Pop Movee - It's about MOVIES!
  • PopMovee.com
  • New Movies By Year
    • New Movies - 2022 >
      • Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2022)
      • The Batman (2022)
      • The King's Man (2021)
      • Top Gun: Maverick (2021)
    • New Movies - 2021 >
      • A Quiet Place Part II (2021)
      • Candyman (2021)
      • Cosmic Sin (2021)
      • Dune (2021)
      • Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
      • Halloween Kills (2021)
      • Mortal Kombat (2021)
      • No Time To Die (James Bond 25) (2021)
      • Old (2021)
      • Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
      • The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
      • The Suicide Squad (2021)
  • Movie Database
    • Movie Reviews - 1970-1979 >
      • Movie Reviews - 1970
      • Movie Reviews - 1971 >
        • THX 1138 (1971)
      • Movie Reviews - 1972 >
        • Solaris (1972)
      • Movie Reviews - 1973 >
        • Don't Look Now (1973)
      • Movie Reviews - 1974 >
        • The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
      • Movie Reviews - 1975
      • Movie Reviews - 1976
      • Movie Reviews - 1977 >
        • Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
      • Movie Reviews - 1978
      • Movie Reviews - 1979 >
        • Alien (1979)
        • Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
    • Movie Reviews - 1980-1989 >
      • Movie Reviews - 1980 >
        • Flash Gordon (1980)
        • Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
        • The Shining (1980)
      • Movie Reviews - 1981 >
        • Escape From New York (1981)
        • Outland (1981)
        • Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
      • Movie Reviews - 1982 >
        • Conan The Barbarian (1982)
        • Poltergeist (1982)
        • Blade Runner (1982)
        • Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
      • Movie Reviews - 1983 >
        • Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)
        • The Keep (1983)
      • Movie Reviews - 1984 >
        • A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
        • Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom (1984)
        • Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984)
        • The Terminator (1984)
      • Movie Reviews - 1985 >
        • A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
        • Back to the Future (1985)
      • Movie Reviews - 1986 >
        • Aliens (1986)
        • Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
        • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
      • Movie Reviews - 1987 >
        • Angel Heart (1987)
        • Predator (1987)
        • Robocop (1987)
        • The Running Man (1987)
      • Movie Reviews - 1988 >
        • Red Heat (1988)
      • Movie Reviews - 1989 >
        • Batman (1989)
        • Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989)
        • Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
    • Movie Reviews - 1990-1999 >
      • Movie Reviews - 1990 >
        • Total Recall (1990)
      • Movie Reviews - 1991 >
        • Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
        • Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
      • Movie Reviews - 1992 >
        • Batman Returns (1992)
        • Reservoir Dogs (1992)
        • Split Second (1992)
      • Movie Reviews - 1993
      • Movie Reviews - 1994 >
        • Star Trek: Generations (1994)
      • Movie Reviews - 1995
      • Movie Reviews - 1996 >
        • Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
      • Movie Reviews - 1997 >
        • Alien: Resurrection (1997)
      • Movie Reviews - 1998 >
        • Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
      • Movie Reviews - 1999 >
        • Star Wars: Episode One - The Phantom Menace (1999)
        • The Matrix (1999)
    • Movie Reviews - 2010 >
      • Iron Man 2 (2010)
    • Movie Reviews - 2011 >
      • Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
      • Thor (2011)
      • X-Men: First Class (2011)
    • Movie Reviews - 2012 >
      • The Avengers (2012)
      • The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
    • Movie Reviews - 2013 >
      • Ender's Game (2013)
      • Gravity (2013)
      • Iron Man 3 (2013)
      • Man of Steel (2013)
      • Pacific Rim (2013)
      • Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
      • The Conjuring (2013)
      • World War Z (2013)
    • Movie Reviews - 2014 >
      • Annabelle (2014)
      • Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
      • Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
      • Dracula Untold (2014)
      • Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
      • Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
      • Godzilla (2014)
      • Hercules (2014)
      • Interstellar (2014)
      • Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
      • Jinn (2014)
      • John Wick (2014)
      • Robocop (2014)
      • Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)
      • The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro (2014)
      • The Equalizer (2014)
      • The Giver (2014)
      • The Maze Runner (2014)
      • These Final Hours (2014)
      • Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
      • X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
    • Movie Reviews - 2015 >
      • Ant-Man (2015)
      • Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
      • Bridge of Spies (2015)
      • Chappie (2015)
      • Crimson Peak (2015)
      • Ex Machina (2015)
      • Fantastic Four (2015)
