My favorite thing about BTILC is that it is a movie told from the sidekick's perspective, but that he thinks he's the hero. Not many movies are willing to do that.

Carpenter has a habit of making movies that are poorly received at first but then become beloved classics.

it's all in the reflexes.

"Is it a masterpiece?" Hell yes it is!!

Kurt Russell is one of Americas most underrated actors.

This movie actually holds a dear place in my heart. Being a mixed race Chinese American meant that my mother would introduce me to countless good Hong Kong action flicks, whilst my father would show me classic American films. This movie came along and allowed me to join both cultures together in a spectacular journey that I had yet seen done at that point in media.

I think part of what makes this film so good is how it uses Kurt Russel’s goofy Burton as an entryway to telling a story about Chinese folklore & legend that I feel we just don’t see enough here in the States. Also, without wishing to get “too political,” there’s something great to me about this being a film made in the West that has both a primarily Asian cast with an Asian lead (yes, I know about Burton, but the main joke is that Burton _thinks_ he’s the main character when he’s really the hero’s idiot sidekick) and an atmosphere & story that’s just _drenched_ in countless Eastern myths & legends.

And that's why I always wanted a Jack Burton and Ash Williams crossover movie. The Jaw Vs. The Chin.

As a kid I wanted to have the power of lightning so bad because of this lol

Kurt Russell and John Carpenter. Just awesome movies. No one captures mood and tone so exquisitely. The Thing, Escape from New York, They live, Halloween, this. Movie perfection.

I actually discovered this move in the summer of 87 at age 10 on Cinemax or HBO and the first thing that stood out to me at that early age was the fact that the hero was the side kick and the side kick was the hero. John Carpenter said in the DVD commentary that the critics didn't get the joke. They thought it was snake Blisken going to China town to kick ass. I love this movie because it lampoons the heroic macho American archetype and completely flips it on its head.

This flick is way, way better than it should be. I first saw it on television, and at the time I remembered something vaguely about my older brother talking about it or something from way back when. I had no real expectations. I couldn't believe it was so good: it was over-the-top cheesy, but in a way that owned it; it didn't celebrate it, it wasn't self-aware, but it ran with a ridiculous story with a straight face, and as it got crazier and crazier, I never felt my suspension of disbelief being tested. One thing that makes it work so well, IMO & all that, is that it starts small. It begins as a small story in a small section of a city, but expands to encompass grand stakes and a big mythology. It's believable, in a weird sort of way; watching it, I could believe there was this latent magical world waiting to explode. I doubt we'll ever see a better movie about a narcissistic trucker going down the rabbit hole. Too bad Hollywood decided to ruin it with a remake or whatever. More shaky-cam, cut-and-paste bullshit crapped out by an industry that's imagination impaired and creatively lazy. At some point, somebody has to come to grips with regression to the mean and start remaking terrible movies that should have been good. (Maybe somebody has, and I just don't know about it. Absolutely likely.) Again, IMO & all that. (Edited for typo)

Like I told my ex wife. I never drive faster than I can see!!

This movie F***ING RULES! It's one of the most fun and amazing cinema experiences you can have, and it is a shame it wasn't a huge hit back in its day.

One my favorite movies of all time. It's the funniest action movies of all time.

"Kurt Russell. If you're any kind of genre fan, you worship this guy already." I feel so exposed...and also, thankful, because now I need to watch this movie again. btw That comparison between Burton, Quill, and Sparrow was really well done. That edit caught me off guard. Hey, have you seen Bone Tomahawk? It's a fairly recent Kurt Russell film that flew under the radar. It's good, but it's not for the squeamish. I grew up watching gory shit but even I had trouble watching a couple of scenes from that movie.

Is it just me or were lightning effects better back then?

They really don't make films like this anymore. Carpenter hit such a stride in the 80's with gems like this and the thing plus they live. I discovered BTILC one night on hbo and instantly fell in love with it. Great video Rossatron, keep up the good work sir.

"May the wings of liberty never loose a feather". The quote of quotes.

Every line from Kurt is classic.

The Rock as the main character for Big Trouble in Little China sequel ? No thank !

I have always considered this to be a guilty pleasure, now that I'm quite old I consider this just like a delightful pleasure.

