--- title: "Kung Fu Hustle: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/kung-fu-hustle/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/kung-fu-hustle" critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 10 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Kung Fu Hustle (2004): what the critics said Critics' score 75 from 10 reviews: 7 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics come away delighted. The reviews describe a manic, inventive action-comedy, and the praise clusters on Stephen Chow’s imagination: his comic timing, his slapstick, and fight scenes that more than one reviewer describes as a cartoon come to life. Critics repeatedly admire how the film mixes computer effects with practical martial-arts traditions, and how it plays with Hong Kong cinema history alongside Hollywood and Looney Tunes. A few also find it unexpectedly sweet beneath the cartoon violence. The reservations gather around the story. Several reviewers admit the plot is hard to follow or comes apart after the halfway point, though most treat that as a small price for the set pieces. The spread is wide rather than even: enthusiasm at one end and a single firm rejection at the other. Variety, writing from a festival, finds the film emotionally flat and says the effects-heavy action stands in for character and human drama. Nobody else shares that complaint. ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 14 October 2010. Tobias gives the film an enthusiastic verdict, calling it a manic and exhilarating action-comedy. He especially praises how Chow combines CGI with practical martial-arts traditions to create a distinctive live-action cartoon. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/kung-fu-hustle-1798222058) ## The Guardian — Rob Mackie Fi1m's normalised score 88/100 (inferred from the text). 28 October 2005. Mackie finds the film a deliriously inventive delight, despite plots that can be hard to follow. He singles out Chow’s wild imagination, comic timing and gravity-defying action for praise. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/oct/28/dvdreviews1) ## Empire — Simon Crook Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Crook gives the film an enthusiastic verdict, calling it invigorating, bombastic and very funny. He especially praises its inventive, absurd fight scenes and slapstick energy. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/kung-fu-hustle-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Carina Chocano Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 8 April 2005. The critic finds the film lively, witty, and surprisingly sweet despite its extreme cartoonish violence. She praises its brilliantly choreographed action and playful mix of Hong Kong cinema, Hollywood, and Looney Tunes influences. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-apr-08-et-hustle8-story.html) ## Radio Times — Karen Krizanovich Rating 4/5. The critic gives the film a positive assessment. They single out Chow’s distinctive, kung-fu-infused comic style and the film’s impressive martial-arts action. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-6lu9es/kung-fu-hustle/) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Rating 3/4. 11 February 2005. Gonzalez praises the film’s social perspective and goofy, inventive humor, even as its plot falls apart after the halfway point. He singles out the humor’s playful elegance and the way its pop-cultural references illuminate social roles and collective camaraderie. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/kung-fu-hustle/) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 66/100 (inferred from the text). The page is a browser-check screen, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. No praise or complaint is available in the returned content. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/kung-fu-hustle-2005) ## Screen Daily — Allan Hunter Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 23 September 2004. The review’s verdict is not visible in the accessible page. Its praise or criticism is likewise unavailable because the review text is behind a registration prompt. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/kung-fu-hustle-gungfu/4020243.article) ## Variety — Derek Elley Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 19 September 2004. Festival review. The critic finds the film emotionally flat and ultimately uninspired, with its prospects weakened by the loss of Stephen Chow’s familiar comic style. He singles out the effects-heavy action as a substitute for character development and human drama. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2004/scene/awards/kung-fu-hustle-1200530964/) ## Eye for Film — Keith Hennessey Brown Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 25 June 2005. The critic considers it an achievement and an honest, highly entertaining crowd-pleaser, despite its thin narrative and stylized action. He praises the film’s energetic set pieces and its playful engagement with Hong Kong cinema history. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/kung-fu-hustle-film-review-by-keith-hennessey-brown) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/kung-fu-hustle.md