      • Furious 7 (2015)
      • Hitman: Agent 47 (2015)
      • Infini (2015)
      • Insurgent (2015)
      • Jupiter Ascending (2015)
      • Jurassic World (2015)
      • Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
      • Legend (2015)
      • Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
      • Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015)
      • Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
      • Monsters: Dark Continent (2015)
      • Pan (2015)
      • Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)
      • Project Almanac (2015)
      • San Andreas (2015)
      • Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015)
      • Self/less (2015)
      • Seventh Son (2015)
      • Sicario (2015)
      • Spectre - James Bond 24 (2015)
      • Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
      • Taken 3 (2015)
      • Terminator: Genisys (2015)
      • The Gallows (2015)
      • The Good Dinosaur (2015)
      • The Gunman (2015)
      • The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)
      • The Last Witch Hunter (2015)
      • The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
      • The Martian (2015)
      • The Revenant (2015)
      • The Transporter Refueled (2015)
      • The Vatican Tapes (2015)
      • The Visit (2015)
      • Tomorrowland (2015)
      • Unfriended (2015)
      • Victor Frankenstein (2015)
    • Movie Reviews - 2016 >
      • 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
      • 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)
      • Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)
      • Allegiant (2016)
      • Arrival (2016)
      • Bastille Day (2016)
      • Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
      • Ben-Hur (2016)
      • Blair Witch (2016)
      • Captain America: Civil War (2016)
      • Criminal (2016)
      • Deadpool (2016)
      • Doctor Strange (2016)
      • Don't Breathe (2016)
      • Eye In The Sky (2016)
      • Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
      • Ghostbusters (2016)
      • Gods of Egypt (2016)
      • Goosebumps (2016)
      • Hardcore Henry (2016)
      • Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)
      • Inferno (2016)
      • Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)
      • Jason Bourne (2016)
      • Lights Out (2016)
      • London Has Fallen (2016)
      • Mechanic: Resurrection (2016)
      • Midnight Special (2016)
      • Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
      • Money Monster (2016)
      • Morgan (2016)
      • Nerve (2016)
      • Observance (2016)
      • Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)
      • Pete's Dragon (2016)
      • Point Break (2016)
      • Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)
      • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
      • Scare Campaign (2016)
      • Star Trek Beyond (2016)
      • Suicide Squad (2016)
      • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)
      • The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
      • The BFG (2016)
      • The Conjuring 2 (2016)
      • The Fifth Wave (2016)
      • The Forest (2016)
      • The Hateful Eight (2016)
      • The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016)
      • The Jungle Book (2016)
      • The Legend of Tarzan (2016)
      • The Magnificent Seven (2016)
      • The Purge: Election Year (2016)
      • The Shallows (2016)
      • Triple 9 (2016)
      • Underworld: Blood Wars (2016)
      • Warcraft: The Beginning (2016)
      • X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
    • Movie Reviews - 2017 >
      • A Cure For Wellness (2017)
      • A Ghost Story (2017)
      • Alien: Covenant (2017)
      • American Assassin (2017)
      • American Made (2017)
      • A Monster Calls (2017)
      • Annabelle: Creation (2017)
      • Assassin's Creed (2017)
      • Atomic Blonde (2017)
      • Baby Driver (2017)
      • Beauty and The Beast (2017)
      • Berlin Syndrome (2017)
      • Better Watch Out (2017)
      • Blade of the Immortal (2017)
      • Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
      • Coco (2017)
      • Colossal (2017)
      • Flatliners (2017)
      • Free Fire (2017)
      • Geostorm (2017)
      • Get Out (2017)
      • Ghost In The Shell (2017)
      • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (2017)
      • Happy Death Day (2017)
      • It (2017)
      • It Comes At Night (2017)
      • John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
      • Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
      • Justice League (2017)
      • King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
      • Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
      • Kong: Skull Island (2017)
      • Life (2017)
      • Logan (2017)
      • Mother! (2017)
      • Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
      • Passengers (2017)
      • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
      • Power Rangers (2017)
      • Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017)
      • Rings (2017)
      • Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
      • Split (2017)
      • Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
      • Terminator 2: Judgement Day 3D (2017)
      • The Circle (2017)
      • The Dark Tower (2017)
      • The Fate of the Furious (2017)
      • The Greatest Showman (2017)
      • The Great Wall (2017)
      • The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
      • The Mummy (2017)
      • The Snowman (2017)
      • The Space Between Us (2017)
