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Fight Back to School Trilogy: Deluxe Collector's Edition – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Hong Kong, 1991 (Fight Back to School), 1992, Hong Kong (Fight Back to School II), Hong Kong, 1993 (Fight Back to School III)
Directors: Gordon Chan (Fight Back to School, Fight Back to School II), Wong Jing (Fight Back to School III)
Cast: Stephen Chow, Sharla Cheung, Ng Man-Tat, Roy Cheung, Barry Wong, Gabriel Wong, Athena Chu, Deanie Ip, Michael Chow, Anita Mui, Anthony Wong Chau-sang, Kathy Chow Hoi-mei, Bryan Leung

Release Date: September 11th, 2023
Approximate running times: 101 Minutes 5 Seconds (Fight Back to School), 98 Minutes 34 Seconds (Fight Back to School II), 89 Minutes 47 Seconds (Fight Back to School III)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese (All Films)
Subtitles: English, English SDH (All Films)
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £39.99 (UK)

Fight Back to School: "After a student tour of Hong Kong Police headquarters, the Commissioner's gun goes missing. To save the force's reputation, a boyish local sop, Starry Chow (Stephen Chow), is sent back to school, undercover, to retrieve it, but the halls and playgrounds become every bit as challenging as the mean streets of Kowloon as he must also protect his fellow students from a criminal gag." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Fight Back to School 2: "Hong Kong SWAT team officer Starry Chow (Stephen Chow) goes undercover in an international school. There, his withs and skills are challenged on the playground as much as the ever were in gangland when a pack of foreign criminals has plans to hold students to ransom." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Fight Back to School 3: "Hong Kong cop Starry Chow (Stephen Chow) goes undercover into the world of crazy rich Asians to solve a wacky murder mystery. He comes up against the machinations of potential lady psycho Judy Tong, in a hilarious turn by Jackie Chan's Miracles co-star Anita Mui. By the end, the rich get richer, the dumb get dumber and the real killer gets caught..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (Fight Back to School, Fight Back to School II, Fight Back to School III)

Here’s the information provided about the transfers, "High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray™ presentation in 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio".

Fight Back to School comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42.8 GB

Feature: 30.8 GB

Fight Back to School II comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.6 GB

Feature: 30.1 GB

Fight Back to School III comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40.9 GB

Feature: 28.7 GB

The sources used for these three film transfers are comparable. All of the sources are in excellent shape. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, contrast is very good, and compression is solid. That said, there are a few moments, mostly darker scenes, where things are not as strong as they are for the bulk of these transfers.

Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Mono Cantonese), 4.25/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese)

Each film comes with two audio options, an LPCM mono mix in Cantonese and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Cantonese. Both tracks are in great shape. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Also, the DTS-HD 5.1 does a great job opening up the original mono soundtrack. Included are removable English subtitles and removable English SDH.

Extras:

Extras for Fight Back to School include reversible cover art, a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), Man’s Talk interviews director Gordon Chan (21 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with Gordon Chan titled Truant Hero (30 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Hong Kong film experts Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto.

Extras for Fight Back to School II include reversible cover art, a theatrical trailer (4 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with comedian Michael Chow titled Mr Mumble Meets the King of Comedy (25 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Yuen Kai-ch titled Second Chance to Graduate (16 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with Gordon Chan titled Return of the Truant Hero (22 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and audio commentary with Hong Kong film experts Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto.

Extras for Fight Back to School III include reversible cover art, Chinese New Year teaser (1 minute 30 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Philip Chan titled A Life in Movies (32 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Anthony Wong titled The Artist and the Businessman (8 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles for Cantonese film clips), and an audio commentary with Hong Kong film experts Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto.

Summary:

Fight Back to School: Directed by Gordon Chan, whose other notable films are Royal Tramp, Royal Tramp 2, Fist of Legend, and Thunderbolt.

The narrative revolves around Chow Sing Sing, a rule-breaking police officer who is part of the Royal Hong Kong Police’s elite special duties unit. He is given two choices: go undercover as a student or be disqualified from the special duties unit.

Though the premise of an adult going undercover as a student has been done before, the way in which Fight Back to School approaches the premise actually creates most of the humor. From the moment that Chow Sing Sing arrives at school, it is obvious that he does not belong.

Besides comedy, action also plays a role in the story, albeit not as large of a role. Also, despite opening with a swat hostage action sequence, this moment is not in line with the rest of the film tone-wise. That said, when it comes to action-related moments, they are well executed. Notably, a scene where Chow Sing Sing uses his martial arts skills to fight a triad with a knife

Performance-wise, as good as the cast is in the roles, they are all overshadowed by Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer) in the role of Chow Sing Sing. This is a role that is tailored to his style of humor. Another performance of note is Ng Man-Tat (A Moment of Romance) in the role of Uncle Tat, Chow Sing Sing’s bumbling partner. The onscreen chemistry between Stephen Chow and Ng Man-Tat is off the charts, and the moments they share are easily the funniest.

