ZU: WARRIORS FROM MAGIC MOUNTAIN – NY Asian Film Festival – day 9
July 10th, 2011 by Mr. C
Tsui Hark thinking deep thoughts after the screening!
Tsui Hark was on hand for a brief discussion with Grady Hendrix of Subway Cinema at the Walter Reade Theatre with some fancy wireworks on his mind after the screening of ZU: Warriors from Magic Mountain! It was a trip and a half seeing Zu again decades later with my last viewing being on a VHS bootleg copy, Planet Chocko style thanks to Tower Books & Video rental on 4th & Lafayette! ZU is still a kung fu laser light extravaganza to behold with first rate wu xia dancing, prancing, & flying about! The story is a bit convoluted & wacky with the fantasy plot of centuries old jockeying of the evil underworld & demonic sect with their obsession to defeat the GOOD in attempts to take over the martial art world for eternal existence and power! What do you expect when the ZU story is based on a very long martial arts novel which is then crammed into 90 minutes or so of Tsui Hark’s pink floyd interpretation of it on film? I must admit that Zu is definitely not one of my favorite movies in the wu xia fantasy genre but the special effects, wirework, & martial arts are first rate especially when names like Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, & Adam Cheng are some of the major players in the movie! Zu was a breakthrough film of its time as Tsui Hark set a new standard in relaying the chinese fantasy stories adding western technology to enhance the wu xia experience. The soundtrack to the film was also created by the same person who did the music to Star Wars as well! When Zu Warriors from Magic Mountain was released in the early 1980’s, Sammo Hung & Yuen Biao were already flexing their kung fu muscles doing their raw hong kong modern comedy-action with Jackie Chan in films such as Project A, Wheels on meals, & Winners and Sinners! Adam Cheng is worthy of the lead swordsman role with his peking opera background and proficiency with the double edge sword! Cheng is a legend in the Hong Kong film industry with an extensive filmography to prove it as well as being known for his wu xia soap opera dramas on the Hong Kong TVB channel! Did I also tell you that Adam Cheng is a very popular canto-pop singer as well?! Despite the crazy story of Zu: Warriors from Magic Mountain, this is a must see chinese fantasy film if you consider yourself a fan & historian of the genre! This movie showed that you can add new school technology to enhance the story telling process! Check out our video coverage of the Q&A session below with Tsui Hark & Grady Hendrix after the screening of ZU: Warriors from Magic Mountain!
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