Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms

This is cinema on a grand scale, everything about it is breathtaking. The cinematography and visuals are stunning, the set pieces are immense, the scope of the story telling is wide and a large cast deliver polished performances. For western audiences, imagine a movie matching the scale and vision of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. The stories are completely different but there's something about the sheer scale and vision which they share.

The story is quite straightforward, good vs. Evil, the importance of family, moral corruption and the last for power, however it is done extremely well and makes for compelling viewing. The story is based on a classic story, I am not familiar with the original book so cannot comment on how faithful the movie is to the original.

Production values are very high and all of the cast deliver strong performances. If I have a criticism it is that the good vs. Evil story is very heavy. There is no nuance, no grey, the good people are paragons of virtue, the bad people full on over the top villainous caricatures. Although the main villain starts off as quite tragic in falling for the temptations of a demon that is quickly left behind as he becomes crazily over the top evil. That's why I give 9* instead of 10*, a little more nuance in the characters would have added a lot I think.

Overall a terrific movie for those who enjoy fantasy epics on a grand scale. They don't make many like this.

The original novel was published 400 years ago and have too many memorable moments. So it is very unsuitable for movie use. Moreover, Chinese classical novels, especially this type of novels, (hua beng) do not have the sublimation of characters in modern Western novels, so they are not necessarily suitable for movies. So the director made simplifications and trade-offs here. Many familiar scenes have not been retained. The perspective of the movie is abandoned and the change of a character is the most important driving force for the movie. The visuals have improved a lot. It is already very good to have such a performance.

As a Chinese-speaking expat in China and a movie enthusiast, I've had the opportunity to watch the majority of Chinese films released over the past decade since my move here. With a profound respect for Chinese culture, "Creations of the Gods: Kingdom of Storms" was truly the cherry on top for me. It breathed life into my Chinese mythology fantasies, all while maintaining a remarkable level of professionalism. This movie boasts exceptional quality, and I find myself consistently recommending it to those around me. Witnessing the industry progress to such lengths is nothing short of amazing!

This movie deserves a place in cinemas worldwide. I hope it will be appreciated by viewers around the globe.

Let's start with the pros. Some of the costumes, art, and casting in the movie are excellent. Fei Xiang's face has a very advanced sense of screen quality, Yang Jian's casting, styling, and action design are bright and eye-catching, Su Daji is more in line with personal aesthetics, and the fox's dynamic expression is very dynamic. Zhaoge and Xiji are each unified in terms of visual sensibility, color, and design language, and from an art perspective, the shaping of the worldview is successfully completed. Zhaoge and Xiji are unified in their visual senses, colors, and design language, and from an art perspective, the shaping of the film's worldview is successfully completed.

The biggest problem is that the script is too weak in literature and has too many contradictory points of logic. The whole movie is boring if you take away the art and special effects. The deaths of Empress Jiang and Bigan were awkward, and the deaths were meaningless.

Since its detonating release in the mainland, this movie was praised as legend among the viewers. Indeed, Feng Shen represents China's highest standard of film production, whether VFX, production and costume design, screenplay adoption, choreography, and performance. Despite the few scenes at Kunlun with questionable green screen utility, the visual effect is much better than that in The Flash, as the extreme wide shots of the coronation or the sacrificial pyre depict architectural grandeur without forgetting the details of men. In terms of bringing one of China's most famed mythology into life, the movie succeeds once more in modifying the intent of Daji the Fox Demon and adding the Army of Hostages; my personal favorites are Nezha's Fire Wheels and Red Sash, which are exactly what I pictured from the original text. Performance wise, Fei Xiang and Na Ran are doubtlessly the best castings for the devious tyrant and the animalistic temptress.

Onto the negatives, the movie seems to portray plot-driven characters instead of having the characters pilot the storylines. Especially approaching the final act, the deaths and arcs of numerous characters, including the protagonist, either appear scripted or simply do not convince me. This could be the result of extensive editing and condensation in regards to the length, which is always an issue for commercial films with adopted screenplay. The work is enough as entertainment, but if the trilogy wants to become classic, it still needs a push.

Can't wait to see the second.