Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain

Starring:Adam Cheng, Norman Chu, Hark-On Fung, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Damian Lau, Moon Lee, Brigitte Lin, Hoi Mang, Judy Ongg, Kwan-Li Shen, Biao Yuen
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Tsui Hark was supposedly inspired by the then-groundbreaking effects of the first Star Wars trilogy when he made Zu, a fantasy action film starring Yuen Biao, Sammo Hung, Brigitte Lin, and Adam Cheung. In a somewhat confused story line, a young soldier (played by Biao) stumbles onto a magic temple after escaping an all-out civil war battle between various armies. There he meets a magic swordsman (Cheung) and his disciples, who enlist him to help fight against the evil Blood Monster. They also run across a group of swordswomen and an ice goddess (played by Lin) who appear primarily to sprinkle in some romance and humor. The 1983 special effects look dated, but they were once revolutionary, this film forming the very first special-effects house in Hong Kong. And the playful spirit behind the effects hasn't faded. Demons (which look suspiciously like the Sand People in Star Wars) fly about in an impressive aerial ballet, and in another scene, an evil demon is bounced between pillars like a pinball. One of Tsui's earliest films, Zu is a good introduction to the fast and furious style of one of Hong Kong's most visionary directors. --Shannon Gee

Customer Reviews:

Some clarifications and a few interesting facts (warning: contains spoilers).......2006-11-24

ZU: WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN (XIN SHUSHAN JIANXIA, featuring Bridgette Lin)is a film dating back to the 1980's and is NOT to be mixed up with the much more recent LEGEND OF ZU (SHUSHAN ZHUAN, in which Zhang Ziyi appears), which appeared a couple years back, even though both are directed by Tsui Hark and both are supposed to be (I want to emphasize: SUPPOSED to be) based on a long fantasy novel entitled SHUSHAN JIANXIA (SWORDFIGHTERS OF MT SHU) by Chinese author Huanzhu Louzhu (also named Li Shoumin; 1902 ~ 1961). Many of the reviewers here seem to get mixed up between the two movies. By the way, the novel's not yet translated into English, sorry -- even though I'm perfectly confident it's more than a match for Tolkien's trilogy in terms of content. :p (Certainly the novel has exerted a tremendous influence on later Chinese swordplay fiction, such as the work of Jin Yong or Louis Cha.)

NEITHER movie is true to the original novel (which in my estimate would require at least five long films, serious). The films aren't even condensed versions of the novel. With both movies Tsui Hark has committed the unpardonable sin of whipping together a story with elements and characters selected almost at random from the novel, possibly even adding his own stuff, and naming the resultant hodge-podge after the novel itself. To give a couple examples of how Tsui Hark's movie departs from the novel, in the novel becoming a blood monster is a strictly voluntary matter; you must go through special training :p and can't become one merely by being 'infected' by a blood monster, as happens in the movie. (I don't remember the blood monster forming a coccoon of skulls around itself in the original novel, either.) Also, in the original story the green and violet twin swords were lost treasures discovered by accident by two GIRLS, NOT guarded by a female immortal who then handed them to two BOYS, as in the (earlier) film. And that's just two examples, mate.

So does that automatically make ZU: WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN a bad film? Yes and no. Yes, because it's nothing short of sacrilege to mar a work of literature in this way. No, because the film actually does have a lot of cool and spectacular effects, such as fighting with swords of lightning ;) and the visually impressive and lovely interior of the palace/fort of the 'Ice Queen' (though I doubt these appear in the novel at all), and the film's own plot is not too bad, either (I personally would have much preferred that the 'Ice Queen' could eventually cure the hero who turned into a blood monster, though). Tsui Hark has a very annoying knack, however, for rushing the story so much that all you have to do is blink and you'll miss out on a huge chunk of what's going on. Can't you have at least a few slower and calmer moments, for Heaven's sake? (This gets even worse in LEGEND OF ZU, so much so the plot is in danger of being utterly lost to the viewer.) Also, sometimes the acting just doesn't feel emotionally appropriate. When you learn that your beloved martial arts teacher is in danger of turning into a blood monster and no one can do anything to help, what would you feel? How would you act? The one playing the role of the teacher's disciple in the film acted like a stupid idiot at the point of learning that hard truth. Really. Tsui Hark really should have known better, for goodness' sake. Also, would you not feel at least some sorrow when learning of your teacher's death, even though he has turned into an evil creature? In the film, the idiot apparently didn't. Yeah, he died, now let's move on. Sure, right.

