Synopsis: A feisty young woman discovers a magical sword which enables her to learn the deepest secrets of the Dragon Kung-Fu school. She soon finds herself up against a host of colourful bad guys, each experienced in a different style of animal kung-fu, that leads to a crazy finale where she must put her new skills to good use.

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Views: This late 70s kung-fu comedy has both one of the greatest ever posters of kung-fu cinema and also one of the weirdest plots ever. The wonderful Polly Shang Kwan plays the Rabbit Fighter, a lost little lady who comes across a cave known as The Cave of the 12 Zodiac Fighters, which is filled with treasures, a skeleton, and a magic sword that somehow gives her new kung-fu abilities. With the looming threat of the evil Tiger Shark master, Kwan sets out with a band of heroes (who specialise in their own brands of animal-fu) to stop the big baddie! It hurts my head to try and make it sound much more than it really is, but Zodiac Fighters is infamously one of the wildest pieces of the genre and for plenty of reasons...

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Lacking in genuine kung-fu action, all but for the grand finale and a few scuffles throughout, Zodiac Fighters is more of a comedy than anything that allows Polly Shang Kwan to have a bit of fun and show her skills as a stand-up comedienne – and I must admit, she does look like she's having a great time. Packed with ridiculous costumes and hilarious monologues, cartoon-like characters and very broad humour, this is one film that will definitely not appeal to every fan of kung-fu cinema – but I did enjoy it at times. I've always been a huge fan of Polly Shang Kwan and actually think she is hilarious in Zodiac Fighters, shifting her character of a girl paid to cry at funerals to become the colourful dragon mistress, complete with a costume that looks very similar to that of the lead character in Disney's Raya & The Last Dragon (2021). While she gets moments here-and-there that allow her to leap around and kick a few people, Kwan's kung-fu skills are really saved for the last 20 minutes that sees everyone battle on the beach. In fact, it's save to say that the last 20-25 minutes are just flat-out bonkers as it introduces a host of people dressed like animals, and most of who make the required noises to suit their characters. Movements are met with Formula-1 car noises, or long whistles as people fall, and plenty of other cartoon sound effects that just confirm that Zodiac Fighters should not be taken seriously at all. The grand finale on the beach reveals an insane moment of the jaded screen as the animal people face-off against each other until the evil Tiger Shark master arrives, complete with a small army of men wearing lobster claws and rubber shark heads. It's a sight to behold and a finale that I would love to see restored and cleaned-up, if I'm being honest! The Tiger Shark master is played by the legendary Lo Lieh – Shaw Brothers star and prolific actor of Hong Kong cinema. His arrival just takes things to a whole new level as he fires shark jaws from his palanquin that latch onto people so he can pull them in, and shoots mini rubber sharks at the heroes – some of which chase people through the air, and some in the sea (with people on their backs). It's absolutely insane!

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To be honest, I think Zodiac Fighters was made as a farce – much like Half A Loaf Of Kung Fu (1978) which I think is very similar in ways, although with much more kung-fu. Director Hou Cheng, who also wrote the script, had been behind some interesting titles over the years since starting his directorial career with Escort (1968). Soon after he made Thirteen Worms (1970) which seems to have been made in the same vein as this, before going on to make titles such as The Furious Monk From Shaolin (1974) as well as The Fight For Shaolin Tamo Mystique (1977) with Polly Shang Kwan. Hou continued with The Shaolin Invincibles (1977) that starred Judy Lee and Carter Wong, which was a film that was just as crazy at times if I remember correctly. It must be noted that he also wrote Ape Girl (1979) for Chen Chi Hwa, a fun kung-fu comedy with its own strand of weirdness and penned his final directorial piece soon after with Heroine Of Tribulation (1981), also starring Kwan that saw her as a one-armed swordswoman and toned the insanity down a little. Zodiac Fighters is definitely not the greatest kung-fu movie ever made, but it does make for a interesting watch at least once and features a few recognisable faces from Taiwanese cinema, most of whom are involved in that bonkers finale.

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Overall: Not an absolute must but fun to see at least once, Zodiac Fighters saves it all for the last 20 minutes and is completely nuts!