      • The Wall (2017)
      • Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
      • Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
      • War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
      • Wind River (2017)
      • Wonder Woman (2017)
      • Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)
      • xXx Return of Xander Cage (2017)
    • Movie Reviews - 2018 >
      • 2:22 (2018)
      • Alpha (2018)
      • Annihilation (2018)
      • Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
      • Aquaman (2018)
      • A Quiet Place (2018)
      • Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
      • A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
      • Bad Times At The El Royale (2018)
      • Black Panther (2018)
      • Blumhouse's Truth or Dare (2018)
      • Bumblebee (2018)
      • Deadpool 2 (2018)
      • Den of Thieves (2018)
      • Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
      • Game Night (2018)
      • Ghost Stories (2018)
      • Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018)
      • Gringo (2018)
      • Halloween (2018)
      • Hotel Transylvania 3 (2018)
      • Hunter Killer (2018)
      • Incredibles 2 (2018)
      • Insidious: The Last Key (2018)
      • Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
      • Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018)
      • Mile 22 (2018)
      • Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
      • Mortal Engines (2018)
      • Mute (2017)
      • Pacific Rim Uprising (2018)
      • Pitch Perfect 3 (2018)
      • Proud Mary (2018)
      • Rampage (2018)
      • Ready Player One (2018)
      • Red Sparrow (2018)
      • Robin Hood (2018)
      • Searching (2018)
      • Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)
      • Skyscraper (2018)
      • Slender Man (2018)
      • Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
      • Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
      • Suspiria (2018)
      • The 15:17 to Paris (2018)
      • The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)
      • The Commuter (2018)
      • The Darkest Minds (2018)
      • The Endless (2018)
      • The Equalizer 2 (2018)
      • The First Purge (2018)
      • The Gateway (2018)
      • The Girl In The Spider's Web (2018)
      • The Happytime Murders (2018)
      • The House With A Clock In Its Walls (2018)
      • The Meg (2018)
      • The Nun (2018)
      • The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)
      • The Predator (2018)
      • The Shape of Water (2018)
      • Tomb Raider (2018)
      • Unfriended: Dark Web (2018)
      • Unsane (2018)
      • Upgrade (2018)
      • Venom (2018)
      • Winchester: The House That Ghosts Built (2018)
    • Movie Reviews - 2019 >
      • Ad Astra (2019)
      • Aladdin (2019)
      • Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
      • Angel Has Fallen (2019)
      • Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
      • Avengers: Endgame (2019)
      • Black Christmas (2019)
      • Brightburn (2019)
      • Captain Marvel (2019)
      • Cats (2019)
      • Charlie's Angels (2019)
      • Child's Play (2019)
      • Cold Pursuit (2019)
      • Doctor Sleep (2019)
      • Dumbo (2019)
      • Freaks (2019)
      • Frozen II (2019)
      • Gemini Man (2019)
      • Glass (2019)
      • Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
      • Greta (2019)
      • Happy Death Day 2 U (2019)
      • Hellboy (2019)
      • Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
      • It: Chapter Two (2019)
      • John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)
      • Joker (2019)
      • Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
      • Knives Out (2019)
      • Ma (2019)
      • Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)
      • Men In Black: International (2019)
      • Midsommar (2019)
      • Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
      • Pet Sematary (2019)
      • Rambo: Last Blood (2019)
      • Ready Or Not (2019)
      • Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
      • Shazam! (2019)
      • Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
      • Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
      • Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
      • The Addams Family (2019)
      • The Curse of the Weeping Woman (2019)
      • The Dead Don't Die (2019)
      • The Kid Who Would Be King (2019)
      • The Kitchen (2019)
      • The Lego Movie: The Second Part (2019)
      • The Lion King (2019)
      • The Mule (2019)
      • Toy Story 4 (2019)
      • Us (2019)
      • X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)
      • Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)
    • Movie Reviews - 2020 >
      • 1917 (2020)
      • Artemis Fowl (2020)
      • Bad Boys For Life (2020)
      • Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emanicipation of One Harley Quinn (2020)
      • Bloodshot (2020)
      • Dolittle (2020)
      • Fantasy Island (2020)
      • Midway (2020)
      • Mulan (2020)
      • Onward (2020)
      • Spies In Disguise (2020)
      • Tenet (2020)
      • The Call of the Wild (2020)
      • The Grudge (2020)
      • The Invisible Man (2020)
      • The Lighthouse (2020)
      • The Lodge (2020)
      • The New Mutants (2020)
      • The Rhythm Section (2020)
      • The Woman In The Window (2020)
      • Underwater (2020)
      • Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
  • About Pop Movee
    • Contribute to Pop Movee
    • Pop Movee Email News
    • Pop Movee Club

