There are certainly some action movies that benefit from having a serious storyline. After all, if viewers can get emotionally engaged in a story with plenty of fighting and bombastic action, they're more likely to find it exciting and engaging. And filmmakers behind action movies ultimately want action fans to believe what they're seeing on screen, and get wrapped up in the spectacle of what they're watching.
It's natural for even the most serious action movies to have a little comedic relief here and there, but there are some remarkable movies that go significantly further. Each of these films qualifies as a classic martial arts movie, with fun, memorable action, whilst also pulling off the task of combining said action with fantastic comedy. For martial arts fans who want to experience entertaining fight scenes while also having a good laugh, these movies are all easy to recommend.
'Project A' (1983)
Few martial arts stars blend comedy and action as well as Jackie Chan can. Not all of his classic action movies are also comedies (and some, like Police Story, arguably aren't "true" martial arts movies either), but plenty deliver fighting and goofy comedy in equal measure, with Project A being one of the best among them.
It's one of his goofier movies, involving a storyline that has Chan's character getting mixed up with pirates and British forces who ruled Hong Kong during the late 19th century, and has a surprisingly large scope as a result. It's very entertaining from start to finish, and delivers everything a Jackie Chan fan could want from one of his movies.
'Big Trouble in Little China' (1986)
It's unfair to label John Carpenter as solely a horror director, which is what sometimes happens, thanks to his two most well-known movies being the original Halloween and 1982's The Thing. He's done plenty more besides just these two iconic horror movies though, with the cult-classic Big Trouble in Little China being perhaps his most genre-bending movie.
It's a wild and entertaining mix of fantasy, martial arts, and comedy, centering on a hapless trucker who gets mixed up in a supernatural conflict that most of the outside world seems entirely unaware of. It may have been too strange for audiences at the time of release, but has since found an audience who admires it for the unique and very enjoyable mix of action and slapstick comedy it provides.
'Kung Pow: Enter the Fist' (2002)
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A parody of old martial arts movies that's funny because of how haphazardly thrown together it all is, Kung Pow: Enter the Fist might not be for everyone. The film's writer, director, and star digitally inserted himself into an old 1976 martial arts movie called Tiger & Crane Fists, with the characters from that movie also being humorously re-dubbed.
What results is one of the most gleefully stupid movies of the 21st century so far, but parts of it are ridiculously funny. Much of the comedy undermines the pre-existing martial arts action scenes, with the newer "action scenes" (like the one where the hero fights a cow) being too silly to be exciting as legitimate action scenes... but at the end of the day, it is still technically a martial arts movie.
'Miracles' (1989)
Miracles is one of Jackie Chan's most underrated movies, and also one of his most unique, standing out within his body of work. It combines a gangster storyline with the kind of action and comedy you'd expect from a Jackie Chan movie, only they're a little more subdued than normal, with its story having a few more serious moments than may be expected.
It's about a young man accidentally becoming the head of a criminal gang, and various consequences arising out of the strange turn of events. It's very ambitious, and while it might not be for all Jackie Chan fans, you do have to admire what it's going for. And in any event, when it does get around to staging some well-choreographed action, it delivers.
'Kung Fury' (2015)
Like the somewhat similarly-named Kung Pow, Kung Fury also exists as a parody of the martial arts genre, though it does deliver more satisfying action than that 2002 movie some might compare it to. That being said, the story is still absolutely ridiculous, involving a man named Kung Fury traveling through time to take out this film's version of Adolf Hitler, a kung fu master also known as "Kung Führer."
If that sounds like the dumbest thing ever, that's because it is, but this short film's naturally more than self-aware about that. Kung Fury's very broad sci-fi-themed comedy still might not appeal to all, but given it's only about half-an-hour long, viewers don't have too much to lose by giving it a shot.
'The Seventh Curse' (1986)
The Seventh Curse coincidentally came out the same year as Big Trouble in Little China, and feels somewhat comparable, thanks to its supernatural story and its mix of genres. However, it arguably goes even further into genre-blending territory than Carpenter's film, being an over-the-top and unpredictable spectacle, seemingly becoming a new type of movie every scene or two.
There are shootouts, martial arts fights, adventure, horror, fantasy, and comedy, all in one movie that's just 78 minutes long. It's admirable that one film can do so much and still feel somewhat coherent... well, coherent enough that you can just keep track of it, as it merrily bounces from one genre to another, daring you to keep up.
'Everything Everywhere All at Once' (2022)
Emerging as one of the best movies of 2022 (and maybe the year's most pleasant surprise), Everything Everywhere All at Once lives up to its title by giving viewers everything genre-wise, all at once. It's a movie that utilizes the ever-popular fictional idea of a multi-verse better than anything that came before it, with the multiple dimensions allowing endless opportunities for creative action and humor.
That it also finds time to be a heartfelt and emotional story about family and finding one's place in the world makes it even better. The over-the-top action and ridiculous humor might be what's most entertaining in the moment, but it's the film's characters and emotional storyline that'll stick with you most once it's over.
'Kung Fu Hustle' (2004)
Kung Fu Hustle is one of the clearest and best examples of a straightforward martial arts movie that's also really funny. It wouldn't be accurate to call it a parody of martial arts movies; more that it goes so far over-the-top that it becomes almost like a live-action cartoon, and maintains a frantic pace and energy for its whole runtime.
The plot involves a huge series of fights that take place in a slum in China during the 1940s, with eccentric and oddball characters on either side. Numerous fighters basically have superpowers, and it's impressive how many ways the movie finds to surprise its viewers, and keep them on their toes.
'Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky' (1991)
While Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky certainly wouldn't be to everyone's liking, it is easy to see why it's become a cult classic. The movie centers on Ricky (naturally), a man who finds himself in a brutal prison that he tries to battle his way out of, enduring and inflicting upon others a great deal of pain in the process.
This might well be one of the goriest martial arts movies of all time, feeling a little like a B-grade horror movie, with all the blood and gore that gets thrown around. Thankfully, it's tonally very comical, which can make all the ultra-violence easier to handle. Still, those who are squeamish would probably want to pass on a movie like this, because words can't convey how ludicrously violent it gets.
'The Legend of Drunken Master' (1994)
Not only is The Legend of Drunken Master Jackie Chan's best action-comedy mash-up, but it also might well be his best movie, period. It's a sequel of sorts to 1978's Drunken Master, and focuses on a young martial artist who practices Drunken Boxing going up against a group of villains who are trying to steal Chinese artifacts for international markets.
It's got action that needs to be seen to be believed, with every major fight scene better than the last. One memorable sequence at about the halfway point features Chan fighting what seems like a small army while armed with nothing but bamboo, and then the more personal one-on-one fights in the climax are also spectacular. It's got great action and comedy all around, condensing everything great about Jackie Chan into one satisfying movie.