Family rivalry besets the second Shaolin Temple film; another exercise in portraying China’s brightest wushu kids with a more knockabout comedy slant than the first film. The wild river and mountainous landscape are not the only things separating the Dragon and Phoenix families. A growing mistrust has developed between the two dynasties. The Dragons are a family of orphaned boys who are experts in the Shaolin styles of kung fu and weaponry. The Phoenix family are a female clan of Wu Tang sword fighters whose father longs for a male child to continue the family line. When a gang of vengeful scumbags threaten both of the family’s habitats, the two families must put aside their squabbles and combine forces to defeat the evildoers. The family scenes are particularly endearing despite an ill-advised musical number. But the villainous subplot is underdeveloped, only serving as an excuse for a big punch-up at the end. The wushu scenes, of course, are quite special, but with Jet Li in the lead role you probably knew that already.

AKA: Shaolin Kids; Shaolin Temple 2: Kids from Shaolin