6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Jiang Ziya, a top commander in the divine army of the Kunlun Sect, is victorious in the battle between the Heavenly powers and the Shang dynasty. Before he can ascend to his new position among the Gods, he is ordered to execute the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon who threatens the mortals' very existence. But when the Fox Demon shows him the secret to her power, an innocent human girl, he is unable to complete his task resulting in his banishment to the mortal realm forever. Ten years later, atop the ruins of war, Jiang Ziya is once again given a task that will bring him back to the Heavenly realm – execute the Nine Tail Fox Demon regardless if the innocent life is lost. Now Jiang Ziya must decide – follow the will of heaven or find his own path to becoming a true god.
Starring: Youji Wang, Guanlin JiAnimation | 100% |
Foreign | 100% |
Fantasy | 77% |
Action | 42% |
Adventure | 35% |
Martial arts | 35% |
Supernatural | 29% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 2.0
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
English, English SDH, Mandarin (Simplified)
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
While Jiang Ziya is like many Asian films which were evidently screened theatrically in 3D in some markets but which have only been granted a 2D Blu-ray way over here in the United States (and the rest of Region A), the film is still so visually interesting so much of the time that it may help addled audience members, like your intrepid reviewer, who may frankly struggle to make sense of the actual story. Jiang Ziya is a more or less follow up to Ne Zha, a Chinese blockbuster which itself was released in 3D theatrically, but which flew across the pond in a decidedly "flatter" version (Well Go USA, which also released Ne Zha on Blu- ray, at least upped the visual ante by also offering Ne Zha 4K , an upgrade that this particular film does not seem to be enjoying, at least as of the writing of this review). Jiang Ziya is in fact kind of like the "flip side" (to purloin a term from the recording industry) of Ne Zha in more than one way. If Ne Zha was a kind of ADHD terror in slightly grotesque imp form, Jiang Ziya is an often (seemingly) emotionless guru type, methodical and single minded. Ne Zha had a bit of a metaphysical edge in that Ne Zha was actually a demon who was ultimately shown not to be "all bad", while Jiang Ziya is from the outset the sort of noble figure whom the Gods themselves bow to, and who, as the film begins (after an exposition dump prologue), is set to become the putative ruler of heaven if he can decimate an evil entity known as Nine Tailed, the leader of the Fox Clan. Already, at least for some Western audiences not completely conversant with Chinese history and/or folklore, there may be questions accruing as to what's going on, and for anyone who watches this film and is in that predicament by this point, my advice is a simple get used to it.
Jiang Ziya is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. This creation from the digital realm boasts a startlingly beautiful source, one with a really resplendent palette and some nicely precise looking fine detail in elements like the woven fabric of Jiu's sweater or even the fur on Four Alike. Reds and purples are especially vivid throughout the presentation. There are two distinctive animation styles at play, one for the prologue and one for the rest of the film. Screenshots from the prologue are in positions 4, 9 and 15 for those interested. The one downside to this presentation is once again banding. Interestingly, it really doesn't show up as much on the Well Go USA masthead as I've seen it on previous releases, but it's then very noticeable in a number of other Chinese production mastheads that flit by before the film really gets underway, and then it intermittently ripples through various moments that typically have large skies in the frame and/or are filled with mist (a recurring motif in the story).
Jiang Ziya features nice sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks in either Mandarin or English. I toggled back and forth between these two tracks and really didn't notice any major differences in terms of overall amplitude or mix levels. The English voice work is largely great (as was the case with Ne Zha's English language version, I haven't been able to track down any authoritative data on the English voice cast, and there's actually precious little that I could find online vis a vis the Mandarin voice cast). The film's prevalence of fantasy laden material offers nice consistent opportunities for engagement of the surround channels, and a couple of the smackdown scenes feature some good robust LFE. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English or Mandarin subtitles are available.
- Trailer (1080p; 1:48)
- Trailer (Mandarin) (1080p; 1:48)
Two simultaneous things happened as I watched Jiang Ziya: I was repeatedly struck by the gorgeous visuals and I was also repeatedly asking myself what the you know what was happening. If you go with the flow of the imagery here and just let any niggling qualms about character, plot and/or meaning fall by the wayside, Jiang Ziya is actually rather engaging. The writing may not completely support some of the ideas that are being alluded to, but it may at least serve as a starting point for some rational brain activity to kick in after the eye candy has ended. Technical merits are generally decent (video) to excellent (audio), and with caveats duly noted, Jiang Ziya comes Recommended.
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