Jackie Chan contains multitudes.
Although many American filmgoers know Chan best for his Hollywood blockbusters (the “Rush Hour” franchise, 2000’s “Shanghai Noon”) and family-friendly fare (2010’s “The Karate Kid,” voicing Master Monkey in the “Kung Fu Panda” series), his profound impact on global cinema cannot be denied. A martial arts master who has battered his body for decades doing his own stunts in his signature comedic style, Chan has acted in over 150 movies, making him one of the wealthiest and most globally recognizable stars of all time.
With martial arts films having a moment in the spotlight in 2023, with “Everything Everywhere All at Once” landing the Best Picture Oscar and “John Wick: Chapter 4” becoming a series-high box office sensation, it’s fitting that Shout Select has released their two part “Jackie Chan Collection” Blu-ray box sets, which are a great starting points for novices and worthy purchases for die-hard fans as well.
The first set, which was released in January and covers his work from 1976 – 1982, which ranges from lively early films like 1978’s “Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin” to 1982’s “Dragon Lord,” in which his modern fighting style and dramatic stunts are fully-formed. The second collection, which drops April 25, includes Chan’s work from 1983 – 1993, during which his style was cemented in classics such as 1986’s “Armour of God” and his dramatic turn in 1993’s “Crime Story.”
Shout! Factory’s Cliff McMillan, the producer of the box sets, said that although the company has put out Chan titles in the past, there has been a resurgence in interest in the genre.
“These films are starting to get another renaissance,” he said. “I think new people are discovering martial arts movies, and we saw that Arrow Video’s Shaw Brothers Shawscope box set had performed well. So the people in the sales department were interested in in getting back into the martial arts game.”
For fans who want to go deep in the genre, each set has a new feature length documentary on Chan’s career and impact during that era, as well as commentary tracks and analysis from film critics and scholars.
McMillan said it could be quite difficult to assemble the movies together.
“The most challenging part is getting all the different language tracks together,” he said. “Over the years, some of these movies have had different dubs, like one was done for, say, the first U.S. VHS. Sometimes the licensors don’t have those dub tracks because they were done by the company that had the rights at the time, so we have experts who help us find these different tracks. Then we can add those to the film.”
The work that went into restoring those films was warmly received when Shout! Factory TV, the streaming arm of the company, hosted an all-day “Brawl-A-Thon” before the release of each set to let fans get a first taste of the new restorations.
Gene Pao, the executive vice president of strategy and digital at Shout! Factory, said that the company uses these marathons —which in the past has included long runs of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” episodes and “Godzilla” movies — to inspire community viewing with fans.
“When you create an event out of it and they’re all watching together, they get excited,” he said. “First, they’re excited to be able to watch it, but then afterwards, they’re able to reminisce about how great the films are.”
