Mojin - A lenda perdida

Fighting a hopping ghostly entity in action comedy flair is an old trend in Chinese cinema, mostly dealing with silly version of vampire. As the visual technology advances this kind of premise resurfaces recently, the closest comparison would be The Mummy with oriental atmosphere. Mojin might seem too flamboyant or slow at first, rightfully so since the blend of horror and action only shows its effectiveness later on.

Story follows a reluctant adventurer Hu Bayi (Chen Kun) as he is drawn to a mystery from 20 years ago. The pacing is unfortunately sluggish at first act, relying heavily on slapstick comedy for a bit too long. This kind of loud banter is used frequently in Chinese comedy, or even in Korean or Japanese flicks, but the outlandish approach may not resonate too well for audience from the west. It's admittedly a niche flavor and culture-oriented taste. Furthermore, the drama factor simply shines towards the end.

After it sets the tone, it gets increasingly better. By incorporating few mythological embellishments and creepy characters, it even manages to be unexpectedly eerie beyond the original cheesy nature. Action and effect fare much better. There is a polished visual here, though it's not the level of high tier animation and it needs the help of artistic design to create appealing set pieces, especially since it dabbles mostly on barren terrains.

Credit must go to Shu Qi as the love interest Shirley. She looks very gorgeous, donning the popular Lara Croft visage and it's nice to have such character when raiding long lost tomb. The action also comes to fruition on second half as story shifts from silliness to tight narrative and eye-catching sequences. Humor works better as well, breaking away from the stand-up comedy and presenting a couple of nice gags even when the pace becomes faster.

The movie's later parts are better than the rest, more so considering it's a fairly long movie with considerable build-up. However, when all the pieces fit together Mojin - The Lost Legend is an adequately fascinating adventure.

Just like 'Tomb Raider' this is another perfect example of amazing action sequences and stunning visuals compensating an average plot. So, if it's non-stop action you're looking for, you'll definitely find it here. The cinematography was also awesome! I enjoyed the archaeological aspect as well as the setting in the huge tomb. Angelbaby did her best Angelina Jolie impression but was not as convincing and did not seem determined enough. I enjoyed the friendship/rivalry between long-term friends Hu Bayi and Wang. The film has a lot of silly slapstick humor, but the entertainment value was far greater. This was funny, thrilling, exciting and super entertaining. It may not be a perfect movie, but it is a perfect action adventure fantasy!

In all fairness, it is a far better production than I've seen many times, a good plot, good actors, script, director, overall, a movie to entertain, maybe even to recommend.

I must say, a lot of the lines were quite funny, they got me laughing, and not just one or twice. Visually, it is beautiful, peaceful and calming effects, that got you focused only on them when they were on, good use of CGI, plenty of Asian culture references, a little of the American view towards it too. I had fun watching it, the end is as always over stretched but lucky for me, I got used to it by now.

I graded it 6 stars out of 10, it succeeded on many levels, but there was room for better.

Cheers!

An attempt to imitate Indiana Jones unfortunately failed. Also in this case (as in Jiu ceng yao ta), the cues are many but instead of enriching the plot they end up complicating the development. On the other hand in some moments the thread of the narration is lost, everything becomes possible but without any connection or logic, the flashbacks sometimes seem put a little at random, more for narrative needs than for concrete reasons of development. It's a pity because it is a product that for the West really introduces so many new narrative inventions and possible paths never crossed but it all translates into a terrible mess.

It's one of those movies that I knew I'd be interested in, going to the theaters. the poster screams action and adventure like Indiana Jones.

It's a buddy movie with a little romance and fantastic imagery. It's how the Chinese are doing epic these days, outdoing the American blockbuster, or at least giving it a valiant effort.

The special effects are boss, and the movie comes with a great assortment of charters in a story that untangles in a way that keeps you interested in what happens next.

But I have to admit, Mojin is not as charming and amusing as they think of themselves, but that might have more to do with the cultural differences

One of my favorite parts was a scene were the characters just began to drop f-bombs like it was nothing. It felt like the use of this word was not as bad in China as it is in America (especially in sub title form), but it made for a good unexpected laugh from a movie I would have assumed was rated PG-13.

Mojin is definitely visually amazing. I could watch the imagery for days and it has a great story tied to it. Nice blockbuster made in china.