Legendary Weapons of China is not the most accessible kung fu film to emerge from the Shaw Brothers studios, but it is one of the most impressive. The film takes a little getting used to because it plunges the viewer right into the middle of a complex premise involving espionage, secret identities, and countless arcane martial arts techniques. The fact that several lead characters with complicated backstories are all introduced in the jam-packed first act doesn't help things. However, once the story gets rolling and there is time to adjust to the storyline, Legendary Weapons of China becomes a very impressive blast of martial arts fun. The script throws out one impressive kung-fu sequence after another, several of which use unique "magical" kung fu styles and all of which feature impressive, highly detailed choreography by director/star Liu Chia-Liang. More importantly, it works an unusually thoughtful theme into its storyline for such a film: namely, the idea that a human life is of greater value than some nebulous ideal. Legendary Weapons of China is also full of impressive performances: Liang is quite witty as a canny old master trying to protect his identity, Gordon Liu contributes a memorable cameo as a fighter with a unique skill, and Alexander Fu-Sheng is hilarious as an actor who impersonates kung-fu practitioners for profit. Best of all, the film culminates in an impressive finale that incorporates several weapons and kung-fu styles in one fell swoop. To sum up, Legendary Weapons of China is a demanding but worthwhile old-school kung fu outing that is virtually guaranteed to delight genre fans.