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (1986) MOVIE NEWS & REVIEW

Big-Trouble-in-Little-China-movie-1986-poster

big trouble in little china (1986) movie

Genre              |   Fantasy Adventure
Classification   |   M
Running time   |   99 minutes
Released         |   2 July 1986 

cast

Kurt Russell ... Jack Burton
Kim Cattrall ... Gracie Law
Dennis Dun ... Wang Chi
James Hong ... David Lo Pan
Victor Wong ... Egg Shen
Kate Burton ... Margo
Donald Li ... Eddie Lee
Carter Wong ... Thunder
Peter Kwong ... Rain
​James Pax ... Lightning

director

John Carpenter

writer

Gary Goldman ... (written by) &
David Z. Weinstein ... (written by)
 
W.D. Richter ... (adaptation)

cinematographer

Dean Cundey ​

music

​John Carpenter
Alan Howarth

film editor

​Steve Mirkovich
Mark Warner
Edward A. Warschilka

box office result

Worldwide             $​​​​​​​​​11,100,000
Australia                 $​​​​​​ not available
North America       $​​​​​​​​​11,100,000

movie minutiae

​John Carpenter envisioned the film as an inverse of traditional scenarios in action films with a Caucasian protagonist helped by a minority sidekick. Jack Burton, despite his bravado, is constantly portrayed as rather bumbling; in one fight sequence he even knocks himself unconscious before the fight begins. Wang Chi, on the other hand, is constantly portrayed as highly skilled and competent.
This was the last studio film that John Carpenter worked on at the end of the 1980s, due to various problems he experienced during the production of the film, with then studio head Lawrence Gordon, who constantly interfered with the film up until its release date. Carpenter's two follow-ups PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1987) and THEY LIVE (1988) were made independently via Alive Films, without any studio interference, and distributed by Universal Pictures.
John Carpenter and Kurt Russell explain on the audio commentary that the test screening was so overwhelmingly positive, that both of them expected it to be a big hit. However, 20th Century Fox put little into promoting the movie, and it ended up being a box-office bomb. In addition, the film was released in the midst of the hype for ALIENS (1986), which was released sixteen days afterwards. However, it went on to be a huge cult hit through home video. Carpenter and Russell explained that the reason the studio did little to promote the film, was because they simply didn't know how to promote it.

related movies

They-Live-movie-1988-poster
THY LIVE (1988)

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (1986) MOVIE IMAGES

Images
Posters
Images
Big-Trouble-in-Little-China-movie-1986-image
Big-Trouble-in-Little-China-movie-1986-image
Big-Trouble-in-Little-China-movie-1986-image
Posters
Big-Trouble-in-Little-China-movie-1986-poster

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (1986) STORY SYNOPSIS

​Kurt Russell plays hard-boiled truck driver Jack Burton, who gets caught in a bizarre conflict within, and underneath, San Francisco's Chinatown. An ancient Chinese prince and Chinatown crime lord has kidnapped a beautiful green-eyed woman, who is the fiancee to Jack's best friend. Jack must help his friend rescue the girl before the evil Lo Pan uses her to break the ancient curse that keeps him a fleshless and immortal spirit.

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (1986) MOVIE REVIEW

Reviewed by Mark Geraghty   |   Review date 2July 2016
​​Pop Movee Rating
Pop-Movee-Film-Review-three-and-a-half-star-rating-image

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA is John Carpenter’s ninth feature film and his fourth collaboration with Kurt Russell as his leading man. The film was something of a risk for 20th Century Fox, the film’s financing studio; as the Kung-Fu mash-up film was not a genre that had broken into collective consciousness of mainstream movie-goers.

John Carpenter has stated in the years that followed that he was well supported by the studio during the film’s production but felt the marketing allowance cap imposed by Fox ($3 million) resulted in poor awareness of its release. Of Carpenter’s 15 feature films that have had box office results tracked, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA ranks at Number 12, with an inflation-adjusted lifetime total of $25.6 million. The film’s disappointing result was reflected in Carpenter’s decision to move away from studio-financed films for the remainder of his directing career.

If the cerebral cortex of BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA is all about the Kung-Fu/Action mash-up movie, then its heart is all about how much Comedy can be pumped into the mash-up mix. The viewer gets a sense of this in the opening sequence with Kurt Russell’s Jack Burton on the CB radio as he wheels his rig across the Golden Gate Bridge and into the heart of San Francisco; specifically Chinatown.

Jack is a loud-mouth “know-it-all” who really knows very little and, as his interactions with his Chinese buddies early in the film demonstrate, is always trying to catch-up with what just happened. His know-nothing approach sees him become the punchline of many of the film’s visual gags. Burton was originally written as a Cowboy and the story took place in 1880s San Francisco, but the period setting of Gary Goldman and David Weinstein’s version proved a narrative challenge, as the clash of Kung-Fu, Action, Fantasy and Comedy genres in a Western setting was deemed too complex by Fox.

W.D. Richter (who had just come off directing another cult classic, THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION (1984)) was brought into to completely rewrite the screenplay and he started by setting the story in modern day San Francisco. This decision made the story more accessible to a broader audience, but was still risky.

