Jiao zhu zhuan

Some people think they can review a film without ever visiting the country, not speaking the language, and especially not knowing the CULTURE. The previous reviewer falls into this category. It took me ten yeras living in Ningbo to perceive the culture...and that is the base of all the humor, drama, etc! At least it is far above the Hollywood staple diet of these 8 year old comic book movies. "Super-Hero"? The only thing that's super is the green screen. Has Hollywood become so dumb-downed that cant find an intelligent screenplay? Look to the South Koreans for that. The best films EVER made, bar NONE.

Now, I wasn't really sure what I was getting myself into here in 2022 as I sat down to watch "Jiao zhu zhuan" (aka "Legend of the Naga Pearls") from writers Tan Cheung and Xu Zhaoqing. But it being a Chinese movie that I hadn't already seen was sufficient enough to make me watch it.

And I will say that the writers definitely churned out something unique, because "Jiao zhu zhuan" turned out to be a mixture of adventure, comedy and action that had elements of many movies to it. So I will go out of my way here to say that director Lei Yang managed to deliver a movie that will have something for everyone in the audience here.

The story was good and entertaining, although the movie was a little bit slow paced at times, which made the 1 hour and 48 minutes feel somewhat longer. And I will also say that you have to keep focused and attentive to the movie, because it can be a somewhat diffuse and difficult storyline to keep up with.

They had a good cast ensemble in the movie, and it was a surprise to see that Simon Yam and Xing Yu were in the movie. But they were so heavily disguised by make-up and prosthetics that you could almost not recognize them.

"Jiao zhu zhuan" is a watchable movie for sure, however I doubt that I will ever be returning to watch it a second time though.

My rating of director Lei Yang's 2017 movie "Jiao zhu zhuan" lands on a six out of ten stars.

The sets, filming, choreography and directing were excellent. The actors were well-cast and did well. But the story is a typical Asian marital arts fantasy with nothing to stand out. Overly violent, ho-hum story is both predictable and mundane. Adrenaline fans will love it. Those looking for a little more substance will note the relatively low rating here on IMDB and may wisely decide to watch something better.

I think people dissing this movie are coming from the background of watching too many (exorbitantly budgeted) slick Hollywood movies and that is the bar they use to compare all other cinema. That is just NOT FAIR!

This movie should be watched with an open mind - forget the CGI - that's not the point - for me - its all about how creative the storylines are. The script was pretty good - but the imagination of these people... That's just brilliant! Winged people and Naga pearls ... Chinese mythology is so RICH!

If you are sick and tired of all the (plastic) Hollywood tripe - I would highly recommend getting into Asian cinema. Some of the most original and creative stories I have ever come across and just SO different. Love it.

This is a great popcorn movie. It's by no means a masterpiece of cinema - but its DEFINITELY entertaining! :)

With the censorship of movies and lack of imaginations. very few movies from China worth your time to watch. This is definitely not one of those. I enjoy adventure movies, that's why I enjoyed the movie. This got full and logical stories, soso acting, OK special effects and make up. The music is thin. I won't recommend you to see this unless have time and money.