Storm Warriors – Movie Review
I got a chance to see the new installment of the Storm Riders legacy, Storm Warriors. I had never heard of Storm Riders before I was given this assignment but I found a copy and watched it before seeing the new chapter. I have to say I was very impressed and then a little ashamed to call myself a movie buff; Ashamed that a film like Storm Riders had slipped under my radar and stayed there for so long. So… I went and stood on the corner saying quotes from Spielberg films over and over again until I felt that the film Gods had forgiven me. I also lit a candle.
Skip forward past the self-pity to the preview screening of Storm Warriors. There’s a new bad guy in town. His name is Lord Godless (Simon Yam) and Wind (Ekin Cheng) and Cloud (Aaron Kwok) have to try and find a way to increase their powers quickly in order to defeat him and save China. But with taking the easy short-cut there comes a horrible sacrifice…. that’s all I’m going to say.
Wind and Cloud are both Men now. Men with a capital M. Cloud’s character has developed from an angsty teen to a mighty warrior. Wind is still gentle and pensive but he has some wisdom now, as opposed to his boyish naivety in Storm Riders.
Hopefully no uterus punching will be required....
OK. The things that pissed me off: The new love interests are two girls named Chu Chu (Yang Tang) and Second Dream (Charlene Choi). Their grating and high-pitched voices made me want to punch myself in the uterus just for being the same sex as these characters. And it seemed like their main purpose throughout the film was to call out, “Wind!” or, “Cloud!” I don’t feel they were needed in the roles they were put into. They were different to the character of Charity from the first film in the way that they actually fought beside Wind and Cloud but that was only once… and then they went back to being annoying and superfluous.
I have to say, I really expected the film to play up the friendship of Wind and Cloud. In the first film, they come together out of loss and fight a common enemy but they hardly talk to each other. As an audience we are meant to believe they are like blood brothers and would do anything for the other, but in the end they only say about 10 words to each other.
Storm Warriors is definitely for people who have seen Storm Riders. I took two friends along with me who had never heard of it. Even though I explained the first film on the way they still found the story a little hard to follow. I realised that it is not just the background story you need to know before seeing Storm Warriors, you also need to experience the style of storytelling that is not really present in Western films. Take Kevin Smith for example. His writing is unique in the way that dialogue is paramount to his stories. But with Storm Warriors, a lot of the dialogue is replaced with ‘Looks’. Cloud and Wind have very expressive faces that are the main tool in the storytelling.
I couldn’t take me eyes off Wind throughout the entire film. I’m not going to give to much away but this guy gets to do some damn cool stuff and he does it very well. I’m definitely keeping an eye out for Ekin Cheng in my movie travels.
One of the stylised battle flashbacks
Another thing I really liked was the few flashback and battle scenes that were shot in a completely different style to the rest of the film. They had a graphic novel style quality, along the vein of 300. I hate comparing movie styles but I have to in this case so you know what I’m talking about.
And now…the ACTION!! Which I’m sure is the biggest pull of this film. You’ve all seen movies were martial arts masters seem to have mystical powers. Well, Storm Warriors takes this to the extreme….and it’s awesome. The fight scene between Cloud and Nameless (Kenny Ho) at the temple was when I first sat up in my seat and rubbed my hands with glee. But the fight scene between Cloud and Lord Godless in the Dragon Temple left my jaw somewhere down the isle of the cinema. I don’t know where it went, but it dropped. Again, I don’t want to give too much away but it was the most original concept for a fight I have seen in a long time and was most definitely very cool.
That was my overall impression of this film; very “cool”. The action was incredible and even though the script is skeletal, if you know the style of this kind of film you can read the actors’ faces like a book. I have to say Storm Riders, in my opinion, is a better film just because the CGI was more subtle. The background in Storm Warriors is purposefully and obviously digitally coloured and I feel it doesn’t really need it. But then, the special effects in the fights scenes are bigger and better so maybe it balances out. I do strongly suggest seeing Storm Riders before seeing this film and I think fans will not be disappointed. It has the same epic quality, with legends and tradition and honor that is such a strong part of Chinese history. Soooo…. Go see it!