With the script rewritten, Carpenter took it upon himself to invert audience preconceptions of how his characters should act. Burton’s general incompetence is not what is commonly associated with a film’s leading character and Kurt Russell puts himself “out there” for the whole film, as does Dennis Dun, whose character Wang Chi actually turns out to be the hero of the movie.

Likewise, Kim Catrall’s Gracie Law is no damsel in distress. Carpenter’s decision to cast Catrall and have her play smart and tough was a concern for Fox because the actress was largely known to audiences as the howling Miss Honeywell in the R-rated teen comedy PORKY'S (1981). However, her turn as Karen Thompson in another classic comedy, POLICE ACADEMY (1984), demonstrated that she had all the elements required to bring Carpenter’s vision of Gracie Law to life.

The predominantly Asian cast all threw themselves into proceedings with a fair amount of gusto, with veteran character actors like James Hong (as the villainous Lo Pan) and Victor Wong (as Egg Shen) filling key supporting roles. In terms of Action actors, Carpenter cast Carter Wong, Peter Kwong and James Pax as Thunder, Rain & Lightning respectively; three supernatural beings Lo Pan uses to do his bidding throughout the movie.

One of the real highlights of BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA is the set design. Veteran Art Director John Lloyd served as the film’s overall Production Designer, with Oscar-winner George R. Nelson looking after the set decoration. The presentation of both the interior and exterior of the Chinatown sets, especially Lo Pan’s labyrinthian lair, allow Carpenter and long-time cinematography collaborator Dean Cundey to create great atmosphere and  leave the characters in doubt that they have entered some kind of parallel reality where mysticism and magic are the order of the day.

Another element that really differentiates BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA is its costume design...

Costume Designer April Ferry came up with unique designs based on traditional Chinese garments for each of the main Asian characters. Her creation for Lightning, with his over-sized conical hat, and Lo Pan’s traditional green and red Dragon garment (and high hat) make both characters instantly memorable. Ferry was also responsible for finding Jack Burton’s Fu Manchu tank top; a costume item that has gone on to have a life of its own outside of the movie!

Does BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA get it right all the time?

No...

One of the film’s biggest drawbacks is its visual effects. By comparison to other movies of that era, many of the visual effects look cheap. Richard Edlund’s Boss Films provided the bulk of the effects shots for the film, but the $2 million allocated in the budget was barely enough get what was required, let alone delivering above-average effects that lifted the overall standard of the movie.

One of the other problems with BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA is the ambiguous relationship between Jack and Gracie. Carpenter decides to allow his “hero” to walk away from a chance with the girl whom he has spent half the movie trying to rescue. It’s an interesting choice for the character but is consistent with the perception Carpenter has created for the audience that Jack is too full of his own opinion to see when he’s got something (or someone, in this case) great staring him in the face. The problem his decision creates, in terms of the viewer’s contexting of the story to their own reality, is that it not only makes him look dumb, but it undermines audience expectation for satisfaction.

Whether film-makers like it or not, narrative and plot conventions play a large role in whether or not a viewer walks away satisfied with the outcome of a film. It’s fine to be determined to “honour your vision”, but an uncompromising approach, such as the one Carpenter took on BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, reduces opportunity for critical and commercial success.

​​Perhaps this is why BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA finlly found an audience beyond its cinematic release...

The home entertainment experience is much more forgiving of marginal, uncompromising and “different” material, as the investment (intellectual, emotional & financial) is less demanding.

The act of getting into your car and driving to a cinema to see a movie is a calculated judgement where audiences regard an excellent ending as a prerequisite to their enjoyment. Anything less and the contagion that is “word-of-mouth” spreads quickly.

Renting a video for a night in (as it was back in the late 1980s) was far easier in every way. While it was a different movie for its time, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA had the advantage of having a reasonably well-known star, a reasonably well-known Director and an up-and-coming leading actress when it was first released onto the home entertainment market...

It was an easy choice to pick-up off the video store shelf and take home to watch at leisure over a 24 hour new release rental period. This goes a long way to explaining how and why the movie’s reputation has grown over the years since its release.

Some movies find their audience straight away.

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA didn’t at first, but it certainly has in the decades since it was first released.

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (1986) USEFUL LINKS


​Big Trouble in Little China - Wikipedia
​
Big Trouble in Little China (1986) - IMDb
​
​Big Trouble in Little China (1986) - Rotten Tomatoes

digital updates delivered

    don't have time to surf the net for hours?

    Get the next level in movie news & reviews!

    popmovee news & reviews delivered to your inbox! 

