Reviewed by: pjshimmer Date: 04/11/2003 My favorite Josephn Kuo movie. High production values and very enjoyable. Action was not great but passable for this time period. [7/10]

Reviewed by: mpongpun Date: 08/08/2002 The Ching Emperor, Yungzheng (Yi Yuen), orders Shaolin Temple and its disciples to be destroyed so that anti-Ching rebellions can be squashed. The Shaolin folks that do manage to escape plot to kill the crazed Emperor and eventually raise up Shaolin Temple from the ashes.

Reviewed by: MrBooth Date: 11/27/2001 The film begins almost exactly where Return Of The 18 Bronzemen ends - though since that film is told almost entirely in flashback, that's also where it begins. It's hard to find definitive data but I think this was released between The 18 Bronzemen and Return Of. The Bronzemen make a brief cameo appearance, suggesting they had already been introduced. There isn't really a clear lead here though - Chang Yi's character is perhaps a little more central than any other, but he's still not exactly the main focal point. Despite having top billing Chia Ling is hardly in the film at all, only appearing in a few scenes at the start and for literally seconds at the end. I was quite scathing of this film when I reviewed it in 2001, but I didn't have a lot of experience with martial arts films from this era to compare it with then. Now that I'm older and wiser I can appreciate the film more in its context... but still conclude that it's pretty "mid". The story doesn't offer any great insights into the human condition, the cinematography and art direction are generic, and there isn't enough action to carry the film with those limitations. It does end with a banger of a final fight though, with Carter Wong going beast mode amidst a furious brawl between the monks and the emperor's retinue. Slim pickings, but worth the price of admission. It would make sense that Return Of The 18 Bronzemen starts almost exactly like The Blazing Temple but then turns into a prequel, where both Wong and the Bronzemen are given a better showcase, realising the potential in two earlier films. Reviewer Score: 6