Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Dr Wai in The Scripture with No Words Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 6, 2023

Tony Ching’s "Dr. Wai in The Scripture with No Words" (1996) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental feature on the release include new audio commentary by critics Mike Leeder and Arne Venema; new audio commentary by critic Frank Djeng; archival program with Jet Li; and vintage trailer. In Cantonese or English, with optional English subtitles. Region-B "locked".

All big Jet Li fans residing in America had to import Tony Ching’s Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words. Unlike other Li films, this film was not picked up for distribution in America, so for a while the only way to see it was on an imported DVD or VCD. There were a lot of releases to choose from. Initially, all were shipped from Hong Kong, but later some came from Thailand and South Korea. Then, in a couple of major American cities, Chinatown-based entrepreneurs started making them as well.

If you picked up one of the earliest releases, you almost certainly played it only once. Do you remember why? They had the original Hong Kong version of Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words with English subtitles that were so bad that it was virtually impossible to reach its final credits. I am not exaggerating. The earliest releases of Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words had the reputation of being unwatchable, and even later, when more releases, most of them bootlegs, flooded the market, very little changed. (Eureka Entertainment’s release presents two versions of Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words, the original Hong Kong Version and an International Version, both with English tracks, but the earliest DVD and VCD releases I mentioned did not come with one. So, the original Cantonese track had to be translated into English).

Even though I am not a huge Li fan, I had one of these early releases, too. I purchased it for the same reason a lot of other film collectors did -- Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words was supposed to be like an Asian Indiana Jones film. At the time when I purchased the release, I did not know whether this was true, but it was how the film was promoted, so I wanted to see it. However, once I received my release and tried viewing it, I remember being so disappointed that soon after I traded it to another film collector. To be clear, I was not disappointed with the quality of the presentation but with the quality of the English subtitles, which were atrocious. (Back then, if you were a collector and picked up Asian releases, you pretty much knew that you would get some sort of rough presentation. It was only toward the end of the DVD era that Asian distributors significantly improved the quality of their releases, though they also did a lot of damage by “upgrading” various original 1.0 and 2.0 audio tracks to elaborate 5.1 EX, 6.1 and 7.1 “new” remixes).

Last night, I viewed Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words for the first time since I sold the release I mentioned above. I opted for the Hong Kong Version, which is quite different than the International Version. Actually, the structural changes that were made on the International Version are so significant that the latter is essentially a different film. (The time shifts are altered, so there is important character overlapping that is dramatically affected, which means that the chronology of certain events is different). So, Li fans or anyone who wishes to see the original Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words film that opened in Hong Kong should not waste any time with it.

Unfortunately, now that I have finally viewed Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words with proper English subtitles, I cannot say that I was able to understand as much as needed to enjoy it. For the first time, some basic elements of the plot did make sense to me, but the rest looked and felt as random and bland as I once thought it was. In fact, now that it is no longer possible to associate the lack of clarity with the quality of the English translation, it is quite obvious that Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words is one very seriously mismanaged film. (In their exclusive new audio commentary, critics Mike Leeder and Arne Venema speculate that this is precisely the reason Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words was not picked up for American distribution, and I think they are correct).

Here's a basic summation of the plot of the Hong Kong Version, but keep in mind that there is a lot more that expands it in different directions for completely random reasons. Li plays a young writer whose personal life is on the verge of an irreversible collapse. While working hard to meet the expectations of his boss, the writer’s mind begins merging his reality with that of the character of his upcoming adventure novel, Dr. Wai. Unable to stay focused – on the troubles crippling his personal life or Dr. Wai’s adventures -- the writer agrees to get help from an ambitious colleague (Takeshi Kaneshiro), but the latter’s wild imagination pushes Dr. Wai into a wildly exotic universe where ancient myths, Japanese spies, ninjas, sumo wrestlers, other shady characters, and exotic creatures do their best to stop him from obtaining a magical box.

