Storm Riders (1998)The Storm Riders kicks out with an explosion of wind kicks, cloud-palms and frost-fists. Played out like the comic book on which it is based, the swordplay and martial arts genres get a serious reworking with an unprecedented amount of expensive special effects. The complicated plot can be simplified as follows: After killing their fathers, megalomaniac Lord Conquer (Chiba) takes on two young boys as his disciples. He has received advice from a prophet, Mud Buddha, that in the first half of his life he will stand invincible. But the answer to the second half of his life lies in the secret-coded 'Yin Yang Box'. In the next ten years, his disciples Cloud (Kwok) and Wind (Cheng) grow up and their martial arts skills expand dramatically, helping Conquer to rule the martial arts world. But as the first half of his life closes, Conquer's seat at the top is challenged from within. Cloud, Wind and fellow disciple Frost, disgruntled by their master's doings, past and present, 'unite to be a storm' in revenge. But this plot isn't the only reason why every seat in the cinema was taken. This kind of film is seen for its effects. Hong Kong's 'Independence Day' perhaps. And what's more, this is a first in Hong Kong film-making, though the style of some effects have been seen in the animated Chinese Ghost Story. It may not be up to Hollywood movie expectations, and effects-based action scenes should not be a replacement for exceptional choreography, but it is still an impressive and creatively shot work. With the aid of the effects and daring cinematography, the usual 'anything goes' sensation of wire-fu movies is expanded to new heights. The actors are quite impressive, alternating between the absurd (example: arm swapping) and the intense (example: the furious showdown between Sword Saint (Wong) and Conquer). Surprisingly, the two male leads fit in very well. And the more minor players, such as Shu Qi, the delicate Kristy Yeung, Lai Yiu Cheung and even Tsui Kam Kong (as 'Seedy Sword'!) made it all the more fun. Needless to say, there was a cantopop soundtrack, and it blended in smoothly. All up, this movie is a refreshing blast. Perhaps it won't live up to everyone's expectations, given the hype, but it give it a go nonetheless. DVD information: For the price, the Storm Riders DVD is fantastic value. The film looks and sounds very nice, though at times I found sequences looked much weaker and less-than-impressive on the small screen. Here are the bonuses: The main menu is an attention-grabbing animated affair, complete with the theme song. 16 named chapters are listed on two pages featuring a nifty preview window. Star bios are included for six cast members and Raymond Chow, Manfred Wong, Andrew Lau and original creator Ma Wing-shing. Three trailers are included (the English-language trailer has Sonny Chiba speaking Japanese), and the seven posters are shown too. A Cantonese half-hour making-of show is fantastic and the separate feature (with no dialogue) on the special effects is interesting too (though I can't press "pause" during either). If that's not enough, there are Chinese and English profiles on the characters (Mud Buddha, etc), including their characteristics, their special powers, their weaknesses, their backgrounds and plenty of other interesting points. There are three subtitle languages (English, Cantonese and Putongua) and two audio tracks on this Universe disc. |
Credits: Directed by Andrew Lau |
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