alexanderdavies-99382 I was expecting "Tai Chi Master" to be an entertaining and dramatic martial arts movie. Instead of which, I got to see a production where the script can't seem to decide if the film should be serious or more tongue in cheek. About halfway through, it's decides to keep the proceedings on a more serious note. Jet Li does his best to put on a more humorous performance but he's not in the league of Jackie Chan or Sammo Hung. The fight scenes are very good but that can only compromise for so much

Robin Turner As a t'ai chi player, I watched this film hoping to see a lot of t'ai chi (I'd already started running scenarios in my head where the brash young Jet Li learns t'ai chi from Michelle Yeoh). In this respect, and only in this respect, I was disappointed, as this is not a t'ai chi film but a story about how t'ai chi came to be. In every other respect, I was supremely satisfied. This is first class wuxia, alternating crazy fights with goofy humour, with a little tragedy and philosophy thrown in. Of course this mix will probably be insufferable to anyone who isn't into wuxia, but if you like the kind of martial arts films where combatants call out the name of the move they're about to do, you'll love this. Incidentally, you'll notice the inspiration for a fight in Charlie's Angels in one of the early scenes: "And this one's called knocking you on the head."

chaos-rampant Tai chi is a wonderful thing. I count myself fortunate that I was exposed to it through my experience with meditation, because deep down it is the same means of absorption. It can be a viable fighting art, though if your ass is on the line and you need quick fighting skills, you better join your nearest boxing or thai school.This film about it is a superb introduction. I'm not talking strictly about the story or the fighting itself, though the story is rousing and Jet Li is an artist at what he does. The story is of how the Shaolin monk Shanfeng according to legend came to originate taiji. When you see this, it helps to know that Sanfeng was most likely a fictional person invented for political reasons. And some of the wire-work is noticeably obvious, which only abets the air of artistic license and fictional disguise.No matter. In fact, I think a lot of the appeal of this is the contrast between superficial fabrications and deep truths, the contrast being strangely affirmative because both are modeled in the same way. It flows, hard to soft and back again.'Hard' - young Shanfeng adhering to the teachings and being pure of heart doesn't cut it, his friend -turned rival- beats him, loved ones perish. The world is cruel, you don't meet force with force.'Soft' - sudden enlightenment in the mountains, madness and gibberish as meditation, coupled with a series of visual meditation in the exercise doll centered low, spinning ball and transference by wave, all of which are also keen in-sights into taiji structure.And 'hard' again in the rousing finale where he defeats hordes of opponents - nevermind the far-fetched fiction, look for the noticeable transition in Jet Li from previous kung fu into now fluid motions, circular evasion and low stances.It works much better for me than Once Upon in China or the later Crouching Tiger, where again you will see Michelle Yeoh and a lot of taiji. The outer circle is what each of the two Shaolin boys chooses as his personal fate expressed through the action plot, and this is decided by the inner 'small' circle of cultivating the mind, and the change reflected in the change of dance in the movements of the body. Nice.

dr_spleenmeister This is one of the jewels of my Jet Li collection; the film is awesome in itself, but when Jet's character Junbo loses his mind it's the funniest piece of acting I've ever seen from him. Considering that most of his roles are serious, this is a welcome (and unexpected!) change in pace.The exchanges with the Tao dummy and the ducks especially had me in stitches. And where he mistakes a pole for his Sifu...well, just watch and you'll see what I mean.On that note, if you enjoy the humour in this film, then you'll also like 'The Legend 2'(region 2 title) with Jet and Josephine Siao.