- Actors: Darren Wang, Yu Xing
- Director: Lei Yang
- Disc Format: Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen
- Language: Mandarin Chinese (DTS 5.1)
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region A/1
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Rated: Not Rated
- Studio: Well Go USA
- Release Date: January 30, 2018
- Run Time: 108 minutes
Legend of the Naga Pearls has all of the
elements which seem to make up the ideal fantasy, blended into typical Chinese
martial arts epic fodder. There is a skilled protagonist, wisecracking
side-kick, a cute CGI creature, and even a frightening looking adversary. The
story involves a deep mythology with a tribe of winged people, and a
star-crossed romance between on of these royal descendants and the humans which
once defeated them. It feels like a carefully calculated fantasy film, but
somehow still never manages to rise above mediocrity, primarily due to the
sloppiness of the filmmaking.
Each summer
there are a number of lazily made blockbusters released in the United States,
and Legend of the Naga Pearls serves
as evidence that these failures are a part of the Chinese film industry as
well. While there is some entertainment to be had in the spectacle of the film,
Legend of the Naga Pearls often feels
both narratively convoluted and visually incomplete, from the very first
CGI-filled shot to the last. Even the most dedicated fantasy and martial arts
fans are likely to be left under-whelmed.
As is the case
with most fantasy films, there is a complex back-story involving the mythology
of the winged tribe led by the ruthless Xuelie (Simon Yam). Defeated in battle
by the humans long before the beginning of our narrative, these winged soldiers
set out to find a box containing the Naga Pearls, which will allow them to
eradicate the human race in some unclear manner that ends up resembling
something out of a Marvel movie. A lowly human thief named Ni Kongkong (Darren
Wang) steals the box containing the pearls when he feels a connection to it due
to a glowing light coming from his hand. He is almost destroyed by Xuelie until
a fallen member of the winged tribe (Tian’Ai Zhang) joins forces with the thief
in order to protect him and all of humanity.
Ni Kongkong is
not an ordinary thief, both because of the unexplained glowing coming from his
hand and his pet/sidekick that comes in the form of a magical little creature.
Beyond the cartoonish appearance of this creature made up entirely with cheap
CGI effects, it feels like an addition made mostly to please the younger
audience members. This is even more apparent when the armadillo-looking
creature is mostly used as a weapon that bounces off people like a dodgeball,
and for his potent flatulence used to disarm the enemy while in battle. It’s
silly and badly designed, and feels somewhat out of place in a movie that also
contains some fairly graphic violence.
The high
definition presentation of the film on Blu-ray does little to help the digital
shortcomings of the movie, although I suppose it does offer a more detailed
look at the production design and make-up effects. There are no special
features to go with the film. The lack of faith in the film’s popularity is
fitting.
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 4.5/10
Historical
Significance: 2/10
Special Features: 0/10
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