Send me PopMOVEE news & reviews!

facebook

instagram

connect with the pop movee website...

Picture

pop movee store

Picture

movie database

Picture

subscribe for news

Picture

​join the movee club


MORE movie reviews...

The-Suicide-Squad-movie-2021-poster
Cosmic-Sin-movie-2021-poster
Old-movie-2021-poster
The-Imvisible-Man-movie-2020-poster

stay in touch with popmovee

© COPYRIGHT 2017. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • PopMovee.com
  • New Movies By Year
    • New Movies - 2022 >
      • Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2022)
      • The Batman (2022)
      • The King's Man (2021)
      • Top Gun: Maverick (2021)
    • New Movies - 2021 >
      • A Quiet Place Part II (2021)
      • Candyman (2021)
      • Cosmic Sin (2021)
      • Dune (2021)
      • Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
      • Halloween Kills (2021)
      • Mortal Kombat (2021)
      • No Time To Die (James Bond 25) (2021)
      • Old (2021)
      • Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
      • The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
      • The Suicide Squad (2021)
  • Movie Database
    • Movie Reviews - 1970-1979 >
      • Movie Reviews - 1970
      • Movie Reviews - 1971 >
        • THX 1138 (1971)
      • Movie Reviews - 1972 >
        • Solaris (1972)
      • Movie Reviews - 1973 >
        • Don't Look Now (1973)
      • Movie Reviews - 1974 >
        • The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
      • Movie Reviews - 1975
      • Movie Reviews - 1976
      • Movie Reviews - 1977 >
        • Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
      • Movie Reviews - 1978
      • Movie Reviews - 1979 >
        • Alien (1979)
        • Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
    • Movie Reviews - 1980-1989 >
      • Movie Reviews - 1980 >
        • Flash Gordon (1980)
        • Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
        • The Shining (1980)
      • Movie Reviews - 1981 >
        • Escape From New York (1981)
        • Outland (1981)
        • Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
      • Movie Reviews - 1982 >
        • Conan The Barbarian (1982)
        • Poltergeist (1982)
        • Blade Runner (1982)
        • Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
      • Movie Reviews - 1983 >
        • Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)
        • The Keep (1983)
      • Movie Reviews - 1984 >
        • A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
        • Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom (1984)
        • Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984)
        • The Terminator (1984)
      • Movie Reviews - 1985 >
        • A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
        • Back to the Future (1985)
      • Movie Reviews - 1986 >
        • Aliens (1986)
        • Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
        • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
      • Movie Reviews - 1987 >
        • Angel Heart (1987)
        • Predator (1987)
        • Robocop (1987)
        • The Running Man (1987)
      • Movie Reviews - 1988 >
        • Red Heat (1988)
      • Movie Reviews - 1989 >
        • Batman (1989)
        • Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989)
        • Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
    • Movie Reviews - 1990-1999 >
      • Movie Reviews - 1990 >
        • Total Recall (1990)
      • Movie Reviews - 1991 >
        • Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
        • Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
      • Movie Reviews - 1992 >
        • Batman Returns (1992)
        • Reservoir Dogs (1992)
        • Split Second (1992)
      • Movie Reviews - 1993
      • Movie Reviews - 1994 >
        • Star Trek: Generations (1994)
      • Movie Reviews - 1995
      • Movie Reviews - 1996 >
        • Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
      • Movie Reviews - 1997 >
        • Alien: Resurrection (1997)
      • Movie Reviews - 1998 >
        • Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
      • Movie Reviews - 1999 >
        • Star Wars: Episode One - The Phantom Menace (1999)
        • The Matrix (1999)
    • Movie Reviews - 2010 >
      • Iron Man 2 (2010)
    • Movie Reviews - 2011 >
      • Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
      • Thor (2011)
      • X-Men: First Class (2011)
    • Movie Reviews - 2012 >
      • The Avengers (2012)
      • The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
    • Movie Reviews - 2013 >
      • Ender's Game (2013)
      • Gravity (2013)
      • Iron Man 3 (2013)
      • Man of Steel (2013)
      • Pacific Rim (2013)
      • Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
      • The Conjuring (2013)
      • World War Z (2013)
    • Movie Reviews - 2014 >
      • Annabelle (2014)
      • Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
      • Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
      • Dracula Untold (2014)
      • Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
      • Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
      • Godzilla (2014)
      • Hercules (2014)
      • Interstellar (2014)
      • Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
      • Jinn (2014)
      • John Wick (2014)
      • Robocop (2014)
      • Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)
      • The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro (2014)
      • The Equalizer (2014)
      • The Giver (2014)
      • The Maze Runner (2014)
      • These Final Hours (2014)
      • Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
      • X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
