Ever find yourself twiddling your thumbs, or stretched out flat on your back just staring at the cracks in the ceiling and wondering what Life's really all about? I do and, just to break the routine, I decided to give HEAVEN AND HELL a look. What appears at first to be a cross between ROMEO AND JULIET and WEST SIDE STORY by way of HERCULES IN THE UNDERWORLD and every kung fu movie ever made, finally settles into a very theatrical underworld romp. David Chiang makes a cameo early on, but is quickly lost in the shuffle. At several points, HEAVEN AND HELL threatens to become an out and out musical (people lapse suddenly into song, and some mercifully brief dance numbers break out, but quickly subside). There is a series of very well done flashbacks showing how our five venoms- uh, heroes- came to be in Hell (though it's never explained why they ended up There, as all were innocent victims) before a series of long but much-needed martial arts slugfests with the Denizens of the Underworld. Fast forward to the good stuff, and you'll be okay.
Review of Shaolin Hellgate
