9 Reasons Why Big Trouble In Little China Is Still Awesome

Sequels, prequels, reboots and remakes. So often good, original movies get besmirched by these pointless efforts. With Carpenter and Russell’s back catalogue in mind, you only have to look at Escape from L.A., which never came close to the heights of EFNY. There’s The Thing (2011), which tried in vain to capture the essence of the 1984 version (which was a remake itself, ironically), and Forrest Gump, where Russell reprised the role of Elvis to show the real origin of the King’s funky dance. Oh, wait, that wasn’t a sequel? Huh, go figure.

So it is incredibly refreshing to know that, to date, BTiLC is a standalone piece of brilliance. No sequels, no prequels. And let’s just hope that the rumoured remake starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson never gets off the ground. To quote Egg Shen: “You leave Jack Burton alone!”

But even if it does happen, it will undoubtedly fail in the same way Robocop, Point Break, Total Recall and countless others have, never managing to come close to eclipsing the original. And like the others, it will fade into obscurity, leaving the original masterpiece to receive the praise and plaudits it rightfully deserves.

Although once upon a time I could potentially have been intrigued by a movie that explored Egg Shen and Lo Pan's back story, and despite the movie’s teasing ending, BTiLC stands alone as one hour and thirty nine minutes of pure individuality, entertaining in its own inimitable fashion. Seriously, just try and show me another film that is anything like this one. And that is where the beauty lies.

Besides that, it’s all in the reflexes.