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Why do rivalries exist among different Martial Arts schools? I want to focus on movie martial arts schools. I understand the rivalry is lighthearted when it comes to martial arts schools in real life, but movies seem to take things further. There surely is enough space for more than 1 martial arts school in a town, particularly when one specializes in catering to bullies, right? Well, in my opinion, the reason is not that important because there will always be a market for martial arts school movies. Allow me to put aside my bias and share some Bullet Points about a 1997 film that may have been overlooked. In this segment, we will discuss Kickboxing Academy. So grab your seats and enjoy!
Freshman Kickboxing Academy is set in the 1990s, and a party is shown in a very dramatized sense. The nerds and less popular students from the party are ridiculed at school, where they share stories of how they should refrain from attending school parties full of stuck up girls. To further antagonize these students, bullies get some cheap laughs out of them by showing off their martial art skills and making fun of them. The line used is an example of the kind of body shaming techniques that are the shallow side of martial arts. The particular line used was directed towards these two nerds and is a perfect example of what is termed the ‘nature channel’. The Kickboxing Academy bullies are truly the characters whom the audience is to hate the most. For every bull, there is a Danny (Christopher Khayman Lee) who for the sake of being introduced can be referred to as a supremely overhyped nerd. But wait… Where’s the fun in all of that?
Sophomore Master June (Donna Barnes) owns a martial arts school called The Kickboxing Academy, and while the name sounds appealing, there is mostly karate being taught. June is currently dating Carl (Steven Bauer, Drive Like Lightning) and, with him being in every movie, Steven Bauer is great, but he comes across very strongly feeling like a creeper and a**hole, and if there is no swerve later, I envy your ignorance. I adore the students in June’ class. Cindy (Chyler Leigh) and her friend Melinda (Daphne Dupli ax) are the most unlikely candidates for martial artists, hence, why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Cindy is dating Brian, whom we are to believe is on the top of the class and again, wouldn’t have believed it. Brian is far more interested in his classic Ford Galaxia and Cindy is in her former boyfriend, Danny. Brian’s younger brother, the two less popular students, and a Frenchman complete the class.
They all have their unique outlandish personalities that I have come to appreciate, and I can’t seem to forget this former student Danny who was at the top of the class and who dropped out after almost murdering a child in a rivalry.
Junior, the opponent’s martial-art school is Fatal Combat. I don’t know what could’ve compelled parents to name their school Fatal Combat, Much less send their kids there, but then again, they could be equally as baffled by their instructor, Tarbuck. Or should I refer to him as Captain Tarbuck? He says he prefers that because, like a lot of things, he is still stuck in Vietnam and he is as insane as you would imagine. It is not as though we get to meet his entire institution, but the two bullies we met at the beginning are part of his main crew. The best is Track, played by Kelly McClung of Stick fighter fame, and while Kelly did not do the best as a lead in Stick fighter, he truly excels as the Alexander, slightly dimwitted tough in Fatal Comat (and yes, he is blessed with some of the best 90’s hair that Chris the Brain has ever seen.) Tarbuck wants to seize control over The Kickboxing Academy and has local politician Maddox on his side. But, not only does Maddox want to shut down the school, he is also interested in shaming June. Is there something personal going on? Spoiler Alert… yes.
Senior A winner can take everything competition between The Kickboxing Academy and Fatal Combat is about to commence and we witness some of the usual hilarity like Fatal Combat insulting the Academy. While that is a drawback in some areas, it does result in a quick beach training montage, or as Danny calls it ‘Baywatch meets Enter the Dragon.’ June and Carl, on the other hand, are ambushed after a date by a gang of ninjas armed with shuriken’s, which only manage to hit no parking signs. Thankfully, Carl only suffers minor injuries, which is highly suspicious. Nevertheless, all of this imagery highlights, we do have to wonder what else does Kickboxing Academy require? An amusing bar brawl, for starters, that caps off with projectile vomiting. Oh my word, Brian. Naturally, nobody wishes for the reckless driving that Brian attempts post-barter, and this combined with Fatal Combat messing Galaxies’ brakes leads to an accident. Well, Brian has shifted to the injury reserve however, that does leave a chance for a return of Danny.
Kickboxing Academy concludes with the comparatively unpopular competition between The Kickboxing Academy and Fatal Combat. Look forward to Tarbeck hilariously attempting to cheat by employing a man to compete in the woman’s division, which the commentator referred to as a catfight (I appreciate the audience not buying into his humor), but this was another moment for Kely McClung to shine. It’s fairly easy to see how the competition will wrap up but the finale is unexpected. Without giving too much away, I am curious as to the source of that firearm for Tarbeck. In terms of pacing the direction isn’t at all great, and the fights and acting leave so much to be desired, albeit some really capable people like Kely McClung and Christopher Khayman Lee who was a power ranger, but if you are looking for a goofy light hearted film, there are much worse ways to spend just under 90 minutes. Even if Kickstarter Academy is not your cup of tea, you can still make the most of these Kickboxing Academy Bonus Bullet Points.
To Kiss Your Sister What I imagine most people know, or rather I should say has a reason to dislike the Kickboxing Academy, is that Cindy and Danny were portrayed by real life siblings Chyler Leigh and Christopher Khayman Lee. As interesting as that sounds, the more interesting part is the couple’s kissing scenes, but they are both trained actors so good for them.Â
Most Loved Character I don’t want to leave without mentioning my favorite character, Max. He is an obnoxious skater who first strikes you as nothing more than comic relief, but actually serves an important purpose. He is the epitome of a late 90’s skater and his personality is so exceedingly obnoxious and unfunny that I find it intriguing.
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