Big Trouble In Little China Collectors Set Blu-ray Review

​In 1986 John Carpenter and Kurt Russell teamed up for the third time (The first two being Escape From New York, and The Thing) for a Martial Arts, Supernatural, comedy entitled Big Trouble in Little China.  Now even for today’s time that’s a weird blend of film, but for 1986 it was just plain unheard of.  Audiences and Critics didn’t really get it and the film became a box office failure.  It didn’t even come close to making its budget back. The failure of the film was so much for Carpenter he stopped making big budget Hollywood films for a period of time and went back to more indecent work. Then something happened.  The film became a massive success during the initial Home Video boom, and was shown constantly on cable television. Over the years its went from cult classic to full blown success.  Comic books, cloths, statues, toys, you name it.  I myself have 3 shits, a hoodie, and a tank top.  Its an amazing film that was simply just to ahead of its time. 
 
Big Trouble in Little China, for those unfamiliar is the story of Jack Burton (Russell) a loud moth trucker (Pork Chop Express is his trucks name) who wins a large bet after a night of gambling with his friend Wang Chi (Dennis Dun).  Not fully trusting Wang he tells him he will drive him to the bank personally to get the cash he’s owed. They make a quick stop at the airport to pick up Wangs fiancé Mia Yin.  At the airport Jack meets a reporter named Gracie Law (Kim Cattrall) who is also picking a friend up.  Unfortunately a street gang called Lords of Death show up and kidnap Mia Yin. Jack and Wang give chase and end up caught in a battle between two rival China Town street gangs. It’s a standard gun and sword battle until the 3 Storms arrive from the sky.  Warriors who possess the powers of the elements.  Thunder, Rain, and Lightning, the begin killing everyone when suddenly an old man wearing a robs appears, Jack runs him over but when he turns around the man is still there.  Wang tells him its Lo Pan (James Hong) who possess magical powers.  Which he does as he shoots a beam out of his eyes directly at Jack. Wang grabs him and the two manage to escape into the alley leaving behind Jacks rig.
 
Lo Pan is actually a decrepit old man, but he is a sorcerer.  He is the one who had Mia Yin kidnapped as she has green eyes.  If Lo Pan marries a girl with green eyes and sacrifices her he can once again regenerate into a younger man.  Luckily for Jack and Wang, Wang's uncle Egg Shen (Victor Wong), a tour bus driver in China Town is also a sorcerer and enemy of Lo Pan.  Together with the help of he Chang Sing gang they plan on not only getting back Mia Yin, and killing Lo Pan but getting back Jacks truck and the money he’s owed.
 
As I said was ahead of its time.  I have to point out the one thing everyone missed when it came out is that Kurt Russell is essentially the comic relief of the film.  Wang is the hero.  It evident by the fact that Jack can not only not fight, but during the big battle at then end he knocks himself unconscious for half of it.  Don’t get me wrong he’s an iconic character and rightly so as he is amazing in the film and definitely has all the best lines.  He’s just not the hero.  That honor belongs to Dennis Dun as Wang who is jest amazing in the role of a bad ass martial artist.  The end battle has him running up walls, sword fighting in the air, and none of it looked cheap.  The effects in the film were fantastic, and actually still hold up to this day.
 
Released in a collects set years ago when DVD was popular fans clamored for a Blu-Ray release, which we got in the form of the exact same thing just in Blu-ray form.  But we still always wanted more. And now we have it.  Scream Factory is releasing this on a massive collectors edition (Actually multiple versions available) set.  I watched mine this morning and it is amazing.  It’s a pristine transfer.  All the colors are bright explode from the screen.  The audio is great in surround sound, especially the Big Trouble in Little China song performed by John Carpenter.  And like I said the extras are out of this world.  Now before I list them let me say there are a lot of great choices in what set you get.  There is the normal Blu-ray set, a steelbook edition then we get a little fancy.

