So this whole film is about one giant take-back-sies. Sure, there’s a bunch of “Game of Thrones” crap going on – I mean the whole place has divided directionally so that we have the wicked Duke of the West v. the wicked Duke of the North. And everybody pays homage to the big man, in this case, Yin Shou (Fei Xiang), who assumes the throne by madness as is requisite in throne dramas.
The fun comes when three immortals show up with Fengshen Bang, a sacred artifact intended to restore order or break a curse or some shit. Doesn’t really matter. Point is it can do some stuff if wielded properly and the immortal dudes give it to Emperor Yin Shou only to find out the Emperor is kind of a dick.
So they take it back … and the hunt is on.
Meanwhile, Chinese Aragorn Ji Fa (Yu Shi) is the son of one of the directional dukes and he’s the guy we’re supposed to root for cuz, for one thing, he’s unwilling to kill his own father to gain power. This seems like a pretty low bar to be a hero, so I will point out that despite being an expert swordsman, Ji Fa is reluctant to kill people. I wouldn’t say it’s his thing, but maybe a character who values life is worth
rooting for from time to time.
Sorcery and blood abound in this film. And given the interplay with evil seductress Su Daji (Narana Erdyneeva), Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms is about as sexy as Chinese films are allowed to be.
“Oooh, they’re in this mystical bath together … and she’s suggesting …”
“Does the film show anything?”
“HOW DARE YOU!!”
Yeah, welcome to Chinese censorship. I cannot deny, however, this is just about as good as it gets.
Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms is a lot of film. It opens with a massive battle, a great siege, and a wall of fire. Not sure any of that was terribly plot relevant, but it did set off a very Two Towers vibe, which the film returned to from time to time, especially when the immortals show up and start roaming like Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas. It’s not as good, of course, but what is? There’s also the bloated runtime and a roman numeral in the title suggesting they’ll be back with more magic, swordplay, and funeral pyres the size of the Staples Center. It’s not a fantastic watch, but it will keep you entertained for a while.
There once were three great immortals
Who traveled by wind, rain, and portals
They had a great artifact
But decided to retract
Citing the done as villain, “Abort-alls!”
Not Rated, 148 Minutes
Director: Wuershan
Writer: Jianan Ran, Ping Ran, Cao Sheng
Genre: MacGuffin hunt
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Sword ‘n’ Sorcery fans
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: People who like their heroes a little more heroic
