“He’s a kung-fu renegade cop. Now, he must defeat the most evil kung-fu master in the world: Adolf Hitler, aka Kung Führer.”
How can any action movie buff not be curious about a movie with a fast-paced trailer that promises retro 80s action with a cheesy synthesizer soundtrack?
Welcome to one of the biggest surprise Kickstarter successes – KUNG FURY – a movie that has already surpassed its 30-day $200k crowdfunding goal. It’s currently sitting with a committed $513k!
This indie Swedish movie project hits all the right notes. With a detailed Kickstarter page that’s more than a whine for dollars, the project is apparently almost completed. Their Kickstarter page provides detailed storyboards and screenshots of the special effects work. But it’s the catchy and irresistible two minute trailer that perfectly conveys the tone of this project – it promises to be fun and cheesy, an in your face riff of the best and worst of the 1980s action movies, including RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, MIAMI VICE, TIME COP, WAR GAMES, and THE KARATE KID to name a few. Think about how Tarantino pays homage to his influences, then add the absurdity of recent genre-spoofing hits like SCARY MOVIE, BALLS OF FURY or JOHN DIES AT THE END.
The trailer has become a viral hit with over 6 million views. It stars a lot of corny “Van Damme meets Schwarzenegger” kind of dialogue spoken by shirtless guys with abs and busty women with horns. The key to the trailer’s success is that the movie promises a lot for your action movie dollar!
It looks like writer/director/star David Sandberg will have his money to finish what could be one of the most anticipated indie flicks of 2014 with a scheduled completion month of November.
This is what crowdfunding was made for – to help an aspiring filmmaker work on a labor of love – not to help rich celebrities fund vanity projects. With its Kickstarter page showing how far Sandberg has already progressed with the project, the message is clear – he’s already committed and invested considerable resources to make his movie. He is simply asking, won’t you help him finish it? Looking at the success of his Kickstarter campaign, it looks like a lot of people want to see this movie!