Who, What, When, Where...Wu?
Cast: Iko Uwais, Lewis Tan, Katheryn Winnick, Li Jun Li, JuJu Chan, Tommy Flanagan, Byron Mann, Mark Dacascos, Lawrence Kao, Celia Au
Synopsis: An unassuming San Francisco chef becomes the latest in a line of assassins chosen to keep the mystical Wu powers out of the wrong hands.
My Review (both pros and cons): My goal as a TV/movie reviewer, isn't to bash the actors/actresses in any means, but just to point out the pros and cons of their projects. I, like any other individual, do watch movies or TV series for the chance to see their favorite actor/actress on screen. This new Netflix original series, Wu Assassins; a supernatural drama stars two familiar faces I know very well; Katheryn Winnick (History's Vikings) and Lewis Tan (AMC's Into the Badlands) who, by the way, has been very active lately, liking and commenting, so thank you LT ;) Also too, I’m not the kind of person that watches something for the sake of it, thinking it’s great when it’s not. Even if one of my favorite actor/actresses are in the film or series. I’ve seen a lot of flops and bombs, featuring them but I like taking the time to study and absorb what it is I’m watching.
Now, let me begin my review.
Netflix has brought a fresh series to their network with Wu Assassins, following the story of Kai Jin; an aspiring chef with his own food truck called Kung Foodle (clever name, by the way and delicious looking food, too I must say), trying to create his foothold in the world, while at the same time, avoiding ties with the Triad. The opening scene right off the bat, without knowing anyone or anything yet, begins with Iko's acclaimed techniques featured in a fight sequence taking place in a narrow hallways. That's been seen and done before but let's continue. The techniques have been boasted about on social media and although I don't practice the art myself, I have pretty much watched every martial arts film there are and yes, there are different styles but Iko's, to me, felt more like MMA-street skills. Don't get me wrong, please don't get me wrong, he's great but his style was nothing spectacular. I am NOT bashing him, but I think the hype was a little overdone. But getting past that, throughout episode one it backtracks to how the fight took place only to have (maybe half way through the episode) his simple life of just existing, change into becoming the next and last Wu Assassin.
Now here, so you know what that is, should've been introduced as a prologue in the beginning of the episode with a history of the Wu's, allowing viewers the chance to immediately follow along. But hey, that's just me. I like knowing the story from the beginning instead of a mismash of back and forth jumbled scenes. I've seen them in a lot of films and series; it's not pretty. Upon striking a woman with his banged up food truck, she practically jumps to her feet from the ground and hands him a small object that was never identified (until later on in the series) that bestows all the power and spirits of the past Wu Assassins; 999 of them to help in the war against the Wu Warlords. Yeah, I wouldn't have understood the story either if I hadn't been following it since the announcement.
A Wu Warlord is a person that possesses the power of the Wu-zing (hope I'm spelling that correctly) allowing them to manipulate the five elements; water, fire, wood, metal and earth. I understand those are Chinese elements practiced but it got a little confusing at times because you'd think earth and wood were the same, right? No, they're not, apparently. One of the Wu Warlords from very the beginning is Uncle Six; head of Chinatown's Triad, manipulating the fire element. A friend of mine, complained they were too similar to the Avatar: The Last Airbender. Ouch, that's an insult but the intention for the comparison, is still there. I wont agree fully, but thinking about it now, they are like Benders. Uncle Six, by the way, is Kai's father; not sure if he's biological or adopted, for I don't think that was ever really stated. It was just mentioned about bringing Kai there when he was kid, etc. The relationship between Kai and Uncle Six is complicated, especially when he finds out Kai's the Wu Assassin.
Getting back to the Wu Assassins destiny. The first Wu; the same woman Kai hit with his truck whose name is Ying Ying takes him to some kind of void that I'm guessing was the past, revealing the Wu history bits and pieces at a time, but supposedly, there were supposed to be 999 past warriors that'll help Kai in his war against the Warlords. He'd have the ability to change faces to protect his own, but throughout the entire episode, there was only ONE face that appeared to those around him. Mark Dacascos (John Wick 3). What happened to the other 998 assassins? Where were they during the entire season? That wasn't the best thoughtout scenario or concept. And how do they work exactly? Does Kai think or say something that makes them appear? I know the scene where Kai revealed the sh*t that's been going down around his friend in Lee's Wheels, he flashed just ONE Wu face (Mark Dacascos) which creeped everyone out. That was a little funny and frightening, when you think about it. Because imagine looking at someone you know through and through, only to watch their face change into someone you don't recognize? That'll be blow me away too, so Tommy's reaction was pretty much genuine!
