The Snake Strikes Back (1980) User Reviews

Watch for the pot belly super power

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 27 November 2017]

THE SNAKE STRIKES BACK is an ultra-cheesy martial arts collaboration between Hong Kong and South Korea. It was shot by Godfrey Ho back when he was still making SNAKE IN THE EAGLE'S SHADOW rip-offs before he went into ninja overload. This one sees Elton Chong playing the usual martial arts student determined to beat a powerful master (guest star Eagle Han) and hunting for possession of a mystical book. Bizarrely, the special styles featured here include a power to gain a pot belly, as evinced in the old beggar trainer character played by Mike Wong. It's odd, to say the least, although the snake style is less memorable. The film as a whole is cheap, silly, and badly dubbed, which is very much par for the course, although fans of this low rent genre might just get a kick or two out of it at times.

Parts are entertaining, other parts extremely silly

[sarastro7 · 4/10 · 5 January 2005]

Snake Strikes Back is a fairly typical example of a standard second-rate old school Hong Kong kung fu comedy. The fight scenes are very decent, but the comedy is so insufferable as to be strictly for Asian sensibilities. The cross-eyed younger brother is unbearable to watch; in my opinion the entire comedy aspect of this movie doesn't work at all, and detracts terribly from the overall impression.

The good part is the kung fu, which is not bad at all. Occasionally it gets very silly, though, as when the old pot-bellied master claims that real kung fu power lies in the belly, and the young student's stomach starts swelling at the end, signifying that he's reached the higher level. That is impossible to take seriously.

4 out of 10.

Good Fun & Good Action Too

[rotorboy · 7/10 · 6 January 2004]

I picked this title up yesterday along with another 10 Hong Kong Collection Dvd's for a pound each ($1.50approx)and this was the first one I watched. It's starting to show it's age and the dubbing was dreadful but who watches low budget Kung Fu for acting or script quality. The story revolves around a fool Sui who wants to learn the art of the Absolutes Kung Fu and whoever becomes master becomes the keeper of the secret book of the Invincible Snake Fist, another prize that goes along with the title is a secret weapon a mega belly (I kid you not). The story is quite good the action is fast and often and the laugh's are around for all to see. The film stars Eagle Han, Elton Chong & Kim Miou my only complaint is that Sui keeps on having to fight the same people over and over again to gain control of the book. My score 6/10 not the best but well worth the money I paid out for the film.

The Snake Strikes Back

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 7 April 2019]

This kung-fu comedy opens with student Lam being repeatedly punished for failing his master and being bullied by fellow student Sui. When the master dies Sui is determined to get his hands on a secret book; a book that teaches the 'Invincible Snake Fist' skill. He isn't the only one after the book; there are also three vicious characters from the south known as the 'Immortal Trio'. Now Lam must repeatedly fight against Sui and the trio to stop them getting the book. He is helped in this by being trained by the 'Potbellied Beggar' a skilled practitioner of Kung-fu.

If you are looking for a serious martial arts film this isn't it... there are lots of fights but much of the action is played for laughs. These fight scenes are highly choreographed and are exciting at times even if things aren't taken that seriously... it is impossible to take things seriously when a character's main weapon is his belly! Things weren't helped by the English dub in the version I saw... many characters spoke like cowpokes in a cheesy western; perhaps those responsible thought that would add to the comedy! The editing wasn't great; often scenes felt cut short to such an extent that I wondered if I was watching an edited version... the length of the film suggested this theory was wrong. For all its faults the film grew on me as I watched and as the end approached I was really enjoying it. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of low budget martial arts; partly for the action and partially for the laughs.

Film delivered from God

[FezzyBear · 10/10 · 15 August 2008]

I cannot begin to describe how happy this film made me. Trouser-tents were had at the sheer awesome-ness of this film. Not only were there characters introduced that were completely irrelevant to the plot, but the main character metamorphosed into a kick ass, belly-toting warrior, straight from the "koong-fu" womb of Chuck Norris. The quality of the film is definitely the best I have seen for a long time. The characters are fully developed, with incredibly detailed backgrounds to each. One man gets thrown through a house, while another gets impaled with his own symbols. A classic example of modern day filming that exceeds many greats, such as Indiana Jones 4, Wild Wild West and even Batman&Robin. Arnie as Mr Freeze was not as good as Elton Chong as Chinese Martial Artist #1.