My overall assessment: superb graphics, passable plot, atrocious handling of human emotions. And that's not taking into consideration the violence done to the original novel.

A feast for the senses, an adventure for the spirit. Let yourself be enlightened........2006-10-13

The original Hong Kong version really is an incredible piece of work. I enjoyed the heck out of it. However it does require that you view it with a certain frame of mind. Most importantly you have to understand that it is not a character drama. There is little range of depth to any of the characters. They exist only to serve their various roles in the story. Think of it as if it were a legend passed down through the ages (like classic Greek mythology). In such legends you always hear the story told through a series of actions and outcomes. You're never given any insight into what drives the characters and we never see more than one side of them. They just represent these sort of unchanging idealized personas. The stories that come from this are fascinating nevertheless. So in this way The Legend of Zu is literally told in the style of a legend.

That said the story is actually quite awesome. The basic premise is again very, very similar to classic Greek mythology: There is a mythical mountain range in China called Zu. Its highest peak, shrouded in mists, reaches up into the heavens. This place is populated by immortal beings who, in their scattered temples, have devoted themselves to various schools of thought. Across centuries they've honed their skills in the martial arts and have attuned their spirits to the forces of the universe. It is their task to maintain order and balance in the universe so that man can live in harmony with nature. Their actions influence the fates of the mortals below. Trouble arises when an unstoppable entity of pure evil calling itself Insomnia threatens to overthrow the most powerful school in the heavens, the Omei clan, and throw the world into an eternity of discord.

The story is steeped heavily in Chinese lore so some parts are a bit esoteric, granted, but for the most part it's easy to follow if you can just keep up with it. There is a user on imdb who wrote "The most soulful, spiritual film I've ever seen," and I think I might have to agree with him. One of the more interesting aspects of the mythology is that just as the warrior has a spirit, so too does his or her weapon. As the warrior achieves mastery with the weapon their two souls act as one; until finally their sword is no longer a physical object but rather an extension of the warrior's own spirit, capable of unleashing devastating effects and allowing the possessor to fly. The weapons are all so unique in form and function that it makes the battle scenes quite unlike anything you've ever seen before in a martial arts film.

The visuals and CGI effects, while perhaps not up to the level of say Lord of the Rings, are utterly stunning to behold. Every frame is like a painting straight from the mind of a creative genius. Matched to the superlative audio the film is quite a treat for the senses. All of this carried along by an engaging, complex, epic narrative and we have ourselves a little gem of a film! But like I said - you have to be willing and able to both divorce yourself from western conventions and to appreciate the sensibilities and beliefs of a different culture. Step out of yourselves for an hour and fourty minutes and just allow yourselves to enjoy this fun, lighthearted spiritual journey into the world of Chinese legend!

Mystical Kung Poo with side order Nonsense!.......2006-07-05

Despite this movie being about 1. magic, 2. kung fu, 3. general weirdness and cheap funny props, 4. lots of flying in colorful outfits, 5. a spattering of cutie Chinese girls who also know magic- all of which attributes people who love kung fu think should/MUST be a really great combo- it was actually so boring to me (a diehard kung fu fan) and hard to follow that i didnt' want to watch anymore of it half way thru.

It looked like a high-budget Chinese kung fu fantasy film from the 70's. Oh wait, it was.

There was NOT a lot of fighting/kung fu, but there was a lot of flying around in funny colorful costumes and strange,convoluted dialogue.

I got the impression they filmmakers were trying for something really epic, an -alien- Chinese mythology that didn't quite have the neatly-packaged-story nature of familiar, Western mythologies. In short, it make no sense and didtn' try to explain itself (nor should it)! It was a good try tho and if I were Chinese and kind of weird and living in the 70s i'd think the movie is like Chinese star wars.
--
One more thing:
They used saran wrap enshrouded with packing tape to depict large broken blocks of ice. I mention this to attest to the early Tsui Hark's innovative set design and creative props. It was a neat although distracting way to cut costs. Also worthy of mention in this regard is the fake, incongruent, drawn cartoon lightning interleaved with fancy acrobatics and disjointed dialogue.

