Provides tons of fights, mild gore, little comedy, colorful settings, and cool characters. This is one of Mr. Li's early films, when he was very youthful, agile, and acrobatic. Mr. Li plays a good hearted, rebellious Shaolin monk who is on a mission to kill a ruler. On the way he meets others sent on the same mission; a certain ornament he owns may link him to the strangers' paths.

If you need to spice up your kung fu collection with quality, this is another Shaw Brothers gem from the past you must not pass up.

I have to give props to the remaining "Shaolin Temple" movie's supporting cast also, for great forms and fight choreography in this Hong Kong/Mainland China callboration.

Some of the camera angles showed that Shaw Brothers and Lau Kar Leung were at the helm of this genre classic. However, the story could have been told with a liitle more depth, extending the short 89 minute runtime.

All in all this film is beautiful to watch and shows skilled wu shu practictioners in their prime.

However I only can just give it 4 stars because of the top notch brilliant action. The plot is typical: Shaolin student seeks revenge on Ching official. The downside of this film is some of the goofing around--e.g. Jet Li dressing as a woman, and a few other comedic sequences.

But the last scene in this film is worth watching by all kung fu fans. The action is fast and entertaining. The movie however is not so special, but just plain simple.

For Jet Li fans, this is a must-have; and for kung fu fans, it's worth checking out.

Not only that, but Martial Arts of Shaolin has a good story as well. Three shaolin students, some from the north, some from the south, all cross paths in their efforts to assassinate a corrupt official. Two of them are men, one is a woman. A love triangle ensues.

The fight scenes are fast and very entertaining. Even non-martial arts film fans will enjoy this one. Highly recommended.