Big Trouble In Little China [Limited Edition Steelbook] 2-disc Blu-ray set
An exclusive 28.5” x 16.5" rolled lithograph of the new Steelbook artwork by Nat Marsh
A 7” on exclusive green vinyl via Sacred Bones featuring music from Big Trouble in Little China composed by John Carpenter and recorded by John, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies. The A-side includes the 2017 version of the main theme, "Porkchop Express (Big Trouble in Little China)," and the B-side contains a never-before-released recording of "The Alley War," recorded by the trio in 2019. Our green vinyl variant is a limited edition of 2,500 copies and is housed in a lavish slipcase with new art by frequent Carpenter collaborator Chris Bilheimer.
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Big Trouble In Little China [Collector’s Edition] 2-disc Blu-ray set (with slipcover)
Big Trouble In Little China [Limited Edition Steelbook] 2-disc Blu-ray set
An exclusive 18” x 24” rolled poster of the new Collector’s Edition artwork by Laz Marquez
An exclusive 28.5” x 16.5" rolled lithograph of the new Steelbook artwork by Nat Marsh
A 7” on exclusive green vinyl via Sacred Bones featuring music from Big Trouble in Little China composed by John Carpenter and recorded by John, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies. The A-side includes the 2017 version of the main theme, "Porkchop Express (Big Trouble in Little China)," and the B-side contains a never-before-released recording of "The Alley War," recorded by the trio in 2019. Our green vinyl variant is a limited edition of 2,500 copies and is housed in a lavish slipcase with new art by frequent Carpenter collaborator Chris Bilheimer.

​Now that we have covered these amazing choices lets look at the special features
 
DISC ONE: THE FILM
NEW Audio Commentary With Producer Larry Franco
NEW Audio Commentary With Special Effects Artist Steve Johnson, Moderated By filmmaker Anthony C. Ferrante
Audio Commentary With Director John Carpenter And Actor Kurt Russell
Isolated Score
Theatrical Trailers
TV Spots
Vintage Audio Interview With John Carpenter
Electronic Press Kit – Interviews And Profiles
Gag Reel
Music Video
Deleted And Extended Scenes
Extended Ending
Photo Galleries – Movie Stills, Posters, Lobby cards, Publicity Photos, And Behind-the-scenes Photos
 
DISC TWO: BONUS FEATURES
NEW You’re The Hero – An Interview With Actor Dennis Dun
NEW The Soul Of Lo Pan – An Interview With Actor James Hong
NEW Able To Be Myself – An Interview With Actor Donald Li
NEW The Tao Of Thunder – An Interview With Actor Carter Wong
NEW The Tao Of Rain – An Interview With Actor Peter Kwong
NEW The Hatchet Man Speaks – An Interview With Actor Al Leong
NEW Damn Wiley Prescott – An Interview With Writer W.D. Richter
NEW It Was A Western Ghost Story – An Interview With Writer Gary Goldman
NEW The Poetry Of Motion – An Interview With Associate Producer/Martial Arts Choreographer James Lew
NEW Into The Mystic Night – An Interview With The Coupe De Ville’s Member Nick Castle
NEW Since We Were Kids – An Interview With Second Unit Director/The Coupe De Ville’s Member Tommy Lee Wallace
NEW Love And Art – A Conversation With Movie Poster Artist Drew Struzan
Return To Little China – An Interview With Director John Carpenter
Being Jack Burton – An Interview With Actor Kurt Russell
Carpenter And I – An Interview With Director Of Photography Dean Cundey
Producing Big Trouble – An Interview With Producer Larry Franco
Staging Big Trouble – An Interview With Stuntman Jeff Imada
Interview With Visual Effects Artist Richard Edlund
Vintage Featurette
 
I am going to assume you have seen this and know how amazing it is.  If you haven’t trust me it is.  This film really does have something for everyone.  It’s a full blown masterpiece and I so glad it gets the love it has always deserved.  Get your order in so you get this as soon as it comes out.  It’s a must own set of a must own film. 
 
Overall 4.5 out of 5 Stars!

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