|
Starring
:
Yuen
Biao
Adam
Cheng
Brigitte
Lin
Meng
Hoi
Moon
Lee
Sammo
Hung
Action
:
Yuen
Kwai
Yuen
Biao
Producer
:
Leonard
K.C. Ho
Director
:
Tsui
Hark
|
ZU:
WARRIORS FROM THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN (1982)
Reviewed
by Tony Ryan
Touted
everywhere as the definitive fantasy/swordplay movie, 'Zu' is
one of the most important films to ever come out of Hong Kong.
It's mix of superhuman martial-artistry, all star cast and
mythical settings coupled with a young Tsui Hark's visionary
direction paved the way for 'Zu' to become a landmark film,
soon to have its name further cemented in movie history by a
follow-up feature, due out this summer (2001), again helmed by
Hark.
By
today's standards, the story of young warriors battling the
forces of evil and their quest to locate some mythical pieces
of weaponry may not create quite so much excitement, but back
at the turn of the 1980's it was truly original, taking hold
of traditional Chinese fiction and created something fresh for
display on the Jade screen. Also fresh and exciting was the
introduction of 'real' special effects in a HK production.
Yuen Biao was quoted as saying: "…usually the monster
was a guy in a suit or a giant prop, but this was the first
time we had nothing to react to as they were going to
superimpose a lot of the effects later." This
revolutionary step was a brave move by the director, as he
brought in at great expense American SFX specialists Robert
Blalack, Peter Kuran and 'Tron' (1982) animators Arnie Wong
and John Scheele to combine state-of-the-art technology with
his OTT Chinese vision and imagery. The result was a critical
and commercial success - and rightly so. Ironically, Hark is
said to be disappointed with the end result, even offering his
services for free to re-shoot some parts of the movie,
however, Golden Harvest claimed it was not worth the filming
expense to shoot again already impressive footage.
Aside
from the impressive crew behind the scenes, in front of the
camera we are treated to some exquisite performances by some
of the biggest ever names in Hong Kong cinema. The
ever-charismatic Yuen Biao is as good as ever both in terms of
his action and his acting, while Adam Cheng always brings a
touch of class wherever he goes. Of course, no great Hong Kong
production is ever fully complete without some input from
Sammo, and here he gives another scene stealing performance.
Eye candy is energetically provided by the effervescent
Brigitte Lin and a young, pre-femme fatale Moon Lee.
All
in all, this is a must for any HK movie buff, but also a
night's enjoyable viewing for those who have never seen a real
HK film before. While those unfamiliar with its history may
find fault with the now-dated effects, it remains a credit to
everyone involved that Zu still looks fresh almost 20 years
after it was first conceived.
Rating:
 
|
