Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Combat—but Is It Real?
MOVIE REVIEW
The Power of Chi
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Genre: Documentary
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 1h 29m
Narrator(s): Morgan Freeman
Director(s): David Grovic
Writer(s): David Haring
Where To Watch: coming to on-demand and digital February 25, 2025
RAVING REVIEW: THE POWER OF CHI positions Tai Chi Chuan as something far beyond a meditative movement. The film claims that internal energy—chi—grants its practitioners near-supernatural abilities. The film asserts that trained masters can neutralize elite athletes and powerlifters without relying on traditional strength or physics. This premise quickly unravels under even the slightest scrutiny. When the film compares Chi to the Force, it’s hard not to feel second-hand embarrassment.
There’s no denying that the documentary looks good. The cinematography is solid, and the slow-motion sequences make Tai Chi movements appear hypnotically fluid. However, all the high-definition visuals in the world can’t mask the fact that what’s being shown is painfully staged. Every demonstration feels choreographed to absurdity, with massive strongmen and experienced fighters inexplicably rendered helpless by Tai Chi masters barely touching them. Watching a 400-pound powerlifter stumble backward from what appears to be nothing more than a subtle wrist flick is less awe-inspiring and more unintentionally hilarious. While there is something to be said about Bruce Lee’s one-inch punch, he perfected it with rigorous training, biomechanics, and physics-backed principles like speed, momentum, and kinetic chain energy transfer. Unlike the exaggerated theatrics on display here, Lee’s punch was tested, repeatable, and based on real-world mechanics—not invisible forces that only seem to work on cooperative opponents.
One of the most ridiculous moments comes when the film states that the mind is “more powerful than a computer” because it controls everything in the body. Sure, there’s some level of truth in that—human cognition is incredibly complex—but the documentary takes this idea and leaps into full-blown pseudoscience. There’s no actual discussion of neurology, biomechanics, or anything remotely scientific. Instead, the film expects viewers to accept that the human mind alone can override the laws of physics if trained properly. If this were true, one would imagine Tai Chi masters dominating the UFC or at least making waves in professional combat sports. Spoiler: they don’t.
The film leans even further into absurdity when comparing Chi and ‘the Force’ from STAR WARS. At this point, it stops resembling a documentary and starts feeling like a recruitment video for a mystical martial arts cult. The idea of internal energy has existed in various forms across different cultures, but blending it with pop culture mysticism only cheapens the discussion. Instead of providing a serious exploration of Tai Chi’s benefits—such as its legitimate applications for balance, relaxation, and mindfulness—the film veers into fantasy territory, making claims that border on the comical.
And then there’s the issue of the narration. Morgan Freeman is credited with guiding the audience through this journey, but something about it feels ‘off.’ The delivery is slightly unnatural, almost robotic in places, leading to a feeling that the narration could have been AI-generated. While there’s no proof, the mere fact of how strange and unconvincing it sounds holds some weight. If it turns out that Freeman didn’t record this narration, that raises some serious ethical concerns for the entire production. If he did record it, or if he gave his okay for the AI creation, well, that’s just disappointing.
As if the film wasn’t already asking the audience to swallow enough, it avoids engaging with skepticism. There’s no attempt to provide scientific explanations, no counterarguments, and no interviews with martial arts experts who could offer a more balanced view. Instead, the documentary expects its audience to take everything at face value, which makes it feel more like a sales pitch than an actual investigation.
That’s not to say there’s nothing of value here. As a practice, Tai Chi has proven benefits for relaxation, flexibility, and overall well-being. The discipline itself is respected for a good reason. But instead of focusing on its real-world advantages, THE POWER OF CHI is the equivalent of a fitness documentary spending 90 minutes trying to convince the audience that deep breathing alone will give you six-pack abs.
The documentary feels like a work of fiction parading as fact. If you already believe in chi as an all-powerful force, you might walk away satisfied. If you’re even mildly skeptical, you’ll spend most of the runtime shaking your head. Even Joe Rogan, often willing to entertain out-there theories, has called out this nonsense, pointing out how absurd it is to believe that someone can defeat an opponent with nothing but energy. When someone known for embracing conspiracy theories finds this ridiculous, you know it’s a stretch.
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[photo courtesy of LIONSGATE]
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