9 Reasons Why Big Trouble In Little China Is Still Awesome

It’s all in the reflexes...

Big Trouble In Little China Kurt Russell
Fox

Big Trouble In Little China: the movie that shattered box office recor oh … no, wait a minute. Big Trouble In Little China: the movie that earned universal praise from criti … nope, not that one either. The movie that launched Kurt Russell’s caree …. hmmm, hold on, just give me a second, I’ve got this one. Big Trouble In Little China: the movie that just bloody well rocks.

From magic to Kung fu, adventure to horror, and with a hint of (b)romance for good measure, BTiLC is one of the best movies of all time. Not just one of the best genre films, one of the best films. A bold statement, yes, but a justifiable one.

Now, for clarity’s sake, I should point out that I’m not saying that it should have won Oscars or anything ridiculous like that. It’s a popcorn movie, plain and simple, and I’m just saying that, for entertainment value (which surely is the primary purpose of any film), it has to be up there among the best.

I shouldn’t even have to convince you, but if I do (shame on you) here are nine reasons why Big Trouble in Little China is one of the best movies of all time:

9. It Reunites The Dream Team That Is John Carpenter And Kurt Russell

Big Trouble In Little China Kurt Russell
© Stephan Persch/dpa/Corbis

Big Trouble is Carpenter and Russell’s fourth collaboration, coming after Elvis (1979), Escape from New York (1981), and The Thing (1982). There was obviously a fifth collaboration in Escape From L.A. that came 10 years later, but the less said about that, the better.

When you have a chemistry and an understanding like that of Messrs Carpenter and Russell, movies and characters really come to life. Although Elvis was only an A.B.C. TV Movie it was critically well received.

Escape From New York is a cult classic and The Thing is rightly regarded as one of the greatest horror movies of all time. It just makes sense that these two geniuses would work together again. And thank goodness they did, because …

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