A lot of time has passed since Tony Chin (or Chin Xiu Tan, if you prefer) made his last film. Speaking of a man with such an impressive filmography, both an actor and a choreographer, it's easy to understand what hopes were placed on his latest film “The Sorcerer and the White Snake” (The Sorcerer And The White Snake). And if you add presence Jet Li in the role of the aforementioned sorcerer, then you should already have the right idea of what to expect from the film.
The story begins with a young herbalist Xu Xian (Raymond Lamb) goes to the mountains to collect some herbs. When he accidentally falls into the lake, the demon White Snake takes the form of a beautiful woman, jumps into the water to save him, and they both immediately fall in love with each other. With the help of your sister Green snake she decides to go to the human world in order to find her lover and marry him. Meanwhile we learn about Fa Hae, monk-sorcerer performed Jet Li, who dedicated his life to exterminating demons and destroying monsters. Soon after arriving in the city where the newlyweds live, Fa Hai notices something strange in a woman and reveals her second personality, thereby forcing a married couple to fight for their true love.
The film uses a very straightforward and classic theme of forbidden relationships between people from different worlds, in the style of Romeo and Juliet, with a good dose of Chinese folklore and visual effects. In this regard, the first few scenes set the tone for the rest. In the opening episode Jet Li and his apprentice engage in a spectacular fight against a beautiful ice demon against a snowy backdrop, and we immediately notice the film's pros and cons. The fight scenes use a lot of CGI, and although they are done on an epic scale, it is clear that some of the effects are not good enough for our times. And in my opinion, the worst thing is that there is no physical component to the fights, as computer effects were used instead of the fighting skills of the actors, however, from time to time we see glimpses of good choreography. From a visual standpoint, the film looks absolutely stunning. IN “The Sorcerer and the White Snake” excellent artistic design, with cities full of life and vibrant colors, impressive Buddhist temples and magnificent landscapes.
Overall, the latest work Tony China is perceived as an entertaining film, but never lives up to its expectations, all things considered. If you like an unobtrusive fantasy about love mixed with visual special effects, then this film is just for you. If you are looking for a good martial arts movie starring one of the masters of the genre, then you will have to wait until the next film.
Author: Guillaume Rosset
Source: Twitch
Translation: EvilDollaR
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Tags: The Sorcerer And The White Snake, Jet Li, Raymond Lam, Tony Chin
Tags: The Sorcerer And The White Snake, Jet Li, Raymond Lam, Tony Chin
to BobiK
For those who don’t know, Jet-a has a back injury, I don’t know how serious it is, but it explains a lot...
PS By the way, the film can already be downloaded. ;)
I'm a Jet Li fan. But lately he's been kind of lost. Maybe he got lazy... or something else. In The Expendables, a stunt double does the simplest kicks for him (this can be easily seen by watching scenes in slow motion). And in general, he began to act in the devil's name. If only I could wave my arms/legs less. Always loved Jet, and looked up to Donnie Yen very little. Now it’s the other way around, sad as it may be.
to tell the truth, in the last films Jet Li could not show his real skills
Hmmm...Here we are...
It’s a pity, I was hoping for the best... :( I’m afraid that the same garbage will happen with the “Dragon Gate”... I still understand the wires, but when instead of Jet Li the cartoon jumps, it becomes completely sad and it’s unclear why Jet is needed there at all ? :(