When I first heard the term “KWOON”, I had the same thought that any self-respecting intelligent person would have. “KWOON?? What the heck is KWOON??” So, not having any clear concept of what “KWOON” was, I opted to do a little research. As it turns out “KWOON” is an independently produced parody of kung fu movies, done in a short film format. The brains behind the concept is Todd Roy, one of five martial arts buddies from California. His concept was that kung fu was to martial arts films what sex was to porno. This prompted one of the funniest tag lines I’ve seen in a while, “It’s Like PORNO, but with Kung Fu Instead of SEX”. Basically it goes on the ides that people would watch kung fu movies for the same reason they watch porno.

This of course led Roy to come up with the next ‘funniest tag line” I’ve ever read, “Bad Acting… Good Kung Fu.” And this is what makes “KWOON” a success in my book. The Kung Fu really is good.

Roy shot “KWOON” as if it were a series, each episode acted as a stand alone with little to tie them together (with the possible exception of a ‘bloody nipple’ connection, which I’ll touch on a little more later. Well, when I say touch on, I don’t mean… oh never mind…). Is the acting bad? Well not so much. You won’t find any Emmy award winners here, but they hold their own. What really sells the series is, as I mentioned before, the promise and delivery of good Kung Fu.

Unlike a lot of ‘kung fu’ films where big name stars fake their way through fight after fight, or the comedies where they come off as buffoons, the guys here are unquestionably good martial arts performers. The situations are ridiculous, with our heroes squaring off against gangsters, mummies and even death, but through it all, they deliver some really good martial arts action. And in spite of the so-called ‘bad acting’ each of the episodes are actually quite funny. As I was watching the episodes available on their self-produced DVD, I felt that it would be quite at home on Comedy Central.

“KWOON” is shot on video, which is certainly a cost-effective way of doing things, and this can often be the death of independent projects such as this. However, Roy does a great job with the cinematography and, more importantly, the editing so each episode comes off looking more professional than I originally expected. When I first put in the DVD, I kind if cringed at the thought of what I was about to watch (I see a lot of poorly produced independent projects), and was surprised by how well the episodes came together structurally, acting aside.

The other thing that makes “KWOON” a worthwhile watch is simply the high energy of those involved. They are obviously having a great time making the series and that sense of fun carries over to those who are watching. But all fun aside, you can definitely tell these guys also put a lot of hard work into each episode. So far, there are only three to speak of, let’s hope there will be more.

For an independent project, the DVD for “KWOON” also comes loaded with as many, if not more, extra features than you usually get on a studio release. I almost seemed like hours of stuff at first glance. I worked my way through deleted scenes, as well as watched the episodes again with commentary. Speaking of the commentaries, they are also a bit better than what I expected. The audio at times seemed a bit harsh and I had to adjust the volume, but these guys are comedians at heart and they had a lot of fun talking about the project while making fun of themselves at the same time.

As I waded my way through the disc, I found numerous featurettes. Most of them were fairly short, but just about every one of them offered as much to laugh about as the episodes themselves. “Halloween at Todd’s”, was a personal favorite, as it gave me the impression that Roy has a twisted sense of humor that is similar to mine, as well the guys I work with at our Halloween Attraction. I also got a ‘kick’ out of “Meet Pete”, where one of “KWOON’s” biggest fans gets to visit Roy’s house. Speaking of fans, “KWOON” has an unbelievably large fan base, thanks in part to a popular website that offers multitude of “KWOON” products. (Definitely visit it if you get a chance.)

There will be those who won’t ‘get’ the joke of “KWOON.” They won’t get what’s so funny about the fact that Roy’s nipples get bloodied in each episode, or they won’t catch the inherent humor in seeing members of the KWOON gang being beaten up by invisible attackers. That is simply their loss. Those of us who are blessed with a little bit more intelligent senses of humor will get a combination of chuckles and belly laughs by watching Todd Roy’s “KWOON.”

Episodes:
Death vs. Kung Fu Car Wash
Collection Agency
Mummy Dearest

Extras: Commentary, Outtakes, Behind the Scenes, Hidden Treats, Meet a KWOON Fan Video, Packaging KWOON for Hollywood Video, Fight Practice, 2 Bloody Nipples Guaranteed per Episode
Studio: A55 Films
Release Date: Available
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give KWOON a B+.