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Legend of Zu
84
6
Story
10
Cast
8
Fun
9
Subs
9
Overall
J. D. Nguyen
November 20, 2001
Movie poster for Legend Of Zu - Review | KFCC
Country Hong Kong
Year 2001
Running Time 104
Distributor China Star Entertainment Group Ltd
Producer Tsui Hark
Director Tsui Hark
Scene from the movie Legend Of Zu - Review | KFCC
Scene from the movie Legend Of Zu - Review | KFCC
Scene from the movie Legend Of Zu - Review | KFCC
Scene from the movie Legend Of Zu - Review | KFCC
Scene from the movie Legend Of Zu - Review | KFCC
Scene from the movie Legend Of Zu - Review | KFCC
Scene from the movie Legend Of Zu - Review | KFCC
Scene from the movie Legend Of Zu - Review | KFCC
Synopsis

The Zu mountain ranges carry in itself another world. Poetic and beautiful in creation, Zu carries the burden of having a never ending war rage along her steeps and hills and among her clouds. On the darker end of this conflict, the evil Insomnia slowly moves along in an infectious state, destroying all and everything that stands in his way. The last clan that has the power to stop this tortuous lord is Omei. With the support of Zu's mightiest warriors, the Omei Clan will risk their lives to bring back the peaceful and serene nature of the Zu Mountains.

Scene from the movie Legend Of Zu - Review | KFCC
Scene from the movie Legend Of Zu - Review | KFCC
Scene from the movie Legend Of Zu - Review | KFCC
Scene from the movie Legend Of Zu - Review | KFCC
Review

Sometimes, a film comes around so large in scope, so epic in nature that it can literally knock you on your ass. That its overpowering existence will exploit your senses to the fullest degree, render you almost useless and change the way you look at cinema forever.

It'll slap you stupid and f**k you senseless.

If I had one word to describe "The Legend of Zu," it would definitely have to be "Overwhelming." And though this singular word may not encompass the whole movie altogether, I can honestly say I have never seen a film like it and unfortunately, will never again

Though, I'm quite aware there is a majority out there who may disagree with me on this point, I'm positive that everyone can share the same opinion that the strongest aspect of this film and definitely most evident is that it is extravagantly beautiful. I will admit that this is the most beautiful film I have ever seen. If anything, "The Legend of Zu" is the Helen of Troy of Asian Cinema.

Beyond all the hype and expectations though, what else can I say about this film? Other than the fact that I loved it for its majestic structure and splendor, "The Legend of Zu" may be too intense for many and even too artistic for most. Where the beauty lies is the trouble in paradise.

By relying on his story visually, Tsui Hark placed "The Legend of Zu" on a very unbalanced scale, sacrificing an intuitive narrative and character development for CG generated special effects and environments. When you have a film lopsided in this manner, you fracture the cinematic equilibrium, providing more awe than intellect.

Though there were some obvious problems with character development and the flow of the story, this in no way means that any of the characters weren't interesting. Almost every single person in this movie is dressed up in the most regal costumes which provide a heavenly touch. Even the designs of the CG rendered powers seem to be a part of their design as well, flawlessly creating characters that not only surpass their human being, but into gods and angels.

Ekin Cheng as King Sky is haunting and lonesome. He is the disciple of the Kun Lun Sect and one of Zu's greatest warriors. Even if his priorities lay on defending Zu, his heart resides with Dawn, his master and lover. Cheng's performance is beautiful in very subtle ways, stoic and almost indifferent. His stare always has a sense of loneliness to it, very childlike and very hopeful. If there was one character that I loved the most, it would have to be his if not simply for the weapon he uses. The long slithering blade that wraps around him like a crescent moon, sliding in gorgeous circular ways, levitating as if lighter than air providing the warrior with virtue.

The oldest friend of King Sky is Red, played by Louis Koo. With the charm of Aaron Kwok and the youthfulness of Edison Chen, Koo's Red is vibrant and tough. His angel like metallic wings cut ferociously at his enemies, retracting back and forth almost like water. His acrobatic kung fu skills also are present as he fights his dark self in one of the coolest looking fight scenes I have ever seen! As the head disciple of Omei, Red is definitely one of the most unique character designs known to Asian Cinema.

As the love interest to King Sky, Cecelia Cheung's dual role as Dawn and Enigma is probably one of the most promising and complex characters in "The Legend of Zu." Hundreds of years ago as King Sky's master, Enigma is now a prominent warrior for Omei. Throughout the film, she feels a form of spiritual connection to King Sky as she slowly recovers her memory from her previous life. There is a particular sense of loveliness in her role, an underlying beauty that can easily make you fall with her.

Some of the other notable characters are played by Zhang Ziyi, Patrick Tam and Sammo Hung. Though the film is filled with plenty of the stars we've come to love, most of them play minor roles. And it's a pretty disappointing thing as well since a movie of this magnitude should have room for many and all. But then again, a film this enormous probably became too big to control, too massive to even direct anymore. I can totally understand something so ambitious like "The Legend of Zu" can engulf its creator and take a life of its own. With all the problems of this film that carry on the surface, most forget the sheer beauty of the movie, even when it's standing right there in front of their eyes, showing off it's exquisiteness and love.

Having the master himself, Yuen Woo-Ping on board can raise the bar of expectations quite a bit. Though the martial arts in this film should be the core of the picture, the fighting scenes are few and far between. The prominent form of action is the use of CG to represent their powers and the usage of their weapons. While they stand there concentrating on the manipulation of their weapons, blazingly fast and brilliantly crafted effects fly around them within a world of their own. With the exception of Zhang Ziyi's Joy character swordplay scene, most of the action relies on the ingenuity of Hark's special effects.

If anything, "The Legend of Zu" is an updated version of "Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain." Almost twenty years later does Hark revisit his masterpiece reinventing everything known before into a more precise world filled with colorful landscapes and even more intriguing characters. And it's an amazing feat to watch this director grow and mold Asian Cinema into what it is today. With some of the most important movies to come out of Asia being created by him, it's no wonder that "The Legend of Zu" is two decades in the making. So beautiful in creation and so marvelous in thought, I personally think "The Legend of Zu" is one of the most vital films to come out this year, if not a new benchmark in Asian Cinema for its capacity and scale in the new Millennium.

If I may, I want to become the Champion for this film. I truly believe that the good outweighs the bad and that this film is more significant than everyone thinks. Just like the original, "Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain," breaking all the rules and giving us a spectacle, transcending the mere genre of a fantasy film, "The Legend of Zu" will perhaps be considered twenty years from now, one of the most impressive and grand films of its time.

Scene from the movie Legend Of Zu - Review | KFCC
Scene from the movie Legend Of Zu - Review | KFCC
Scene from the movie Legend Of Zu - Review | KFCC
Scene from the movie Legend Of Zu - Review | KFCC
84
Story
Cast
Entertainment
Subtitles
Overall
J. D. Nguyen November 20, 2001
Media Review
Media Review by
J. D. Nguyen
Distributor
China Star Entertainment Group Ltd
Media Format
DVD
Region
All Region
Encoding
NTSC

One of the most creative and interactive menus to date! The China Star edition of this dual layered disc is presented in a stunning anamorphic widescreen transfer (2.35:1) along with Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS sound. The extras include: Chapter Selection, Mandarin and Cantonese soundtracks along with their respective removable subtitles including English Subtitles, Cast and Crew Bios and Filmography, Production Notes and a very informative, but short Featurette with English subtitles. This DVD is rich in color and picture and probably one of the best versions of this film you'll find anywhere. If not for Zhang Ziyi, buy "The Legend of Zu" for my baby Cecilia Cheung.