From its opening moments, Fight Back to School establishes a tone that often veers into over-the-top territory. And though the protagonist is given a clear goal, at times it becomes secondary to the outlandish scenarios he finds himself in. Fortunately, this works in Fight Back to School’s favor as the narrative moves along briskly and never loses momentum as it builds towards a phenomenal finale that takes place in a funhouse maze location. Ultimately, Fight Back to School is a highly entertaining action/comedy that is a must-see if you're a fan of Stephen Chow.

Fight Back to School II: Directed by Gordon Chan, whose other notable films are Royal Tramp, Royal Tramp 2, Fist of Legend, and Thunderbolt.

The narrative revolves around Chow Sing Sing, a special duties unit officer who has been demoted to traffic cop after a failed investigation for which he is made the scapegoat. Shortly thereafter, he resigns from the force and launches his own investigation to clear his name and restore his rank.

When it comes to sequels, it is a difficult task to replicate or top the film that preceded it. Fight Back to School II has all of the ingredients that made its successor successful. Gordon Chan returns as the director, and three key cast members return: Stephen Chow in the role of Chow Sing Sing, Ng Man-Tat in the role of Uncle Tat, and Sharla Cheung (God of the Gamblers) in the role of Miss Ho, Chow Sing Sing’s love interest.

As a stand-alone film, Fight Back to School II is not as strong as its predecessor. It is a film that actually works best if you have seen Fight Back to School first. That said, both films open with similar swat sequences that are more serious in tone than the events that follow these sequences.

Performance-wise, the entire cast is very good, especially the three leads, Stephen Chow, Sharla Cheung, and Ng Man-Tat. Once again, Stephen Chow and Ng Man-Tat's on-screen chemistry is the most durable asset. Not to be overlooked is Stephen Chow and Sharla Cheung’s on-screen chemistry.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where Fight Back to School II is lacking. The absurd premise is exploited for all its worth, and the narrative does a great job balancing humor and action. When it comes to humor, this is one area where Fight Back to School II delivers in spades, notably how most of the violence is done in a cartoonish way. Also, the action sequences are all well executed, especially the explosive shoot-out finale at the school between cops and terrorists. Ultimately, though there are areas where Fight Back to School II is better than Fight Back to School, the result is a sequel that brings nothing new to the table.

Fight Back to School III: Directed by Wong Jing, a prolific producer and director who is now into his fifth decade of making cinema in Hong Kong. Anyone who's familiar with Hong Kong's heyday of the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s is sure to have seen one of his films. And though he often takes on the role of producer, most films he is associated with have his distinctive bombastic style.

The narrative revolves around Chow Sing-Sing, an undercover cop who once again finds himself in trouble. This time around, his assignment is to go undercover as a wealthy socialite's husband.

When a film is a sequel in name only, Fight Back to School III has no scenes in a school. And though the three leads from the first two films in this series—Stephen Chow, Sharla Cheung, and Ng Man-Tat—return for Fight Back to School III, this time around, this sequel has a new director, Wong Jing, and it is quickly apparent that what is about to unfold is going to be different from its two predecessors.

Despite this change of venue, pretty much everything else about Fight Back to School III is in line with its predecessors, especially when it comes to humor. That said, when it comes to the humor, it is way more exaggerated in Fight Back to School III, which should not come as a surprise to anyone who's seen a good amount of Wong Jing’s other films.

Once again, the three leads, Stephen Chow, Sharla Cheung, and Ng Man-Tat, are excellent in their roles. It should be noted that Sharla Cheung's role is more limited than in the first two films, and Ng Man-Tat’s character also sees less screen time. That said, there are two new additions to the cast: Anita Mui (The Heroic Trio) in the role of Judy Tong Wong, the wife of the man Chow Sing Sing is impersonating, and Anthony Wong Chau-sang (Taxi Hunter) in a deliriously over-the-top performance that steals every moment he’s in.

Content-wise, Fight Back to School III is best described as a satire; there are many elements in its narrative that are connected to Basic Instinct. The narrative moves at breakneck momentum, and the humor is pitch perfect. Though not as action-heavy as its predecessors, the action sequences are all well executed. Ultimately, Fight Back to School III is a solid satire that stands well on its own despite being a sequel.

Fight Back to School Trilogy is a solid release from 88 Films that comes with strong audio/video presentations and informative extras, recommended.