This is my favorite film of all time. It's not perfect, but it encapsulates an era for me of nostalgia. I can understand why it has a cult following. Thanks for the video, my dude. Yeah, it introduced some humor into action movies, like no other. The film took risks! If you did or did not like it, it was still beautiful. Fun.

Great video! I love this movie. You forgot to mention one thing, just how damn quotable this movie is: "Just remember what old Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big old storm right square in the eye and he says, 'Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it." "Which Lo Pan? Little old basket case on wheels or the ten foot tall roadblock?" Jack Burton: [speaking to Lo Pan] "Are you crazy… Is that your problem?"

There's never been a movie like this. It IS a masterpiece.

The 3 storms intro has got to be one of the coolest in movies.

I’ve watched it 500 + times and can nearly quote word for word. GOAT

Couldn’t agree more with you man. For me this is definitely the pinnacle of Carpenter’s style of movies, he’s got it all down perfectly and Kurt Russell gives his absolute best performance. I hadn’t thought about the influence of Jack Burton on Sparrow and Starlord but now you said it...damn!

This is one of those movies that you never get tired of watching. It's kind of like "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" of martial arts films.

Honestly, if you're gonna do a Big Trouble in Little China remake or a spiritual successor, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is not the best pick for Jack Burton or a Jack Burton type of hero. That role works better with someone like Chris Pratt or Ryan Reynolds. Someone like The Rock looks like he belongs in an 80's action movie like Commando, playing the unstoppable hero who can carve through an army of cannon fodder goons without breaking a sweat. Guys like Pratt and Reynolds, while no slouches in terms of action, can pass as someone who is way in over their heads and they should not be in any type of fight. Then again, why remake BTiLC when we've got the original on Blu-ray.

"Hollow?" "Hollow." "Fuck it!" 😎

i remember my mom showing me this movie during quarantine my senior year of high school. I fell in love with it immediately and I still rewatch it regularly, definitely my favorite movie I’ve ever seen

Has been so long since I've watched the movie as a kid, I think I'll do it again

just glad my mum loved kurt Russel and me and my brother had this on vhs we watched it all the time and still watch it now . classic

I've loved this film ever since I first saw it in the cinema in 86' , there's always a danger that movies from your childhood won't stand the test of time but Big Trouble in Little China just seems to age like a fine wine- superb

Yes, Jack Burton is clearly just a comic relief sidekick in the movie. Wang Chi is clearly the hero of the story, he has the girl that needs the rescuing, he is the one that fights the big bad boss at the end. While Jack Burton is just along for the ride and for comic relief, he is clearly just the sidekick, that doesn't know he's the sidekick.

Big Trouble In Little China has the right balance of action, adventure, fantasy, drama, and comedy.

I'm so glad I watched this in the theaters in 1986. Such an epic year for films!

This should have been a smash hit when it came out in 86. It's so fast paced, funny and action packed. Pretty much the perfect cinema going experience. Maybe it really was ahead of it's time but in any case it is yet another John Carpenter classic.

What sells it for me is that there are all these tiny details in sound, posturing, design and acting that don't usually come out when a film made from a single vision and come out on repeated viewing. You can see this was an actual 'team effort' where people enjoyed themselfs and it really makes the movie better for the sum of these parts.

A truly fantastic review of a truly fantastic movie! For me, this film is the apex of atmospheric action, sillyness and cameraderie of a whole series of different genres all mashed together for a simply wonderful feel and end result. And also, this is my number one movie of ALL. I know that sounds silly, but it really gives me everything I need. Not ONLY is this movie about a sidekick thinking he's the HERO, but for a budding star like Kurt Russell to agree to play him, is just astoninshing. I literally cannot think of anyone else with that kind of star material who would. As Rossatron says, "it works on so many levels". Simply THE best action-comedy ever made.

I loved this movie as a kid, and still love it to this day.

Other side notes what makes this movie so good is the score as soon as the movie starts the music kicks in with Jack driving down the highway.The music that was used when the gang showed up too steal away Wangs beloved girl with green eyes.The music with the thumping drums in the scence in the alleyway just so different and memorable and badass

Possibly my favorite movie. It’s just so special.

Just watched the movie. Loved it. One thing that I personally loved was the setting and random rooms they end up in. Gave me that goonies feeling. Freeing a bunch of random women, to then dive into a pool, through a tunnel, up a ladder. Really felt like an under ground maze.

my 2nd favorite John Carpenter movies of all time right up there with Escape from New York.