    • Movie Reviews - 2015 >
      • Ant-Man (2015)
      • Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
      • Bridge of Spies (2015)
      • Chappie (2015)
      • Crimson Peak (2015)
      • Ex Machina (2015)
      • Fantastic Four (2015)
      • Furious 7 (2015)
      • Hitman: Agent 47 (2015)
      • Infini (2015)
      • Insurgent (2015)
      • Jupiter Ascending (2015)
      • Jurassic World (2015)
      • Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
      • Legend (2015)
      • Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
      • Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015)
      • Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
      • Monsters: Dark Continent (2015)
      • Pan (2015)
      • Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)
      • Project Almanac (2015)
      • San Andreas (2015)
      • Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015)
      • Self/less (2015)
      • Seventh Son (2015)
      • Sicario (2015)
      • Spectre - James Bond 24 (2015)
      • Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
      • Taken 3 (2015)
      • Terminator: Genisys (2015)
      • The Gallows (2015)
      • The Good Dinosaur (2015)
      • The Gunman (2015)
      • The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)
      • The Last Witch Hunter (2015)
      • The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
      • The Martian (2015)
      • The Revenant (2015)
      • The Transporter Refueled (2015)
      • The Vatican Tapes (2015)
      • The Visit (2015)
      • Tomorrowland (2015)
      • Unfriended (2015)
      • Victor Frankenstein (2015)
    • Movie Reviews - 2016 >
      • 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
      • 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)
      • Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)
      • Allegiant (2016)
      • Arrival (2016)
      • Bastille Day (2016)
      • Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
      • Ben-Hur (2016)
      • Blair Witch (2016)
      • Captain America: Civil War (2016)
      • Criminal (2016)
      • Deadpool (2016)
      • Doctor Strange (2016)
      • Don't Breathe (2016)
      • Eye In The Sky (2016)
      • Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
      • Ghostbusters (2016)
      • Gods of Egypt (2016)
      • Goosebumps (2016)
      • Hardcore Henry (2016)
      • Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)
      • Inferno (2016)
      • Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)
      • Jason Bourne (2016)
      • Lights Out (2016)
      • London Has Fallen (2016)
      • Mechanic: Resurrection (2016)
      • Midnight Special (2016)
      • Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
      • Money Monster (2016)
      • Morgan (2016)
      • Nerve (2016)
      • Observance (2016)
      • Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)
      • Pete's Dragon (2016)
      • Point Break (2016)
      • Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)
      • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
      • Scare Campaign (2016)
      • Star Trek Beyond (2016)
      • Suicide Squad (2016)
      • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)
      • The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
      • The BFG (2016)
      • The Conjuring 2 (2016)
      • The Fifth Wave (2016)
      • The Forest (2016)
      • The Hateful Eight (2016)
      • The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016)
      • The Jungle Book (2016)
      • The Legend of Tarzan (2016)
      • The Magnificent Seven (2016)
      • The Purge: Election Year (2016)
      • The Shallows (2016)
      • Triple 9 (2016)
      • Underworld: Blood Wars (2016)
      • Warcraft: The Beginning (2016)
      • X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
    • Movie Reviews - 2017 >
      • A Cure For Wellness (2017)
      • A Ghost Story (2017)
      • Alien: Covenant (2017)
      • American Assassin (2017)
      • American Made (2017)
      • A Monster Calls (2017)
      • Annabelle: Creation (2017)
      • Assassin's Creed (2017)
      • Atomic Blonde (2017)
      • Baby Driver (2017)
      • Beauty and The Beast (2017)
      • Berlin Syndrome (2017)
      • Better Watch Out (2017)
      • Blade of the Immortal (2017)
      • Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
      • Coco (2017)
      • Colossal (2017)
      • Flatliners (2017)
      • Free Fire (2017)
      • Geostorm (2017)
      • Get Out (2017)
      • Ghost In The Shell (2017)
      • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (2017)
      • Happy Death Day (2017)
      • It (2017)
      • It Comes At Night (2017)
      • John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
      • Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
      • Justice League (2017)
      • King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
      • Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
      • Kong: Skull Island (2017)
      • Life (2017)
      • Logan (2017)
      • Mother! (2017)
      • Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
      • Passengers (2017)
      • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
      • Power Rangers (2017)
      • Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017)
      • Rings (2017)
      • Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
      • Split (2017)
      • Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
      • Terminator 2: Judgement Day 3D (2017)
      • The Circle (2017)
      • The Dark Tower (2017)
      • The Fate of the Furious (2017)
      • The Greatest Showman (2017)
      • The Great Wall (2017)
