Remo Williams: Seriously Underrated or Just Plain Goofy Fun?

Okay, so I finally revisited "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins" after, well, decades. And I'm still trying to figure out exactly what it is. Is it a legitimately clever action flick with some genuinely interesting philosophical underpinnings, or is it just pure 80s cheese elevated by some impressive practical effects and a surprisingly committed performance by Joel Grey? I'm leaning towards...some complicated place in the middle. Specifically, I keep thinking about the whole Sinanju training sequence. Chiun (Grey) is obviously fantastic, but is the 'ancient Korean martial art' really just a thinly veiled metaphor for achieving enlightenment through discipline and pushing beyond perceived limitations, or is it just a convenient excuse for Remo to run on water and dodge bullets? Some of the training scenes felt almost like they’re trying to channel something deeper, but then you have moments like the Statue of Liberty climb, and it’s just…cartoonish. I get that it's a comic book adaptation (sort of) but the tonal shifts are jarring. And then there’s the whole political angle. The corrupt defense contractors, the shady government agency... It feels like they were trying to say something about the military industrial complex, but it never really coalesces into a coherent critique. It feels like it’s just there to provide a vague sense of justification for Remo's actions. Maybe I'm reading too much into it (I often do!), but does anyone else get the sense that this movie almost stumbled into being strangely profound despite itself? Or am I just giving it way too much credit for being a product of its time? Ultimately, I think what makes me wrestle with this film so much is the potential that’s lurking beneath the surface. You can see the glimmers of something truly exceptional, a spy film that blends Eastern philosophy with Cold War anxieties. But then it's immediately followed by a slapstick chase scene. Anybody have any thoughts on why this movie never really took off and if it deserves more credit than its gotten?