“Bruce Lee Lives” first episode sneak preview/ review
“Bruce Lee Lives!” is a contemporary and provocative examination of the greatest martial artist of all time as told through the personal stories of a “who’s who” list of filmmakers, musicians and athletes he has influenced. The show pays homage to Bruce Lee—the action star, philosopher, filmmaker, and Godfather of mixed martial arts. This new six-part original series “Bruce Lee Lives!” premieres on Fuel TV next Wednesday, July 13, at 10:00PM ET/PT, but because I am so awesome, The Fight Nerd got a sneak peek at the very first episode in this series and is giving you a first taste of what to expect, and if it’s worth watching all six parts!
The first episode is “Bruce Lee” The Fighter”, and talks about his battles growing up, as well as the on-going war to be taken seriously as an Asian man in a White Hollywood. We speak with athletes all over the spectrum, and even some actors and directors and even a magician to discuss how Lee impacted their lives. Hit the jump for all the details about the show!
The first thing I need to make very clear is that this is not a documentary about Bruce Lee as much as it is an homage. I had to get over that fact very quickly and change my expectations, and I suggest you do the same before we move on. With that knowledge in your head now, the show starts off with a very visually exciting sizzle reel that catches your eyes and just looks spectacular. Great attention to detail and great visuals which continue to pop up through out the 22-minute long debut episode.
This first episode features a ton of guest appearances, which includes actors Ryan Phillippe, Omar Epps, Seth Rogan, and direcor Rob Cohen ( the man behind “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story”). Bridging the gap with the mainstream audience, we have magician Criss Angel, famed musician Carlos Santana, skateboarders Brian Sumner and Christian Hosoi, and Motocross athletes as well. But what would a show on Bruce Lee be with if it did not have any martial artists, and we have plenty of those as well with appearances by the legendary Dan Inosanto, Tito Ortiz, Kenny Florian, Herschel Walker, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, BJJ wizard Dave Camarillo, Cung Le, Jon Fitch, and Rashad Evans! That’s a lot of people talking about Bruce Lee, and that’s where you start to notice that is not your traditional documentary and, again I use this word, homage.
If you came to watch this hoping to learn about Bruce Lee’s history, you are watching the wrong show entirely. This episode covers three facts from Lee’s life; that he learned Gung Fu for self-defense, that he made movies, and that Hollywood had a hard time accepting an Asian man in a starring role. That’s the brunt of the info you will learn about Lee, and it’s nothing you couldn’t find out quicker from Wikipedia. The purpose of this show, however, is not to give you a biography about Lee (and if you wanted to see that, A&E did a spectacular one years back), but to show you how he changed the world. That list of personalities above is who really stars in this series while Lee serves as a backdrop to their success and a reminder of their roots.
We hear from these celebrities how Lee changed the way they think about acting or martial arts or even music and motocross, and how he has been an inspiration to them. A highlight for me was when the show follows around Kenny Florian, which impressed me because it actually covered his recent UFC fight against Diego Nunes complete with backstage footage (so that show’s you how up to date this show really is). Another stand-out moment for me was when they had all of the celebs say one of Bruce’s famous quotes, one after another, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” Very powerful and impacting moment, and I believe that is the exact moment that glues this episode and all of these people together. The only real low point in this came with comedian Bobby Lee of all people. I love Bobby Lee’s comedy, but when he said, “Comedy is like a fight”, I hoped that he was joking.
“Bruce Lee Lives” is a very stylish looking homage to the man that glorified martial arts to the world. The actors, athletes and entertainers that speak about how Bruce touched their lives are honest and full of as much excitement as a normal person would be talking about Bruce. The show has as much bravado, machismo and sensitivity as the real Bruce Lee had, and I look forward to watching this series develop. While I can not call it a documentary since it really is not, it is a perfect homage to Bruce Lee and shows how no matter what you do, chances are you were affected by the man somehow. As Carlos Santana says during the episode, “There’s a Bruce Lee in me and there’s a Bruce Lee in you. What does that mean? It means that you’re a warrior.” Give this series a watch on Fuel TV next Wednesday, July 13, at 10:00PM ET/PT, then come back here and tell me what you think!
