Jiang Ziya: Rise of the Warrior God (2018) Chinese Monsters!
4513DVD
original
Chinese title XIN FENG SHEN JIANG ZIYA [Jiang Ziya: Rise of the
Warrior God]
also known as LEGEND OF JIANG ZIYA
director: Zhong Wei-xi and Yang Shu-ai
starring: Chan Ho-man · Niu Ze-meng · Ai Yanjie · Lin Fran-feng
Loosely based on
the Chinese mythological legend of divine warrior Jiang Ziya [Investiture
of the Gods], a Chinese 'superman' who helped overthrow
the corrupt King Shang and establish the Zhou Dynasty in 1128 BC. There
are many different stories about Ziya (who was also known by several other
names), but most deal with his relationship - both good and bad - to the
gods and his quest towards divinity. Most Chinese schoolchildren know
he was a great fisherman just as American kids know George Washington
chopped down a cherry tree.
This film paints young
Jiang Ziya as a handsome, arrogant warrior who possesses some magical
qualities but is relatively naive about his abilities and how to use them.
When he attempts to challenge the Devil, against the wishes of his divine
superior, he has violated the Code of the Gods. As punishment, Ziya gets
banished to the mortal realm, where he's saved and nursed back to health
by a young woman, Qing Luan. But the Devil decides to toy with Ziya by
creating various monsters that begin slaughtering Qing Luan's community.
This is an enjoyable
FX-laiden debut project by Zhong Weixi and Yang Shuai, two art directors
who work in the Beijing Iqiyi studios.
A Chinese
film with Chinese and English subtitles; widescreen format (16:9), (72
minutes),
DVD encoded for ALL REGION NTSC WORLD FORMAT;
extras include selected theatrical trailers.
