The Sorcerer and the White Snake Blu-ray review

Actors: Jet Li

Director: Siu-Tung Ching

Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: Cantonese

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Dubbed: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: PG-13

Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment

Release Date: April 9, 2013

Run Time: 93 minutes

 

The usual kung-fu choreography and tree-top ballets are not enough for The Sorcerer and the White Snake, which also throws in large snakes, demons and other supernatural elements for a special effects melting pot of eye candy spectacle. Unfortunately, the film has little else to offer. It is a candy-coated film which offers little nutrition for discerning the viewer.

 

          The film is based on a Chinese legend which centers on a man who unwittingly falls in love with a woman who is secretly a thousand-year-old snake. When her presence becomes known, a sorcerer (Jet Li) sets out to put the snake back where she belongs, restoring the order between humans and the supernatural world. This means the separation of the pair of star-crossed lovers.

 

          The Blu-ray release of The Sorcerer and the White Snake is the preferred home viewing method for a film so heavily reliant on digital effects. There is also the added bonus of the special features, which include four featurettes on the making of the film. Most of them are concerned with the visual aspects of the film, though the most entertaining is one on the fight scenes with Jet Li. There is also one on the visual effects and production design.

             

Entertainment Value: 4.5/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 3/10

Historical Significance: 2/10

Disc Features: 7/10