Movie Review - The Paper Tigers - movie surpasses my expectations

[IndelibleDotInk]

Best movie I've seen all year. My dad took me and made my birthday day most excellent, lol.

Feelgood movie at the theater great after all this covid stuff? Check! (Don't worry, it's being streamed and available now on many platforms, but worth it if it's in your nearest theater...)

Badass martial arts choreography? Check!

LOL in the theater slapstick, situational comedy, witty remarks? Check!

Emotional father-son bonding moments to give IndelibleDotInk some embarrassing tear-wiping? Check!

Movie cast and crew making appearances and an open q&a session at the Hawaii screenings this past month? Check! What?! Bummer, I didn't know about this until today after I saw the movie, they had several meet and greets all through May.

So the opening credits (and best part of the movie, imo) show three young teens learning kung fu from their sifu. They're adept and go around in streetfights with students of different martial arts schools. It's the 90s so they have it on camcorder. They're known as the the 3 tigers. Movie cuts to the present and we find them on different life paths, not even in touch with each other, but their beloved teacher has died, and it brings them together again. Simple premise, excellent execution.

I would love to see a sequel that has much much more of their teenage ruffianism and what led up to their fallout with Sifu and each other. Also really pleased they could make such a quality movie on a low budget after Hollywood specifically said they wanted only a white actor as the main actor and less POC in the cast. They said 'shove it' and found alternate financing and much support donated by various asian organizations and made a superior movie. FYI I think the tigers are filipino, chinese, and african american.

I am gonna stream the movie now, recommend you do too.

update: watched it again and enjoyed it, but seeing in on the big screen was a real treat, added much more to it, esp. the sound, and on my laptop it was more obvious when they pulled punches. like I said, would love a sequel / prequel.