Trailer
Please welcome new reviewer Liana to the fold with your comments! Oh and tell us if you’ve seen Storm Warriors, or the original Storm Riders? This screening was a special event by CineAsia that had the film opening on the same day in Australia and in Hong Kong and having an actual theatrical run here in Australia! A trend we’re hoping to see more of in the future! Let us know what you think…
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I just watched Storm Warriors, and I have my opinions as a Chinese viewer more familiar with the franchise. I don't think it was a very good show. I enjoyed it until the last fight. That was just way too long and pointless. Most of the fights were too messy. My favourite part was the one between Godless and Cloud too, the same one you described. But the film really suffered from a lack of a decent story, not enough exposition, and some really strange, illogical moments.
Hi, there! Thanks for a nice review! I never expected a female would enjoy a film like Storm Warriors. Anyway, got a chance to watch it today. While I knew it's going to be a CGI heavy film and didn't expect much of a story, I still think it's a better film than the first one. Maybe it's because I have a bias against the previous director Andrew Lau. Yes, non-fans will likely become lost, yes the very last fighting sequence was too long, yes the story was almost non-existent, and yes, the two female actresses were superfluous, but somehow I sense a lot more heart in the making of this film. The stylish battle scenes were quite an eye candy, and the soundtrack was top notch. The costumes also looks a lot more normal. Furthermore, there is less unintended comedy than last time. It's always awkward when you hear the audience laugh when they are not supposed to. All in all, I think this is another milestone in HK cinema history.
the first film was inda light on story too, but i can't help but love the film. i am really hoping to catch this one as the first was really the first live action Hong Kong style flying swordsman film i'd seen that really used CGI… i want more!
thanks for chiming in though guys!
oh and Yong, who wants to see a film with no story and heaps of effects? Most of america if Transformers 2 is anything to go by.
Q
Saw the film on the weekend and really loved it. Yes the plot was a bit thin, yes I punched myself repeatedly in the uterus whenever the female leads came on, and yes the male lead I went to see who plays Cloud has a total of about 10 lines of script – but the production and special effects were breathtakingly brilliant and redeemed the film! The fight scene between Cloud and Godless in the Dragon's Tomb was unexpectedly captivating. Nice play on symbolic light and dark imagery throughout the film too.
The only downside is that it's screening in Mandarin in Australia. That was disappointing as all the trailers on the official website were in Cantonese. I'll have to watch the original Cantonese version when it gets released on DVD.
Hmmm….watched it last night and found it too overated. The plot is so standard and the fight scenes so heavy with CGI. Maybe its only for CGI lovers, but as an asian movie fan, I look for more than just CGI and unfortunately this film doesnt have anymore than just plain CGI…
I hear Donny Yen's Bodyguards & Assassins coming to Australian cinemas releasing on 18 Dec too at Hoyts cinemas…hopefully Bodyguards & Assassins will have more substance to Storm Warriors….
So glad Australia cinemas will be screening regular asian blockbuster films!!
just saw it with the tickets i won from cool shite (thanks again guys).
currently my head is still exploding from the effects of the film. i tried to find the first one before seeing it but my local video store and two jb hifi that i went to didn't have it.
the story was light, and the final battle sequence did go a bit long but it was interesting enough to spark a conversation between myself and my father whom had seen the film with me.
i agree about the females. i was frustrated that cloud dismissed chu chu's gift of the hanky thing, i thought that was sweet, and when she died i felt bad for cloud (maybe it was because when i look at him i think of sam from supernatural) but i didn't feel any emotion towards her…as for second dream i liked her when she first rocked up and part of me was hoping that she would die so that wind would come back to normal for killing her.
something that still bothers me is heart…he wasn't a very good side kick to his father. and the way he died/disappeared was disapointing.
i have more to say but will leave it for now