I'll tell you what makes it so good: When the armored samurai is attacking Jack, and he flips the knife in his boot while on his back, and impales the samurai. The fact he gets stuck like that and can't get the samurai off him, brings this movie to a whole other level. it's a stylistic 'realism' we don't see....or like when Jack tries to shoot, and he's safety's on. You don't see that in movies.

I got to see this at the Egyptian in Hollywood about 8 years ago, and Carpenter was there for a Q&A. Someone in the crowd asked about a sequel, and Carpenter's response was something like, "Why the hell would we make a sequel to a movie that didn't make any money in the first place?!" He then concluded the Q&A with, "I gotta go meet my drug dealer." LOL. I seriously have never had so much fun in a movie theater than I did that night.

Just remember what old Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big old storm right square in the eye and he says, 'Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it.

I'll never forget the first time I was this movie. had to be around 6-7 years old watching tv with my older brother and Dad flicking through channels in like 1999, when we stopped on this and my dad goes "Oh, youre gonna like this, I love this movie" and it's been a staple in our house since. used to rent it a lot at our local video store

I don't think they could remake this movie and top the original. It's the amazing cast that work with Kurt Russel that make this movie so memorable. Like the movie The Big Chill...an ensemble cast captures a moment in time that can not be re-created or topped very often. Great video and homage to this amazing movie, which I also re-watch quite regularly.

If I could like this video a thousand times, I would. You captured all that is great about this film.

It only recently occurred to me that the special effects in this film aged really well. Yeah they’re not spectacular, but considering the budget and the time period, they actually still look pretty damn good! And I agree, Kurt Russell and Dennis Dun had some awesome on-screen chemistry. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see these guys in more movies together. Still, this movie will forever be one of my all-time favorites!

Part of what why I love this movie is its confidence. A lot of movies now try to do the whole "self aware" thing, but it comes off more as insecure, as if the movie is not so sure of itself, and is afraid of being laughed at. Whereas this movie is just balls to the wall insane, and while Jack Burton is made to represent the audience's point of view, at no point in this movie does it seem to make fun of itself. This movie is really cocky, and it really gives off a "take it for what it is" kind of vibe, and that's kind of rare now.

I've never watched this assuming it was just corny garbage, but now I can't wait to go and watch it! it looks like a great way to waste a Saturday night with some beers and pizza.

I had the privilege of seeing a midnight showing of this in Vancouver what a blast

This is a great family movie too. Dad & son love it. Poster in the bedroom. Your review said it all especially Kurt Russell. His Jack Burton is funtastic.

I'm glad you made this video. A lot of people shit on this classic and I thought I was the only one who really loved it lol

For anyobdy worrying, producers confirmed that "Rock's" BTiLC going to be a sequel and that they want Kurt Russell to play Burton again.

Your comparison of Jack Burton to Peter Quill seems very fitting, considering he ended up playing Quill's father in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" sequel (which, of course, you're fully aware of). Your videos are great, Mr. Tron! :)

Everybody relax, I'm here....

This was a great take on one of my top 20 best films, if not, my top ten of all time. This film changed my life forever #80sChild "Have you paid your dues Jack?! Yes sir, the check is in the mail".

I've lost count of how many times I've watched this film. It's got everything I want from an entertaining movie. Action, drama, suspense, comedy, horror and romance, it's all there. I love how relatable Jack is, we are all guilty occasionally of thinking we're more capable than we really are, and watching Kurt Russell take that little human foible and turn it all the way up to 11 is just joyful.

I saw Big Trouble at the movie theater in Mobile Alabama. I was 16 and my brother was 14. We loved it . First DVD I bought.

The effects in BTILC were top notch. One of my favorite movies

"How'd you get up there?" "It wasn't easy."

It's a combination of taking itself very seriously, and not taking itself seriously. It reached a balance. If it were played straight, like any other movie of this quasi-genre, it wouldn't be as good. Indeed,

Dude, when they turn down that alley the rest of the movie is a trip for the imagination So cool

The first time I can remember being blown away by a martial arts sequence was the funeral/alley fight between the two clans. I don't know how old I was when I saw it but I was only eight when this movie came out.

Just remember what ol’ Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big ol’ storm right square in the eye and he says, “Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it.

"I was born ready".

