- Director : Wuershan
- Actors : Kris Phillips, Li Xuejian, Huang Bo, Yu Shi
- Dubbed: : English
- Subtitles: : English, French Canadian
- Language : Mandarin Chinese (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), Mandarin Chinese (Stereo), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), English (Stereo)
- Studio : Well Go Usa
- MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
- Country of Origin : China
- Number of discs : 1
- Media Format : Blu-ray
- Run time : 2 hours and 28 minutes
- Release date : May 28, 2024
It is difficult
to convey the significance of the classic Chinese fantasy novel Fengshenyanyi
to Western Civilization. Not only is it among the most popular fantasy novels, it is also the only
mythical epic in Chinese literature history to have originated from real
historical events, while also including rich fantasy that includes gods and
monsters. Because of this, the novel has been adapted numerous times, but the
Creation of the Gods trilogy is the first time the novel has been filmed consecutively.
The difficulty
for those unfamiliar with the novel is the complex cast of characters within Creation
of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms, especially given this first installment has
so many introductions to make. The story begins with an attack by the Shang
dynasty’s army against Jizhou rebels, led by Prince Yin Shou (Fei Xiang) and
the hostage sons used as a deterrent from attacks by their biological fathers.
Although Prince Shou is successful, his soldiers unintentionally release a fox
spirit after the battle, which attaches to and revives the body of a dead
Jizhou princess, Su Daji (Narana Erdyneeva).
Once brought
back with the Shang army, the fox spirit instigates the death of the king,
resulting in Prince Yin Shou taking the throne. This disturbance causes the
dynasty to be cursed and initially the Immortals of Kunlun consider giving Shao
the Investiture Scroll to restore order and end the curse, but when they send
the monk Jiang Ziya (Huang Bo), he discovers the king has been corrupted. Hostage
son Ji Fa (Yu Shi) also begins to suspect the negative influence of Su Daji on
the king, and quietly investigates as efforts to retrieve the Investiture Scroll
are made.
Jiang Ziya is
chased by Shen Gongbao (Xia Yu), a corrupted rival monk after the power of the
scroll in service of the king, but he is also aided by his powerful nephew-disciples,
Nezha and Yang Jian. This results in a number of exciting chase sequences,
between the larger scale battles carried out by the human characters fighting
for power. At the same time, there is much left unresolved by the end of the
narrative, as this is only the first part of the adaptation.
While it is likely to be expected
from high fantasy adaptations, some may be turned off by how much of the film relies
on CGI, though the scope of the production is impressive beyond these digital
additions. The cast went through intensive training to make the film as historically
accurate as possible, making this an impressive blend of fact and fantasy. Even
audiences unfamiliar with the classic story will be able to find something to
enjoy here, especially once they have managed to keep track of the massive cast
of characters, more of which are introduced in the film’s post credit scenes.
Despite the amount of time and energy
put into this massive production, the Blu-ray release only includes one special
feature, aside from a theatrical trailer. There is a making-of featurette about
the production, though the real reason for the Blu-ray is to watch the effects-heavy
film in high definition.
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6.5/10
Historical
Significance: 6/10
Special Features: 3/10
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