how I did something.