The editing at 5:25 is so great dude. Big pat on the back for making such a fluid conversation of intercut clips from different movies.

This movie breaks every rule of exposition but it is so well acted that it works. Margo: "You mean the David Lo Pan that is chairman of the National Orient Bank, and owns the Wing Kong Import Export Trading Company, but who is so reclusive that no one's laid eyes on this guy for years?" Jack Burton: "Who the hell are you anyway?" Brilliant.

I LOVE THIS FILM. THEY GOT 80S VIBE!

I'm from Portugal and I remember renting this movie on a video store back 1991 those day's.

I remember renting this on VHS a looooong time ago. It blew our minds.

Don’t know how many times I have watched this movie. I even own the a limited edition of the movie poster signed by Drew Struzan.

Just found your channel and watched liked 6 videos in a row. Started off with Leathal Weapon to Terminator to Arnold to Predator, etc. etc. Your breakdown of it all is great! I’m now a subscriber! Keep it up!!👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

This was the perfect 80s film! Had every genre represented like the commentator says. Every decade has movies like this but after 2000 I haven't seen one that encapsulates an era as we are in post modernist, a historical times!

This movie had flawless comedic timing. Every joke or gag nails it on the head.

This is why I subscribe to and love your channel. I don’t need another video telling me what a classic Citizen Kane or Gone with the Wind is (I get it) I love how you celebrate the action genre in all its forms and remember how great some of those 80s action films are. I grew up in the 80s. I remember watching American Ninja, Predator and Big Trouble and thinking they were AMAZING. And I still do. Love you videos, keep them coming!

I love all the characters in this movie. Jack and Wang worked perfectly together.

Glad to hear that The Rock's BTILC is not a remake and they respect the original: “There’s a lot of things going on with [Big Trouble in Little China]. We are in the process of developing that, and let me tell you, the idea is not to actually remake Big Trouble in Little China. You can’t remake a classic like that, so what we’re planning to do is we’re going to continue the story. We’re going to continue the universe of Big Trouble in Little China. Everything that happened in the original exists and is standalone and I think there’s only one person that could ever play Jack Burton, so Dwayne would never try and play that character. So we are just having a lot of fun. We’re actually in a really great space with the story that we’ve cracked. But yeah, no remake. It is a continuation, and we are deep into development on that as well, and I think you’ll start hearing some things about that probably soon.”

I saw this for the first time a few years ago and absolutely loved it. I wish I could've seen it when I was a kid because I would've been obsessed with it, but better late than never! Great video Rossatron

I love it! This is my favourite movie and you've done a great job here. Good vibes Henry

“You were going to follow me Jack.” “I know. Then I came to my senses”.

5:20 "He's a 'Jack Sparrow', 'Peter Quill'"... Kurt Russell is channelling John Wayne.

This and Predator are the two movies I re-watched the most.

My favorite movie since I was a kid. JOHN CARPENTER is a wizard.

"I'm a reasonable guy but I've just experienced some unreasonable things".

This was one of my favorite movies. It's loads of fun. There are so many silly one liners. The check is in the mail is the most memorable one I think

One of my all time favorite movies. Loved watching it as a kid and love it as an adult too. It just keeps getting better. From wanting to be super powered warrior like the 3 storms, to just feeling tired of everyone's shit like ol' Jack Burton. This movie has something for everyone and yet it doesnt cater to any one. Thanks for the vid Rossatron.

One of my favorites. Thanks for making this!

I love this one!!! I’ve seen it quite a few times too. Always a blast!

Amazing video, as always, covering one of my favourite movies of all time. Great job

... and that my friends, perfectly describes why this film is legitimately my favorite film of all time. The story, the effects, the actors, the music, the martial arts! Hell the guy with the shotgun and bandoliers is my JKD instructor! (Jokingly referencing Guro Dan Inosanto)... this film is forever my childhood.

Whenever I find somebody who likes BTINLC I always like them a little bit more. It's my film barometer. And just seeing this video this morning has made me that little bit happier

One of the best movies ever made. Infinitely rewatchable

I’ll watch this start to finish any time I catch it on tv, loved it since I rented the tape when I was a kid, shortly after it left theaters.

I've must have seen this movie 30 times as a child. Had more or less forgotten about it by now, but I'm definitely going to see it again soon. Thanks for the reminder.