      • The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
      • The Mummy (2017)
      • The Snowman (2017)
      • The Space Between Us (2017)
      • The Wall (2017)
      • Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
      • Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
      • War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
      • Wind River (2017)
      • Wonder Woman (2017)
      • Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)
      • xXx Return of Xander Cage (2017)
    • Movie Reviews - 2018 >
      • 2:22 (2018)
      • Alpha (2018)
      • Annihilation (2018)
      • Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
      • Aquaman (2018)
      • A Quiet Place (2018)
      • Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
      • A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
      • Bad Times At The El Royale (2018)
      • Black Panther (2018)
      • Blumhouse's Truth or Dare (2018)
      • Bumblebee (2018)
      • Deadpool 2 (2018)
      • Den of Thieves (2018)
      • Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
      • Game Night (2018)
      • Ghost Stories (2018)
      • Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018)
      • Gringo (2018)
      • Halloween (2018)
      • Hotel Transylvania 3 (2018)
      • Hunter Killer (2018)
      • Incredibles 2 (2018)
      • Insidious: The Last Key (2018)
      • Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
      • Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018)
      • Mile 22 (2018)
      • Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
      • Mortal Engines (2018)
      • Mute (2017)
      • Pacific Rim Uprising (2018)
      • Pitch Perfect 3 (2018)
      • Proud Mary (2018)
      • Rampage (2018)
      • Ready Player One (2018)
      • Red Sparrow (2018)
      • Robin Hood (2018)
      • Searching (2018)
      • Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)
      • Skyscraper (2018)
      • Slender Man (2018)
      • Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
      • Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
      • Suspiria (2018)
      • The 15:17 to Paris (2018)
      • The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)
      • The Commuter (2018)
      • The Darkest Minds (2018)
      • The Endless (2018)
      • The Equalizer 2 (2018)
      • The First Purge (2018)
      • The Gateway (2018)
      • The Girl In The Spider's Web (2018)
      • The Happytime Murders (2018)
      • The House With A Clock In Its Walls (2018)
      • The Meg (2018)
      • The Nun (2018)
      • The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)
      • The Predator (2018)
      • The Shape of Water (2018)
      • Tomb Raider (2018)
      • Unfriended: Dark Web (2018)
      • Unsane (2018)
      • Upgrade (2018)
      • Venom (2018)
      • Winchester: The House That Ghosts Built (2018)
    • Movie Reviews - 2019 >
      • Ad Astra (2019)
      • Aladdin (2019)
      • Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
      • Angel Has Fallen (2019)
      • Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
      • Avengers: Endgame (2019)
      • Black Christmas (2019)
      • Brightburn (2019)
      • Captain Marvel (2019)
      • Cats (2019)
      • Charlie's Angels (2019)
      • Child's Play (2019)
      • Cold Pursuit (2019)
      • Doctor Sleep (2019)
      • Dumbo (2019)
      • Freaks (2019)
      • Frozen II (2019)
      • Gemini Man (2019)
      • Glass (2019)
      • Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
      • Greta (2019)
      • Happy Death Day 2 U (2019)
      • Hellboy (2019)
      • Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
      • It: Chapter Two (2019)
      • John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)
      • Joker (2019)
      • Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
      • Knives Out (2019)
      • Ma (2019)
      • Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)
      • Men In Black: International (2019)
      • Midsommar (2019)
      • Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
      • Pet Sematary (2019)
      • Rambo: Last Blood (2019)
      • Ready Or Not (2019)
      • Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
      • Shazam! (2019)
      • Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
      • Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
      • Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
      • The Addams Family (2019)
      • The Curse of the Weeping Woman (2019)
      • The Dead Don't Die (2019)
      • The Kid Who Would Be King (2019)
      • The Kitchen (2019)
      • The Lego Movie: The Second Part (2019)
      • The Lion King (2019)
      • The Mule (2019)
      • Toy Story 4 (2019)
      • Us (2019)
      • X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)
      • Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)
    • Movie Reviews - 2020 >
      • 1917 (2020)
      • Artemis Fowl (2020)
      • Bad Boys For Life (2020)
      • Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emanicipation of One Harley Quinn (2020)
      • Bloodshot (2020)
      • Dolittle (2020)
      • Fantasy Island (2020)
      • Midway (2020)
      • Mulan (2020)
      • Onward (2020)
      • Spies In Disguise (2020)
      • Tenet (2020)
      • The Call of the Wild (2020)
      • The Grudge (2020)
      • The Invisible Man (2020)
      • The Lighthouse (2020)
      • The Lodge (2020)
      • The New Mutants (2020)
      • The Rhythm Section (2020)
      • The Woman In The Window (2020)
      • Underwater (2020)
      • Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
  • About Pop Movee
    • Contribute to Pop Movee
    • Pop Movee Email News
    • Pop Movee Club