Review of Zu Warriors From The Magic Mountain

Introduction

Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain is probably a film that you`ve not heard of, even if you are a bit of a Hong Kong fan. But it`s quite an important film, as it almost single-handedly introduced special effects into Hong Kong cinema. The story itself is the classic good vs. evil tale, as the good guys have to unite to destroy the evil Blood Demon which is threatening to take over the world. There`s a bit of comedy on the way, along with some mad fights and swordplay action.

Video

A very good 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. Hong Kong Legends have done their usual good job cleaning up a print from 20 years ago, although this one is not up there with their best. There`s some softness about the image in places, as well as some detail that seems to be lacking. These little niggles aside, it`s still very good and I doubt you`ll see it looking better.

The thing that really gives away the age of the film is the quality of the special effects. By today`s standards they are utterly laughable, but you have to try and put yourself in 1983 and think what they looked like to audiences back then. If you view them through today`s eyes you will just end up laughing and not concentrating on the film...

Audio

A choice of DD5.1 tracks - Cantonese or English. As ever, I plumped for Cantonese with English subtitles. This is another good remix from Hong Kong Legends, and everything sounds pretty good for a 20 year old film. The sound effects move nicely around the soundstage, with dialogue staying locked in the centre unless it is necessary to move it elsewhere. There`s also a little bass thrown in now and then. The English DD5.1 track is similar.

Features

Another jam-packed disc, starting with the customary commentary from Bey Logan, who is joined by director Tsui Hark. As ever there`s plenty of information, and it`s good that the director gets to join in this time. It`s like a long question and answer session, so it differs from most of Logan`s other commentaries. Still plenty of interesting snippets to pick up though.

They also talk about the international version of the film, and there is 30 minutes of footage of it included on the disc. In an attempt to appeal to a wider audience, the studio cooked up some hokum story line about a modern day fencing champion travelling back in time after a car accident, and then experiencing most of the main feature. And then he returns to the present again. It completely ruins the film, but it`s nice to see some of the crazy ideas studios have!

We also get two 20 minute interviews, one with Moon Lee, the other with Mang Hoi. These are both interesting to watch as they talk about their work on the film as well as many of their other projects, and the interviews are interspersed with clips from various films.

To wrap up we have trailers for this film and for forthcoming Hong Kong Legends discs.

Conclusion

Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain is an enjoyable enough fantasy romp, if you can stop laughing at the special effects. When you get over what they look like, you can get caught up in the battle between good and evil. If you`re a newcomer to Hong Kong cinema, you should really start elsewhere, as this film may put you off the genre forever. If you`ve got plenty of Hong Kong experience, you`ll appreciate it more.

The disc itself is another excellent effort from Hong Kong Legends, with good picture and sound for a 20 year old film, and some good extras as usual.

Recommended only for massive fans of the genre though. This should be the 21st title in your Hong Kong Legends collection, not the 1st!