A movie within a movie, created to spoof the martial arts genre. Writer/director Steve Oedekerk uses contemporary characters and splices them into a 1970s kung-fu film, weaving the new and old together. As the main character, The Chosen One, Oedekerk sets off to avenge the deaths of his parents at the hands of kung-fu legend Master Pain. Along the way he encounters some strange characters.
Full of flatulence jokes and mild sexual references, Kung Pow! is the kind of movie that's critic-proof, simply because it aims so low.
– Edward Guthmann,
San Francisco Chronicle,
28 Jan 2002
rotten:
Kung Pow is Oedekerk's realization of his childhood dream to be in a martial-arts flick, and proves that sometimes the dreams of youth should remain just that.
– Melanie McFarland,
Seattle Times,
28 Jan 2002
rotten:
A processed comedy chop suey.
– Lisa Schwarzbaum,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Jan 2002
rotten:
Not since Freddy Got Fingered has a major release been so painful to sit through.
– Robert K. Elder,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Jul 2002
rotten:
Naturally, much fun is made of the poorly synchronized dialogue inherent in kung fu flicks, but the gag pales with repetition, especially since Billy Crystal and Robin Williams did it better years ago.