I don’t mind being sent films to review that are off my radar. I like independent film, and I want to support it as best I can. the truth is, that this sub-grouping of films rarely has audio description, which makes it a challenge to support. But, for a little film with a decidedly not A-list cast opening against Minecraft, I think it’s important for me to veer left and champion these types of films. Sometimes, these random titles end up being quite enjoyable, even with the struggle of the lack of accessibility. earlier this year, I was able to enjoy bonus Track, and I never would have given that film a second glance without audio description and its low profile. In the onslaught of year end screeners, I had a barrage of indie films that charmed my socks off, that I wish could acquire audio description, from Big Boys and The People’s Joker, to Glitter And Doom and Good One. I also don’t get invited to every film, or get every screener. So, there’s a real part of me that feels like if I accept a screener for a film, that by giving it a negative review, somehow that will in turn lead to less offerings. I mean, most think blind film criticism is a joke, so it’s easy to remove the fringe when the world is telling you that diversity, equity, and inclusivity are bad things.
But for The Martial Artist, there are some really smart choices made. it clearly lacks a substantial budget, and tries to work as best with what it can get. So, while the film does revolve around an aspiring mixed martial arts fighter, he is a bit of a legend in his own mind. So, the story is a bit more like the journey to the fight, like last year’s underrated The Day Of The Fight, instead of the fight itself, or even an endless stream of training montages. This is about a man overcoming his own personal demons to be able to become the fighter he believes he can be. If you don’t have the budget to support an action packed film, those can come off as really cheap, so it is smarter to build a character driven story with a few moments of action instead. The cast mostly does alright with their roles, though it honestly is a little hard to track a bunch of unknown actors with no audio description. that’s just how I consume entertainment. It also became hard for me to follow the action sequences, and what seemed like slipping into a hyper realism that felt either like a dream state, or how Scott Pilgrim achieved his battles.
But, what didn’t work for me were a few transitions, which just seemed to be poorly edited, lagging awkwardly until the next scene, and the unremarkable score that demands it be heard, often at the detriment to the film. The score isn’t anything remarkable, and in certain scenes, it becomes unbearable and obnoxious. I have already seen worse films in 2025 than this, and those films had a budget of substantially more than The Martial Artist. the truth is, that the combined production budgets of just Snow White and The Electric State could probably overfund about 600 films just like this, giving them more budget, and allowing a slew of indie filmmakers to surprise instead of putting the world on the shoulders of a single film almost certainly destined to fail.
When I had to film my review for my YouTube, I found myself pulling positive, and over complimenting a film that I really didn’t love that much, and I realized it was because I assumed I was compromising my chance to get another film like this that I might actually like, and might actually benefit from having some word of mouth. So for every The Martial Artist, there’s a Bonus Track, Trinity, Clone Cops, River Of Grass, or another film this year that I will enjoy telling you about and asking you to watch (especially if you don’t need audio description). Sadly, this just didn’t work for me. it felt like what so many films on Tubi seem to be, which makes it so hard to find gems anymore. There are too many choices at the production level that aren’t budgetary concerns, but stylistic decisions, and because of that, I wouldn’t recommend this. It’s not a hard pass, just a pass.
No Grade Due To Lack Of Audio description
