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The Legend of Zu

The Legend of Zu

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: If you want to see the special effects X-men should have had
Review: This MOVIE is way ahead of its time. The special effects, or fireworks as some reviewers put it were well in advance of anything I've seen in Matrix, X-men, Hulk, Spiderman and the like. If your looking for a storyline, plot and all that pick up a book instead of watching a MOVIE. For action packed, VISUAL ectsasy this is one of the greats. CGI is the wave of the future for movies my friends. Hell, the CGI Smigel from LOTR almost got an Oscar didn't he?


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome Movie, so shuddup!!
Review: This movie was awesome, from the rich, vivid colors, the deeply mythical and spiritual storyline down to the incredible special effects!! I say its like Mortal Kombat meets The Matrix and The Lord of The Rings (even though Mortal Kombat was cheesy!!). Its Fantasy and its fantastic!!

I'm so sick of you stupid reviewers, it makes me wanna scream!!! What are you all used to watching anyway, Power Rangers!!!?? The CGI is state-of-the-art even now, even though this film was made in 2001!! GIVE RESPECT WHERE ITS DUE!!

I hate when Americans, or those who are used to watching stupid Hollywood films, suddenly pick up a foreign film and compleyely miss the frickin' point!! There are more ways than one to present a movie and storyline than Hollywood's cheesy, overdone, completely contrived formulas that make me want to move out of the states!!!

This movie's storyline is rooted in beautiful, spiritual mysticism which is enhanced by the supernatural powers of the immortal characters showcased therein. The rich colors in this movie are unsurpassed, not to mention the awesome DTS soundtrack that has you gasping at every turn!

And to those who criticize the special effects, thinking American cinema is the acme of CGI movies, where do you think it all comes from? ASIA, YOU IDIOTS!! They have technology we won't see for at least another two years, you pompous American fools!! Who do you think shaped and framed the basis of all action movies in Hollywood in the past decade? Asian cinema, you dopes!!

By the way, the CGI in Spiderman, Hulk and a host of other American films wasn't exactly cream of the crop either...it was completely laughable!!! The only company who has a corner on the CGI market as the most realistic is Squaresoft, who did Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and The Flight of the Osirus for The Matrix Trilogy....and where did they originate from? Hummm, let me see if I can remember...ASIA, YOU KNOW-IT-ALL'S!!!!

To those who are doubtful about buying this movie because of the mixed reviews, first ask yourself: Do I like fine Martial Arts films like Hero and those produced by Shaw Bros? Do I like special effects and superheros? Do I like subtle spiritual undertones in my movies? And if you can't answer yes to all three, then don't buy this movie!! You'd probably feel more at home with frickin' Steven Segal movies or Shrek, for that matter!! Get the heck outta here!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awsome
Review: This movie was great. I loved the original Zu warriors, but i especially loved the effects in this one. I say this mainly because i love movies like storm riders, but because of the lack of them i commend tsui hark on making another movie of this genre. Wish i could find more like this.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Hard to Follow but Visually Stunning
Review: This movie's plot is a bit hard to follow (or pay attention to ) but the action and effects are absolutely incredible! I bought this movie because I absolutely loved Storm Riders and was hoping this would be as good if not better. You are better off renting it if possible.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Sounds good, looks good, pity about the convoluted plot.
Review: Tsui Hark's 1983 special effects extravaganza, "Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain", was one of my all time favorite Chinese swords and sorcery movies. Using Hollywood-style special effects not seen before in Chinese cinema, "Zu: Warriors" broke new ground and created a new generation of Tsui Hark fans. Tsui would go on to create other Chinese movie classics such as the "A Chinese Ghost Story", "Swordsman" and "Once Upon A Time In China" series. So it was with great excitement that I greeted the news in 2000 that Tsui was in the process of remaking his 1983 classic for release in 2001. However, I must admit that I was absolutely disappointed when I finally got to watch "Legend of Zu" on the big screen in the summer of 2001. The plot of "Legend" is totally convoluted - it seemed Tsui was more interested in stretching the limits of what he can do with computer generated special effects than in telling a good yarn. And don't get me wrong - the special effects are mind-boggling for a Chinese movie and look fantastic on the big screen. The sheer imaginative scale of the visuals created by Tsui's special effects team is amazing - the magical Zu mountain range is innovatively presented as a series of upside-down islands floating on top of mountain peaks - words cannot quite describe the scene, you have to see it on the big screen to feel the magic Tsui has created. As most Chinese folk will tell you, the mythology of the Chinese swords and sorcery genre is full of gods, demons, superhuman powers and fantastic weapons, and "Legend" delivers all these in spades - so much so non-Chinese may be overwhelmed by seemingly nonsensical superhuman feats that make Superman's powers look like child's play. The sound effects complement the visual effects well, making "Legend" one of the best sounding Chinese movies I've seen in a long while. The Hong Kong version of the DVD that I recently bought includes a DTS soundtrack, which sounds absolutely perfect on my surround sound home theatre system. But stunning visuals and great sound do not a good movie make. While the lead actors (Ekin Cheng, Cecilia Cheung, Louis Koo and Zhang Ziyi - all great looking and talented young actors) make valiant efforts to flesh out their characters, the script's frenetic pace simply lets them down. It took me at least two viewings to grasp all of the important plot points and to understand what the story was all about. Too many special effects and not enough story telling made the whole movie look like a computer game. Three stars from me and would someone restrain Tsui the next time he shows signs of going over the top?

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Sounds good, looks good, pity about the convoluted plot.
Review: Tsui Hark's 1983 special effects extravaganza, "Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain", was one of my all time favorite Chinese swords and sorcery movies. Using Hollywood-style special effects not seen before in Chinese cinema, "Zu: Warriors" broke new ground and created a new generation of Tsui Hark fans. Tsui would go on to create other Chinese movie classics such as the "A Chinese Ghost Story", "Swordsman" and "Once Upon A Time In China" series. So it was with great excitement that I greeted the news in 2000 that Tsui was in the process of remaking his 1983 classic for release in 2001. However, I must admit that I was absolutely disappointed when I finally got to watch "Legend of Zu" on the big screen in the summer of 2001. The plot of "Legend" is totally convoluted - it seemed Tsui was more interested in stretching the limits of what he can do with computer generated special effects than in telling a good yarn. And don't get me wrong - the special effects are mind-boggling for a Chinese movie and look fantastic on the big screen. The sheer imaginative scale of the visuals created by Tsui's special effects team is amazing - the magical Zu mountain range is innovatively presented as a series of upside-down islands floating on top of mountain peaks - words cannot quite describe the scene, you have to see it on the big screen to feel the magic Tsui has created. As most Chinese folk will tell you, the mythology of the Chinese swords and sorcery genre is full of gods, demons, superhuman powers and fantastic weapons, and "Legend" delivers all these in spades - so much so non-Chinese may be overwhelmed by seemingly nonsensical superhuman feats that make Superman's powers look like child's play. The sound effects complement the visual effects well, making "Legend" one of the best sounding Chinese movies I've seen in a long while. The Hong Kong version of the DVD that I recently bought includes a DTS soundtrack, which sounds absolutely perfect on my surround sound home theatre system. But stunning visuals and great sound do not a good movie make. While the lead actors (Ekin Cheng, Cecilia Cheung, Louis Koo and Zhang Ziyi - all great looking and talented young actors) make valiant efforts to flesh out their characters, the script's frenetic pace simply lets them down. It took me at least two viewings to grasp all of the important plot points and to understand what the story was all about. Too many special effects and not enough story telling made the whole movie look like a computer game. Three stars from me and would someone restrain Tsui the next time he shows signs of going over the top?


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