Netflix’s hidden TV gem is the perfect blend of The Raid and Mortal Kombat, making it an ideal choice for fans of martial arts stories. Martial arts movies have had many waves of popularity. The world went wild for Kung Fu in the 70s and 80s. It went through a resurgence through wuxia movies in the late 90s and early 00s. Thanks to international cooperation and more Asian-American voices getting a place in Hollywood, we are now seeing a rise in popularity again. Just look at the success that was Everything Everywhere All at Once and House of the Ninjas.
However, not every martial arts TV show and movie gets the appreciation and praise that it deserves. Especially when martial arts aren’t having a moment onscreen, these projects fly under the radar. One of the best and most underrated TV shows for martial arts is Netflix’s Wu Assassins, which feels like a beautiful combination of The Raid and Mortal Kombat.
Wu Assassins Is A Blast For Fans Of Martial Arts
The Netflix show Wu Assassins follows an ordinary San Francisco chef named Kai Jin (Iko Uwais) who gets pulled into a centuries-old battle. He gets recruited to become the Wu Assassin, who gains all of the powers and knowledge of the monks who transfer their essence into an amulet. To take down the ancient powers, he might go up against five organized crime bosses who possess the Wu Xing shards and want to destroy the entire world. Luckily, he has the help of a group of friends.
Just like The Raid, Wu Assassins features actor and martial artist Iko Uwais, who uses his signature fighting style, Pencak Silat, an Indonesian martial arts style he has practiced since he was just 10. Both stories include intense, fast-paced hand-to-hand choreography that’s as beautiful as it is brutal. Similarly, Mortal Kombat and Wu Assassins share Chinese-British actor and martial artist Lewis Tan, whose other notable roles include Deadpool 2 and Into the Badlands.
Unlike The Raid, both Wu Assassin and Mortal Kombat blend martial arts with elemental magic used by powerful warriors and sorcerers. However, Mortal Kombat features the game’s tournament fighting, while Wu Assassins features more of a traditional “chosen one” hero’s journey. The Netflix TV show also throws in a dash of wuxia film. This gives the TV show an elevated feel while remaining grounded in the physical contact of martial arts. Ultimately, the TV show selects all the best elements of both martial arts movies.
Why Wu Assassins Was Canceled After One Season
From both a critical and audience perspective, I feel very strongly that Wu Assassins should have been renewed for a second season. The characters were compelling, with great relationships. The show had a fun Buffy the Vampire Slayer-esque premise, except with a martial arts spin, and it came out when Buffy was having a resurgence in popularity. The fight choreography was extremely appealing, which, let’s be real, is the biggest reason to watch martial arts movies. If the martial arts suck in a martial arts movie, it doesn’t matter how great the story is.
However, the show did have some flaws. The dialogue was not the strongest, and the production values look like they walked out of the 90s. The story also wasn’t particularly innovative, though it was entertaining enough to keep viewers’ attention. The issues weren’t that bad. Wu Assassins also didn’t have super-strong or poor viewership, despite getting positive reviews.
I don’t believe the show would’ve gotten the axe at another streamer. The show came out on Netflix, though, which is notorious for canceling its shows too soon. Rather than completely ending things, they decided to shift to a movie format with Fistful of Vengeance. The problem is that they didn’t actually seem to have confidence in the IP. They mismarketed it when Netflix hid the fact that it was a sequel to Wu Assassins, causing massive confusion.
Fans of the show didn’t watch because they didn’t know it was connected. Non-fans never got the establishing moment for characters, relationships, or worldbuilding needed to understand everything going on. It also polished the trailer’s visuals, rather than the gritty martial arts of the show. On top of everything else, the movie really wasn’t a standalone, and the story lacked substance. Ultimately, Fistful of Vengeance wasn’t enough to warrant a second season for Wu Assassins, and it doesn’t look like Fistful of Vengeance 2 will happen, based on the time that has passed. Though Netflix has not directly spoken about that.