Big Trouble In Little China - Collector's Edition

So much of "Big Trouble in Little China" defies explanation. This is a movie where a charismatic truck driver visits friends in San Francisco's Chinatown, gambles, and then has his life thrown into a mixture of a local gang war, ancient mystical battles, and a convoluted quest to break a curse with a green-eyed Chinese woman. It should be an unwatchable mess of confusion, but then again, don't ever count out the pairing of John Carpenter and Kurt Russel. It is absolutely bonkers but in the best way possible.

Part of the success of "Big Trouble in Little China" is its knowledge and reverence for its cinematic influences. This is a movie informed by legions of martial arts pictures with a grindhouse aesthetic that, when crafted by Carpenter, never feels cheap. It is equal parts action, horror, sci-fi, and comedy: A funky stew that seems built for cinephiles to devour. One of the more satisfying aspects of "Big Trouble in Little China" is its accessibility, bridging generational divides with bombastic confidence that you can't help but respect.

Through the eyes of a child, "Big Trouble in Little China" is a cartoon come to life. For a teenager, it is an anarchistic deconstruction of genre tropes buoyed by a central Kurt Russell performance invigorated with bravado. For older watchers, it is a cult piece of '80s cinema that embraces all that that decade has come to represent while holding fast to its own voice. I have grown up with "Big Trouble in Little China" and while it never changes, it has inexplicably grown with me. Perhaps more impressively, as I introduce the film to people that have never known of its existence, the reaction is nearly uniform: A brief period of confusion and mockery followed by an overwhelming sense of wonder that sucks them into this strange little version of Chinatown that Carpenter built.

This new Blu-ray release from Shout Factory, like nearly all Shout Factory releases, grabs your eyes with beautiful artwork. The original poster art for "Big Trouble in Little China" is likely known to more people than the movie itself. Painted by the legendary Drew Struzan, it has a vitality that few artists other than Struzan could capture. This release's new cover artwork comes from Laz Marquez and is beautiful. While it is certainly different than Struzan's, it carries with it a familiarity that feels appropriate for the movie.

Once you delve into the actual Blu-ray, you'll find a plethora of special features. Shout Factory keeps many of the old special features included with other releases (including a gag reel, extended/deleted scenes, an audio commentary with Russell and Carpenter, and plenty more). In addition to the holdovers from other releases, this one includes two new audio commentaries and eleven new interviews with people involved in the production. "Big Trouble in Little China" is an unendingly entertaining, fun, and action-packed movie from front to back and this latest release more than does it justice.

"Big Trouble in Little China Collector's Edition"
Blu-ray
$27.99
https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/big-trouble-in-little-china-collector-s-edition?product_id=7245