Sometimes dreams do come true—something that’s certainly the case for those who dreamt of a CGI-laden ’80s throwback that pits impossible kung fu acrobatics against dinosaurs and nazis. Starting out as a Kickstarter project that received over three times the amount it was originally seeking, Kung Fury is the brainchild of writer/director/star David Sandberg and tells the tale of a renegade cop who must travel back in time to stop martial artist and all-around scumball Adolf Hitler (Jorma Taccone) from going into the future and cause trouble. After debuting the David Hasselhoff music video for the film’s anthem, the Mitch Murder-produced “True Survivor,” the movie is now online and available for free for people to enjoy.
The film itself mostly works well. It’s like a mash-up between Grindhouse (more the Rodriguez stuff than Tarantino’s) and Danger 5 (there’s even one gag that is either an homage or a blatant ripoff from that show), with a lot of over-the-top action, nonsensical plot twists, and ’80s cheesy dialogue throughout. But still, every time it gets a bit tedious or too on the nose with its wackiness, there comes along a visual that spruces it back up, like a sentient arcade machine or a slapfight between a T. Rex and an golden mechanical eagle. There’s also one sustained long take fighting scene (helped out with improbable CGI moves) that’s actually a pretty impressive action sequence in its own right. So prepare to hack the timestream and enjoy Kung Fury.