Coweb (2009)

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Although a fairly OK martial arts movie I believe there may have been a marketing flaw with this movie. The poster to the movie shows a "Ninja". Set in the background are old / classic style structures. With the tag line of "They are the perfect weapon" When watching the movie however it is set in the modern day. There is no "They" only one main protagonist fighter. No ninjas to speak off.The movie as I say is OK on its own merits as a Hong Kong style martial arts movie but due to some error along the line the wrong poster was attached to it.The action seems solid enough to hold your attention with a pretty good female lead. Which in movies like these, are always trying to show / prove that they can be as strong as their male counterparts. In doing so the female characters becomes arrogant the same way, but more a fault of the writing.No titillation here if that is what you are looking for as seen in many of the other action style movies with female leads, dressed in skimpy revealing clothing. Cheap tricks designed to distract you.I believe this movie was made mainly as a response to 2008's Chocolate. Still worth checking out in any case. A few of the fight scenes especially the one vs one fights do last a little longer than I would like, to show the skills of the cast maybe? As it is not based on the fantasy setup. No wire-work or anything like that, so actions and stunts done under their own steam.

The martial arts film seems to finally be making a comeback in the US market, but a far cry from the boom of the 80s and 90s. Most of the ones that still deliver come from the Asian film market and usually are slapped into a large scale period piece. Every so often you get one that feels more like an old school action film of the past, but a lot of time the action just doesn't live up to the hype. The latest to bring it into a more present day scenario is Ninja Masters but does it bring the action with it or will it be a quick knockout? Ninja Masters follows a martial arts instructor who is hired as a bodyguard for a powerful couple. When they are kidnapped on her watch, she sets out on a mission to get them back. As her search begins she is given cryptic messages leading her into the world of underground fighting and will have to fight her way to the top to save her clients and get out alive. First and foremost there needs to be a disclaimer on this film. The action is awesome and the story delivers, but there is not a single ninja or anything related to ninjas in this movie. Clearly this was an US release decision to capture audience's attention and will most likely work. That being said the fight scenes are so awesome here you will quickly care less if there are ninjas or not. Sure there are some silly moments and over the top action, but for the most part the story doesn't matter as you are taken on a video game like journey through one awesome fight after another that is sure to keep you entertained. It starts off a bit slow, but rest assured once things get going you will have a blast.This movie had the feeling of the old school martial arts films and works on just about every level. For the most part the actors all do a great job, but classic ninja movie fans will no doubt get a treat from seeing Kane Kosugi, son of Sho Kosugi, in action tearing up the scene at times even better than his legendary father. If you are a fan of old school martial arts films, then you will love Ninja Masters, just take the title as a nod to Kosugi and don't read into it and let yourself get in on the fun.

There is no doubt that Luxia Jiang is skilled in martial arts. If this movie intended to show us that fact than it has served it's purpose nicely. Too bad that as a viewer I demand much more. Movies like this should contain exciting fight scenes. While there were nice moments that made me admire Luxia I had real trouble in watching these fight sequences. For some reason it was very hard to keep watching. The editing was sloppy to say the least and the background music ruined almost every scene that it was used in. Now I can understand that most of this can be blamed on the director's inexperience. But wasn't there anybody involved who could have told him that he was doing a bad job. And did everything had to be so serious. This movie could have used some comic relief. I also want to add something about a comment made by one of the reviewers on this site. In which was commented that this movie delivered on what Hong Kong golden age directors failed to do with their female talent. Even the worst movies in the girls of guns genre (eighties and nineties) pulled more punches than this one. And believe me I have seen a lot. Coweb is filled with action and stunts. And I hate to say but in this case it is not a good thing. Because it gets very tiring to see Luxia doing the same kick over and over again without having it some effect on the guy/woman that gets kicked. There was this one fight where Luxia had to fight another woman which mostly consisted of these women spinning around without hitting each other once. Looked very silly to me. Talk about failing to use the female talent available!

Female martial arts teacher is hired by an old friend to act as a bodyguard for his boss. When the unthinkable happens and he is kidnapped, she finds that she has to fight a series of martial artists in order to get him back. What she is unaware of is that her battles are being filmed and bet on by a combat website.One of several recent martial arts films that seem to have been released recently in Asia with a female lead. In the video store that I frequent this was touted less highly then a film called Raging Phoenix, which I was assured was the next big thing, To me Phoenix was a bust, this supposedly "lesser" film however greatly impressed me.I'll tell you straight the plot isn't very good. Its merely the excuse for the action sequences. The action sequences on the other hand are great. They are fast moving and realistic. They lift what would be a merely mediocre film into the realm of the solidly good.If you want a film with a number of dynamite action sequences this is the place to start.