If you want to see the special effects X-men should have had.......2004-08-07

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?

Hard to Follow but Visually Stunning.......2004-07-19

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.

Average customer rating:

corny and great all in one
Legendary adventure at it's finest!
A Highly Overrated Movie
Mind-melting HK filmmaking
GOOD B-MOVIE FUN

Zu - Warriors From the Magic Mountain
Starring: Fritz Roth
Director: Matthias Keilich
Manufacturer: Jef Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Zu Warriors
Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain
The Storm Riders
A Man Called Hero
The Moon Warriors

ASIN: B00023BN2E
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Customer Reviews:

corny and great all in one.......2005-06-28

I would say this film is about the corniest movie I have every seen, but I really like it. Take it for what it is-cheesy Kung-Fu with cheesy effects. Almost too much to bear, but it has good characters and a good enough plot. This movie is not for everyone.

Legendary adventure at it's finest!.......2001-05-18

An absolutely amazing movie!Fans of classical mythology as well as comic book readers should check this film out at once. An incredible plot charged with ancient conflicts between good and evil serves as the backdrop to some wonderful charachter (sic) development. Anyone who enjoyed "the bride with whie hair" or any other magical epic set in ancient china will indeed get a massive kick from this movie. Unfortunately, the breakneck pace of the amazing plot combined with only subtitles available to all us occidentals means that if you blink, you're lost. SEE IT!

A Highly Overrated Movie.......2000-11-14

Way overrated, a fair movie but only reason is the special effects the first half-an-hour is boring, and there are parts of this movie that are so cheesy it makes you want to cringe in horror. The plot is about a guy who goes to the magical world of Wu Mountain and who is crazy about this girl.

my recommendation - watch this movie don't but it

Mind-melting HK filmmaking.......2000-04-17

"Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain" is a near perfect example of hyperbolic Hong Kong filmmaking, and a great starting place for those just beginning in the genre. It features some great HK standbys (Shaw Brothers' star Yuen Biao as well as Samo Hung) and some newer faces (at the time) that would go on to success (Moon Lee). The film benefits immensely by all of the actor's charming performances. The film is also helped by one of HK's most prolific (and most loved AND hated) directors: Tsui Hark. One thing is for sure, Tsui has sure taken many risks in his career, and this is definitely one that pays off. "Zu" is a refreshingly different and fun film for HK fans, as it offers an unabashedly raucous and deliriously imaginative ride. Almost every frame in the film is a joy to behold, and the movie is overflowing with ingenious ideas and startling special effects (although admittadly dated) that put Spielberg to shame. Couple this fun fantasy with charming Chinese humor and sensibilities, and the film presents itself as a true original. Those turned off by the movie's fantasy theme will nonetheless be astonished by the great setpieces, and fantasy martial arts fighting that would certianly make Yuen Woo Ping proud. Also, don't be put off by the film's rather static and un-interesting first half hour. You will be handsomely rewarded by a practically non-stop barrage of HK action spliced with a great sense of fantasy that all ages can enjoy. In fact, this is the kind of entertainment for ALL ages that is so sorely missing in current American cinema. Adults will be (rightly so) wowed by the great amount of creativity and painstaking sense of detail that went into the production of the fight sequences, and kids will never be bored by the film's excellent pacing. The only problem with the film is that it is culturally quite different than what American audiences are used to. The film is very different from American fantasy movies, and the cultural differences may prove challenging (getting the subtitled version can help alleviate some of this, as the dubbing is *predictably* awful). But fans already initiated in HK filmmaking will find this different, Oriental approach to filmmaking a much needed (and appreciated) breath of fresh air from the depressing glut of current American movies. Once again, HK filmmakers have beaten American filmmakers at their own game and the result is a constantly unpredictable, fascinating, enjoyable, and, most importantly, FUN movie. HIGHLY recommended.

GOOD B-MOVIE FUN.......1999-12-01

Even die hard Hong Kong film fans will agree that this movie is a tad more ridiculous and cheesy than most. Still, even if the effects are dated and the plot is thin, it is all good fun. You are entertained from the first scene to the last, and despite being almost twenty years old, the movie holds up better than a majority of the early eighties fantasy movies. It beats the hell out of Labryinth, Legend, and Big Trouble in Little China, a film that sight Zu as its primary influence