It is easy to guess that the merging of the two realities was supposed to produce intriguing character overlapping that would make the action unpredictable and exciting. The character overlapping is there, but it is so poorly done that it is completely out of sync with the action. As a result, Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words looks strikingly disjointed, almost as if it was finished by a different team, not the one that worked on it, and only because the studio that funded it decided to recoup as much of its investments as possible.

Dr Wai in The Scripture with No Words Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

There are two versions of the film on this release -- Hong Kong Version and International Version. In my opinion, the Hong Kong Version is the one to see, though the International Version, which alters the chronology of the story that is told in the film, adds some new material that some viewers may find intriguing.

The Hong Kong Version is sourced from a good new 2K master. For me, this master is quite the revelation because a long time ago I had an Asian DVD release of Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words that was very, very rough. Now, the film does look quite ambitious and a lot of its action sequences are actually quite easy to admire. Delineation, clarity, and depth are usually quite nice. However, the transitions between the two realities -- that of Jet Li's writer and Dr. Wai -- have some native fluctuations. For example, in a couple of wider shots, usually around the corners, anamorphic softness is very easy to identify, plus elsewhere various ranges of highlights can be quite uneven. Some darker nuances fluctuate as well. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Color balance is stable. However, the two realities emphasize different primaries and nuances, or at least in some areas of the film, and the period footage is intentionally made to look warmer. Image stability is very good. I did not encounter any distracting cuts, debris, warped, or torn frames to report.

The International Version is a reconstruction project. It features inserts with standard definition material, so if you choose to view it, you should expect to see drops in density, delineation, clarity, and depth. The rest of the material looks as good as it does on the Hong Kong Version. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Dr Wai in The Scripture with No Words Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are five standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release. For the Hong Kong Version: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Cantonese LPCM 2.0, Cantonese LPCM 2.0 Mono (Home Video Mix), and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono. For the International Version: English LPCM 2.0 and Mandarin LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I tested the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. I thought that both were very nice. Obviously, the latter is a dub track that comes with the typical variations in tone and style that English dub tracks for Hong Kong films are known for, but compared to some other similar tracks that I have tested recently, it is quite effective. The former performs very well during action footage, of which there is plenty, and balance was surprisingly good. The English subtitles are excellent, which given the past history of Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words is not an easy accomplishment.

Dr Wai in The Scripture with No Words Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. As expected, the commentators share plenty of interesting information, but a lot of it is not about Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words. For example, there is some interesting information about Jet Li's health and working methods, Takeshi Kaneshiro's background and history with the Taiwanese military, old Shanghai vs. new Shanghai, sumo wrestlers and their diet(s), etc. However, the commentators also address the two drastically different versions of the film, its less-than-impressive performance at the Hong Kong box office, international distribution, and relationship to the Indiana Jones films. This audio commentary appears on the Hong Kong Version of the film.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Frank Djeng. It appears on the International Version of Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words.

• The Smart and the Brave - an archival program highlighting the practice work of a very young Jet Li. In Mandarin, with English subtitles. (7 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage Hong Kong for Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words. With music and English text. (3 min).

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring new essays by Simon Abrams and David Desser, as well as technical credits.

Dr Wai in The Scripture with No Words Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Somewhere in the middle of their latest audio commentary, Mike Leeder and Arne Venema mention Romeo Must Die and imply that it may be one of Jet Li's worst films. I enjoy the audio commentaries these guys do and find that their opinions on a lot of things, not just films, are similar or identical to mine. However, I could not disagree more with their take on Romeo Must Die, which next to Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words looks like a masterpiece. I am sorry, but Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words is one seriously mishandled film that frequently seems to be operating on autopilot, which might have been broken, too. Obviously, it was conceived to mimic the Indiana Jones films, but anyone expecting that kind of quality entertainment from it will be gravely disappointed. It is a bad film that is difficult to recommend even to die-hard Li fans. Eureka Entertainment's release is sourced from a good new 2K master and is included in Heroes & Villains: Three Films starring Jet Li, a three-disc box set.