La légende de Zu

I've read the the director made this film in order to present a vision that was not possible in the first iteration due to special effects limitations of the time. Apparently, he concentrated too much on special effects and left off the story. That being said, does anyone know if there will be a third movie that tries to concentrate on both story and effects?

The people who beat me to reviewing this movie here mostly seem to have forgotten the original film, "Zu, Warriors of Mystic Mountain." Anybody who has seen that film knows how confusing it was, yet a few viewings later you can figure it all out. This movie is the sequel to that film and it's a sprawling multi-character film with too much plot to easily decypher, but pay attention and you'll get it.

The film is beautifully shot, with wild special effects that make you wonder why US films can't do super-hero movies. While short on real kung fu, the action sequences are fantastic, fun, and constantly confounding your expectations. Aside from generally knowing that Good will overcome Evil, the movie is impossible to predict.

The movie is available on DVD now, so pick it up. It's much better than "Stormriders" or "A Man Called Hero" and ten times more fun as well.

This Tsui Hark film also seems to get a verbal beating...naturally we can all waste our time banging on about opinions etc...but I was truly astounded after seeing this film...perhaps it is because I'm a Tsui Hark mentalist but this film was nuts on so many levels, so much visual stuff was happening all the time that it really makes you wonder just how someone directs a film like this...I mean compare this to The Phantom Menace which I believe came out about the same time and Legend of Zu beats it hands down...perhaps it is too much for most viewers which is perhaps why Miramax(?) did not give it a general release in the states which I think would have then given it the chance to at least show in SOME cinemas here in the UK...in any case, I liked it and if you have been hearing / reading negative reviews and have not seen it - give it a chance!

I rented this film in DVD form without knowing anything at all about it, part of a winter marathon of watching a film every night. After several awful American action adventure films (Ballistic, Daredevil, Cradle of Life) Zhu Warriors struck me as brilliantly original filmmaking. The story is complete nonsense, but I found the film's sincerity, good- heartedness and complete lack of irony refreshing, and the film looks spectacular. Sure, the special effects are not technically as flawless as those produced by Hollywood, but the filmmakers wisely are more interested in color, composition and movement than realism and so many of the shots are breathtaking. In one shot, two of the superhuman characters stand on craggy spires of rock, a huge moon rising before them, the image perfectly balanced by the three elements. In another, a princess-warrior spires through the heavens behind her glowing sword like a heat-seeking missile. And the colors explode from shot to shot, used to express emotion rather than to represent reality.

The characters have the same simplicity and directness of comic book characters, offering no great depth in themselves but referring to archtypes that resonate more deeply. Physically, several of the actors are astonishingly beautiful. They play their roles straight up, without irony or guile, and so are believable.

Most strange of all, despite the clumsiness of plot and thin characterizations, I found myself very near tears at the end, moved by the beautiful simplicity of the actors and the wildly original, good-hearted vision of the director.

The Legend of Zu has been a favorite of mine for a long time. Mind you this was based on the two times I have watched it. Read what I originally wrote about it: Zu Warriors of the Magic Mountain was and is an impressive classic! You never would have guessed it was made in 1983. Tsui Hark's use of special effects was very creative and inventive. (He continued doing in most of his later productions.) Even now it can measure up to other movies in this genre. "Legend of Zu" is connected to "Zu"warriors from magic mountain"! It is not necessary to have seen this movie to understand the plot of this one. The plot is a bit hard to follow. But to be honest it doesn't matter. It is all about the action and adventure! I always was wondering what Tsui Hark would do if he got his hands on CGI. Now we know, he made this movie. Maybe it sometimes is too much but the overall result is so beautiful that I am not going to be critical about that. There is so much happening on the screen, you simply won't believe. I think it is a big shame that this movie wasn't shown in theaters here in Holland. Because this movie is screaming for screen time in cinemas. This movie easily can beat big budget Hollywood productions like Superman Returns or X- Men 3 (putain merde, never ever watch this atrocious film. It's a downright insult to film fans and comic book lovers). The only thing I do have to mention is the lack of humour. In most of Tsui Harks's movies he combines drama, fantasy, martial arts and humour. Somehow it is missing in this movie. Again I am not going to be picky about these small matters. "Legend of Zu" delivers on the action front with the most beautiful special effects you will see. A true classic! When I got the chance to buy the Blu Ray DVD I did not hesitate a second and purchased it from www.dddhouse.com. This was based on sentiments alone. Now after having watched it I am almost completely shocked how badly it has aged. The once so impressive spectacle isn't that impressive anymore. Because of that I was able to focus on other elements a whole lot more and I have to admit that The Legend of Zu is not the classic I thought it was. However that does not mean it's a total fail. There are still some elements in the film that are incredibly creative and inventive visually. But the once gorgeous eye candy definitely has lost it's shine considerably. Could you fault a director for using a technology that is ever advancing? Well, judging from the few scenes I watched on Youtube I can already tell the original, Zu Warriors of the Magic Mountain, holds up better than Tsui Hark's second film in the franchise. (But I will get back to this once I have looked at the original more critically.) If I have to guess it's because practical effects look better than CGI effects. That and that other elements in the original are stronger. It's like Tsui Hark got completely caught up into the application of special effects and spectacle too much and very hastily designed the story and characterization around it as an after thought. Naturally this should have been reversed. But this could imply that at least the action is memorable. Which brings me to my main gripe with The Legend of Zu. There are only a few fight scenes that offer the action goodness I crave in these kinds of films. If you remove all the razzle and dazzle there is very little left to enjoy. The saving grace easily is the cast since they all do their best to take the confusing mess seriously.

So is this still worth watching? If you haven't before and love Wuxia and Hong Kong films then definitely. But if you are not a big fan then I can't recommend it since it's not an easy film to get into.

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