One of The Most Underrated 80s Martial Arts Movies Is Coming to Hulu (And It’s Way Better Than Karate Kid)

As movie genres go, martial arts is an interesting one. There are some incredible movies within the genre, films that showcase a variety of skills and some truly talented artists and athletes, but it’s also a genre that lends itself to a pretty tight circle of well-known films. When you think about the martial arts film genre, you usually think about franchises like The Karate Kid or movies like Enter the Dragon, Ip Man, or just about any Jackie Chan movie (though not all of his films are technically martial arts movies.) But there are a great many other fantastic martial arts movies out there and one of the 1980s most underrated ones is coming to Hulu.

Arriving on Hulu on February 1st is Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon. Produced by legendary record producer Berry Gordy, The Last Dragon is a unique entry in the martial arts movie canon as the film makes the choice to blend the resurgence of Motown during that time period with the of-the-moment popularity of martial arts movies. It’s a blend that works surprisingly well and gives the film an epic soundtrack, too.

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The Last Dragon Never Takes Itself Too Seriously (And That’s What Makes It So Good)

Directed by Michael Schultz, The Last Dragon follows martial arts student Leroy Green (whose nickname is Bruce Leeroy because Bruce Lee is his idol). As he approaches the final level of his training, “The Last Dragon”, he’s supposed to be able to concentrate mystical energy so much that their hands begin to glow, something that only a true martial arts master can do over their entire body. If you’re confused by this, don’t worry; so is Leroy. What you need to know from here is that Leroy is determined to achieve this, tries to go on a spiritual journey involving a medal that supposedly belonged to Bruce Lee, and ends up dealing with another martial artist, Sho’nuff (aka The Shogun of Harlem) who sees Leroy as his obstacle to becoming a true master of martial arts and achieving The Glow. Oh, and Sho’nuff has his own gang with names like Crunch, Beast, and Cyclone. There’s also a subplot about a video-arcade mogul named Eddie who kidnaps a local VJ named Laura to get his girlfriend’s bad music videos produced and Leroy has to save her.

The plot of The Last Dragon is all kinds of insane, but that’s the point. It’s relentlessly fun and over the top. The stakes aren’t especially high unlike in many martial arts films where the hero is trying to save something or someone through the power of martial arts. Leroy is mostly just trying to prove himself and achieve his dreams, he just keeps being death over the top, campy versions of real-life obstacles trying to keep him from being the best around. And the Laura plot of it all? Well, every movie needs a bit of romance and saving the girl is something just fits neatly into an action film, but it also speaks to the larger community in which Leroy exists and the world that helps shape who he is.

The self-aware nature of The Last Dragon also helps to offset how brutal some of the fight scenes actually are. The film may be campy and at times funny, but the fight scenes are the real deal. You see the performers giving their all in a way that is wildly impressive — more impressive in some respects than some of the fight scenes in the much better known and better regarded The Karate Kid. By giving The Last Dragon some excellently executed fight sequences alongside its campy, zany humor, it gives the movie a perfect balance that makes it a great watch. Decades on, it’s still one of the best and most underappreciated American martial arts movies and it certainly deserves to find a place in your February streaming lineup.

The Last Dragon arrives on Hulu February 1st.

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