ZU, WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN
A film review by Leong, Heng-Cheong
Copyright 1992 Leong Heng Cheong
ZU, WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN (Chinese Title: ZU MOUNTAIN: THE NEW ZU MOUNTAIN SWORDSMEN) is a 1983 HK movie. Directed by Hsui Hark, this film stars Liu Songren, Zheng Shaochiu, and Lin Qingxia (of THE SWORDSMAN II).
This is not a martial arts film. Rather it is a fantasy set during China's civil war of 1740s, featuring a dozen flying swordsmen, a hell-within-the-mountains, and some quite difficult-to-believe fights. ZU, WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN can be better described as wu-xia rather than gong-fu (Kung Fu).
Partly based on the novel, and a earlier version of the same film, ZU, WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN helped Tsui Hark and Lin Qingxia achieved the fame of today. It also started the movie style of combining special effects with martial arts.
Made with an impressive HK$30,000 at that time, this film offers some 1983-style HK special effects. Viewed today, these special effects look cheesy and stupid. Editing seems choppy, revealing how the special effects were done. "Cheap" models were used extensively, and the same mountains were used over and over again. However, being a very original concept at that time, Tsui Hark received instant fame for directing this film.
Lin Qingxia was actually quite famous during the 1970s. However she was type-cast into playing the girl next door in Taiwan romance movies. When these movies ceased to be popular, her career died. It was this film that managed to re-start her acting career, and she has starred in various movies since then, the most recent being THE SWORDSMAN II.
ZU, WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN is about the forces of good vs. the forces of evil. Set in the Zu Mountains, a soldier discovers a world of evil. However, the good force is closing on it, preventing the evil from dominating the world.
However, the story gets stranger and stranger from then on. The plot also gets messier. The second half of the story lacks common sense, even in the fantasy world of wu-xia, and it looks hurried. (Somehow, it seems to have many last-minute hacking... :-)) Although I don't think there is any last-minute change to the ending -- we know there is going to be a happy ending at the very beginning of the story -- the ending still looks tagged on.
Characterization again is lacking. Nothing in the film explains the romantic interest in the film. The characters are one-dimensional, and new characters are introduced more or less randomly.
This is not a film that I would recommend -- unless you are a very great fan of Hsui Hark or wu-xia. Watch it only for historical reasons. However, if you do watch the movie, catch the cameo appearance of Tsui Hark towards the very end of the movie. This film is rated PG in Singapore. A few killings, but with no graphical violence.
Leong Heng Cheong hcleong@iti.gov.sg
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