Synopsis: A young divinity was born 3000 years ago to champion the cause of the masses in China when they were being oppressed by the despotic Tsou Emperor.

​

Views: Alexander Fu Sheng stars as the titular Na Cha, the son to a wealthy official who is often bored with his life. When a couple of trouble-making sea dragons take human form and come onto the land to harass the locals, Na Cha makes it his duty to become the protector of the people and put a stop to their evil ways! And that's pretty much it. Chang Cheh's fantasy drama is an absolute bore-fest for the most part, with very little happening until the halfway mark when we get to see Na Cha punch the head of a dragon. It doesn't really get any better to be honest, and I couldn't wait for it to be over. I've never been the biggest fan of Fu Sheng and in Na Cha The Great, he just confirms that for me by delivering another boring and mundane performance that offers no excitement whatsoever. Although he was still relatively new to the scene at this point, Fu Sheng starred in no less than 6 features in 1974 for director Chang Cheh – most of which were much better than this and included Heroes Two, Men From The Monastery, Shaolin Martial Arts, and Five Shaolin Masters. In fact, I think it's safe to say that pretty much everyone involved seems completely bored out of their minds, with the exception of Fung Hak On who plays one of the sea dragons that goes up against Na Cha around the halfway mark...

​

Not even the fight scenes from infamous choreographers Lau Kar Leung and Tong Kai are enough to save Na Cha The Great from falling flat, with most of the (very basic) kung-fu battles taking place in the second half of the film – if you've managed to get that far. It was nice to see a few familiar faces show up throughout though, such as Yuen Cheung Yan along with his brothers Brandy Yuen and Yuen Shun Yi, a very young Eric Tsang, Chui Fat, Alan Chan, Yen Shi Kwan, and others; most of which appeared as background players or in smaller character roles. Shaw Brothers regular bad guy, Chiang Tao, stars as Auguang of the East Sea - the big brother to Fung Hak On's sea dragon and the biggest challenge for Na Cha. Interesting enough, Chiang had appeared as the Centipede Spirit in Na Cha And The Seven Devils for Shaw Brothers studios the year before – in a film that offers a lot more entertainment and imagination than this does. I really hate giving short reviews, but there isn't much more I can say about Na Cha The Great, and definitely not in a positive sense. I'm just glad I didn't spend any money on it!

​

Overall: Boring, slow, and void of any entertaining qualities, Na Cha The Great is best altered to the title of not-so-great!