At least I do have to say though, you're immediately introduced to quite a few important characters that play a big part of the series. Although, they all have scattered scenes that don't really fit within the story, they're still major parts in Kai's future fight.
And speaking of fights...there were some that stood out, especially JuJu Chan! Wow, she's a dangerous b*tch and killing in heels, was a plus. The fight between her, Li and Katheryn was vicious and badass! And finally, finally...Lewis Tan had more than a few seconds worth of screen time. Watching him fight was a relief because all we ever do, is hear him talk about martial arts in interviews or sometimes, scattered videos on IG or from Into the Badlands. The fight scenes were great though, I won't dispute that and I love watching series/movies featuring martial arts. I might not practice it myself as stated, but watching the dance gets both my blood and spirit going! What can I say, I think I may have been part of the ancient Chinese culture in a past life. I'm not crazy...
This story has been claimed to be about identity, destiny and family. Okay, the family part was definitely there between Tommy and Jenny, especially since they were brother and sister. The relationships surrounding Kai are complicated, that's a clear sign from the beginning but they're close as family nonetheless. Tommy drug addiction was the most realistic and relatable struggle about this series and watching him go through the highs; needle in arm, was a touchy subject for me (for my father suffered the same addiction; enough said) but I'm glad they straightened him out. He was caught up in the Triad's world; like any other person getting caught up in lifestyles that are dangerous to them.
I laughed when Byron's "Uncle Six" came walking into the diner, wearing that baggy eggs and bacon shirt with the eggs placed in the wrong spots, haha. That totally wasn't him, since he's always dressed immaculately on point and sharp. Kai's (Iko) reaction you could tell, was genuine. But loved the scene with the waitress; rude b*itch and that just goes to show Americans true discrimination against anyone who isn't a white skinned-blue eyed individual (since that's basically the true Americans' set image). Hope he didn't leave her a tip at the end. Uncle Six handled her beautifully, showing her he and Kai weren't just Chinese men and did she really have to complain to the rednecks!? That was unnecessary but they proved their point in a fun-awesome diner fight and all this started, by the way, with Kai and Papa ex-Wu tracking down the earth Wu (Kevin Durand). Putting aside the fact that they tracked him down by searching for him on the net, how exactly did they find him, you know? Did they have a magical map that led them there with a little plant or tree marker, instead of the classic X marks the spot. That was unclear. But once defeating him, he collected the tortoise shell piece which I didn't grasp clearly. What was the purpose of the shell? Does it have a certain significance to the culture or...what? And once Uncle Six was killed with no honor at all, what did the letter he wrote to Kai, say exactly? He read only one-out-of-three pages, but what is it? A goodbye letter, will, legacy of the Triad, what!? It wasn't narrated which would've been nice, helping fans follow along. Big blank! But what exactly is the goal of the Wu Warlords? Taking over the world or...what?
In the end, however, among a lot of blanks and confusing gaps between scenes and adequate CGI for the elements that sufficed, the acting was great from each actor and the emotions were felt! The cast worked great together and all shared just enough chemistry to get them by. Tommy Flanagan's role of Alec McCullough was touching because all he wanted, was to be reunited with his family and in the end, he was; even if it was just for a moment. A moment was all he wanted to feel that he succeeded. His Scottish accent, I loved, hearing the syllables roll off the tongue with such ease and elegance. With the series focusing on the Asian culture, they still needed the mix which balances the cast and story perfectly. I'm not against an strict cast of one culture for the Black Panther was successful and Wu Assassin's worked around that evenly.
My reviews now comes to an end. I want to thank the cast for creating this series and by the way it ended, it could be left open for another season. If it's renewed, I wish the cast the best of luck and of course, I'll be there part of all the Wu-fans. Much love to you all!
My rating for Wu Assassins is an overall 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Here's a breakdown of each episode's ratings:
Ep 1: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ep 2: ⭐⭐⭐
Ep 3: ⭐⭐⭐
Ep 4: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ep 5: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ep 6: ⭐⭐⭐
Ep 7: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ep 8: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ep 9: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ep 10: ⭐⭐⭐⭐