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Context YMMV / BigTroubleInLittleChina

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1!! The Film
2
3* AwesomeEgo: For all his incompetence and shortcomings, Jack Burton's confidence and sarcasm are truly awesome to behold.
4* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
5** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D03E9kUTTtQ Biiiiig trouble... in Little China!]]
6** Some of the other music ain't that bad either, with the main title, alley fight and Wing Kong Exchange themes being notable highlights.
7* CreepyAwesome: Silent, elemental-themed henchmen the Three Storms.
8* CultClassic: This film was VindicatedByHistory and became a huge cult hit as time passed.
9* EnsembleDarkhorse:
10** The Three Storms, Lightning in particular for being the inspiration for [[Franchise/MortalKombat Raiden.]]
11** On the heroes' side are neighborhood sorcerer Egg Shen and IntrepidReporter Margo.
12* FountainOfMemes: It's a movie from the '80s, so it's expected. Jack Burton in particular is extremely quotable.
13* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: While the film enjoys poking fun at Jack Burton, it also makes it clear that the man is a brave, loyal friend. When Wang starts to ask Jack not to come with him, Jack makes it clear he isn't going anywhere.
14-->'''Wang''': They've got this sorta clubhouse thing, you know, where they all hang out.\
15'''Jack''': Sharpen their knives, huh?\
16'''Wang''': I can't ask you to-\
17'''Jack''': Where is it?!\
18'''Wang''': Thank you, Jack.
19** Wang and Jack's tribute to the American Armed Forces may be a bit corny,but it's is also touching.
20--->'''Wang''': Here's to the Army and Navy and the battles they have won; here's to America's colors, the colors that never run.\
21'''Jack''': May the wings of liberty never lose a feather.
22* HilariousInHindsight:
23** Or, possible, Awesome In Hindsight, with Lightning, a predecessor to Raiden of ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', complete with nice hat. Kitana's famous KissOfDeath fatality also references [[spoiler: Thunder's death]] very closely.
24** Not only does Lo Pan and Egg Shen's duel looks like they're playing a video game, but the colors used for both of them, green and purple, respectively, are each associated with the Platform/{{Xbox}} and Platform/PlayStation consoles.
25* MagnificentBastard: [[TheDreaded "David" Lo Pan]] is an ancient Chinese sorcerer cursed until he can marry the green-eyed daughter of a holy woman. Ruling the underworld and keeping his enemies on the retreat, Lo Pan masterminds the kidnapping of heroines Miao Yin and Gracie Law so he can [[LoopholeAbuse circumvent the prophecy]] by marrying both while sacrificing one to a demon so he may keep both his youth and godly power simultaneously.
26* MemeticBadass: Jack Burton given the amount of tough talking he does and how he does manage to make good on it in one key moment at the end.
27* MemeticMutation: To say the movie is quotable is an understatement.
28** "Indeed!"
29** "Like ol' Jack Burton says..."
30** "You leave Jack Burton ALONE! We are in his debt!"
31** The main page quote detailing "light coming out of his mouth."
32** [[spoiler: Thunder's death where he inflates]] is often considered one of the goofier movie deaths.
33** "It's all in the reflexes."
34** "Son of a bitch must pay!"
35* NarmCharm: Much of the movie, a lot (if not all) of it deliberately.
36** The "Magical Video Game Battle" between Lo Pan and Egg Shen. It is both awesome (as intended) and ''hilariously ridiculous''.
37** Despite how incredibly fake and stupid it is, [[spoiler: Thunder blowing up like a balloon]] somehow works because of how funny it is. [[spoiler:And apparently he has salad for internal organs.]]
38** The second encounter of the Beholder has it laying on the ground, literally licking its wounds. When it sees the heroes, it just gives an annoyed AsideGlance at them (before it's killed.)
39* OlderThanTheyThink: It actually predates many of the titles audiences might think it's referencing, as Robin Laws points out in ''Literature/BlowingUpTheMovies'':
40--> Tsui Hark's {{Wuxia}} [[GenreTurningPoint game-changer]] ''Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain'' (1982) exists as a reference at this point, along with such early kung fu ghost comedies as ''Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind'' (1980, Creator/SammoHung) and ''The Dead and the Deadly'' (1982, Wu Ma). But as the film is being written (...) most of the HK supernatural fu classics have yet to be made. No ''Mr Vampire'' (q.v.), no ''A Chinese Ghost Story'' (q.v.), no ''The Swordsman'' (1990, credited to King Hu). The western fandom for HK films extant in 1986 revolves around Creator/BruceLee, Shaw Brothers [[ChopSockey Chop Socky]], and real-world martial arts practice. It sure isn't ready for lightning-throwing warriors or ghostly sorcerors. Accordingly, ''Big Trouble'' flops on its theatrical release, joining the roster of [[CultClassic fan favourites that slowly grows its popularity on home video.]]
41* SlowPacedBeginning: The first third of the film is a series of half-heartedly delivered {{Info Dump}}s so it can get all the exposition out of the way. It's only after all that when the non-stop action begins.
42* SpecialEffectsFailure: The film's age means that many of its special effects looked dated to modern audiences, and disatisfied Creator/JohnCarpenter upon the film's release, though were pretty good for their era.
43** [[spoiler: Thunder's]] explosion is obviously a suit pumped full of air.
44** The monsters are obviously suits and puppets.
45* ValuesResonance: The satirization of "WhiteSavior" tropes continues to feel timely and refreshing given that there are contemporary movies that can't seem to get away from them. Jack Burton isn't there to save or uplift his Asian compatriots, he's just there to get his truck back, get his money, and help them out since Wang's his friend and their goals mutually benefit with each other.
46* VindicatedByHistory: Despite a positive test-screening, the movie bombed at the box office ([[ScrewedByTheNetwork no doubt due to 20th Century Fox's other film]] ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' being released the next week) and critical opinions were negative enough to make Carpenter leave studio film work. Nowadays it's considered one of his best films by fans and critics alike.
47
48!!The Comic
49
50* TearJerker: Issue 4's revelation about the ''first'' Mrs. Burton is actually surprisingly sweet, and sad.
51--> She was [[OneTrueLove the one]]. Does it matter how we met? How we fell in love? How she made me feel special because if someone like her loved me, well, I must be alright. Because no one as amazing as her would just take up with any jerk.\
52\
53None of those things matter. The only thing that matters is she's gone, and like Miao and Wang, all I want to do is reach out and touch her one more time.\
54\
55It seems like yesterday, or a century ago that she came home and collapsed in the doorway. Seems like merely two hours or a millennia ago that I sat with her day after day in that hospital. It could be five minutes or an eternity ago that she gripped my hand with all the feeble strength she could muster. Just seconds ago she looked in my eyes with all the fear and love possible in the human soul and told me goodbye.\
56\
57As she faded away I kissed her and felt her last breath escape her lips.\
58\
59That's the last time I ever kissed a woman goodbye, and it will always be the last kiss goodbye.
60** It makes his refusal to kiss Gracie goodbye in the film even more heartbreaking.
61* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: The new villain kidnaps Wang Chi but leaves Miao Yin behind. You'd think maybe this bit of SwappedRoles for the two would allow her to travel with Jack to get her fiancee back, allowing the writers to give the SatelliteLoveInterest from the movie a little bit of CharacterDevelopment. You'd think that... but you'd be wrong.

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