The Stormriders

I saw the DVD of this movie in a local HMV store and on the cover it said that it outsold 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' in Hong Kong. I read the back and it sounded very interesting. The DVD contained 2 discs - the international version and the Director's cut. I opted for the Director's cut as I like to see films the way the Director intended.

So, I bought it, sat back and pressed play. I was absolutely amazed - the story was fascinating, steeped in Eastern mysticism, the acting was superb (especially Aaron Kowk as Cloud and Ekin Cheng as Wind, the two principal leads) and the special effects were mind blowing.

I won't give the story away and to be honest, the plot wouldn't do justice to the way the film's made and how entertaining it really is. Ideas are thrown in one after the other, Lau's direction is assured and there are set pieces which defy belief (for example, when Wind is fighting the fire dragon in the cave).

It's simple, if you have a chance to see this, then watch it. Watch the Director's version though - the International version is many minutes shorter and badly dubbed.

I heard about in Kung Fu/Qigong magazine and finally got to see it in 2000. It fully lives up to the hype that surrounded it. Watching this makes you wonder what the Street Fighter movie would've looked like if it were done right. For those of you who prefer American action films because "the special effects aren't cool enough" no longer have a reason to "b & moan" anymore. My main problem is the same as others who've watched this film: sometimes the effects overshadow the fighting. But don't let that stop you from seeing this one. Plus it's nice to see Sonny Chiba again. I wonder if that means there'll be more Jademan Comics adaptations in the future.

I heard how great this Hong Kong flick, so I was really happy to find a copy of it at my video store. Unfortunately, at the time of my rental, I didn't know that the U.S. video/DVD distributor hacked out about THIRTY MINUTES from the original running time! What a mess! The movie made absolutely no sense!

Still, I could see enough in this butchered print to indicate that the full uncut version must be fabulous (and make a heck of a lot more sense!) So I think it's safe for me to recommend you see it - though ONLY if you can see the uncut version!

I caught wind of this movie in a hong kong based design mag that ran a feature on it. The stills were amazing, so I did everything in my power to track it down. I'm no stranger to the world of Hong Kong action, but this was something completely new to me. Kinetic swordplay, astounding special effects, great story, great acting. This is the future of Hong Kong cinema. Andrew Lau has really gone the distance here. Aaron Kwok plays the moody and violent Cloud while Ekin Cheng plays the level headed and disciplined Wind. They fight under the guidance of the not-so-nice Lord Conquer excellently portrayed by Sonny (the man) Chiba. Together they conquer all of China with their martial arts might. But if Cloud and Wind combine, fight together and discover the truth about their cloudy pasts, Conquer is screwed. There's really not a bad thing I can say here, maybe the editing is a little liberal during the great fight scenes and really takes away from the glory, but even that's not too bad.

Wow. This movie is a CLASSIC, almost entirely because of it's extreme unintentional hilarity. The "fighters" are actually Chinese pop stars, and it comes through quite easily in this, dare I say, "Film." The special effects will leave you either in painful laughter or extreme incredulity, and not because of how well they are done. The plot has the solidity and continuity of a jellyfish, with characters appearing, leaving and reappearing for what appears to be no reason at all. It's best to watch this movie with several friends late at night, but a warning: the laughter might cause some damage. Every kung fu fan should immediately watch this movie, and then watch a good movie, such as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon or Fist of Legend.