Format:DVD
Studio: Golden Harvest
Date:2001
Catch Phrase:"Thousands will fight. One will survive."


What the box says:In the tradition of MORTAL KOMBAT, Extreme Challenge is the largest martial arts competition in history. Hundreds of fighters from all over the world, including, champion Ian Maxfield (Paul Rapovski of MUTANT X and RELIC HUNTER), female competitor Tang Ning, and two classmates Fang Jin and Kuang Kin, will compete for the five million dollar prize.


What I say about the box:I'm glad I didn't go by that description when looking to buy the movie. It does not go into any interesting details about the movie. The two main factors that persuaded me to buy the movie were the pictures on the package and it says on the front: "From the producer of TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES"! Seeing as that movie is one of my all-time favorites, I could not resist buying this one.


My review:As the box said, this is about an extreme fighting contest. Sure most of the fighters are looking to win the money, but the main characters (Tang Ning, and Kuang Kin) are different. Tang Ning is looking to prove herself and use the competition as a springboard to open a chain of martial arts schools. As for Kuang Kin, he wants to show his training colleague from the past that he is the better fighter. Ian Maxfield seems to be interested in only money, but as the movie goes on we see a whole different side to him. What I like most about this movie is that it is free of garbage (guns, sexuality, etc) and focuses on martial arts action with a bit of story to back it up. The fighting scenes are great with a mixture of close ups, wide angle shots, and a few special effects. The scenes are also fast paced with the fighters doing quick and spectacular moves. In my opinion, the story had some good elements to it with a number of surprises and emotional aspects. Sure it is on the "martial arts story" level, but that doesn't mean it is bad to action fans. At the end of the movie it said "To most, the tournament was a test of strategy and technique. But to a few, it was a confirmation of personal honor.

In summary, a good movie with excellent fighting scenes. Some may say the story is bad, but I think the opposite is true.