6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
In a distant past in the booming city of Uranopolis, the Winged People, a race capable of flying, live and prosper. A losing battle against the humans, however, results in a gradual loss of their flying capabilities. Xuelie, a royal descendant of the Winged People, begins a search for the legendary Naga Pearls with the intent of using them to destroy the humans and avenge his family. When the Naga Pearls fall into, and quickly out of, the hands of a witty thief, a human prince, and a Winged detective, the motley crew must overcome their distrust of one another to prevent the destruction of all humanity.
Starring: Talu Wang, Simon Yam, Siu-Wong Fan, Luxia Jiang, Xing YuForeign | 100% |
Action | 53% |
Fantasy | 7% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 2.0
English, Mandarin (Traditional)
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Legend of the Naga Pearls is weirdly reminiscent of any number of other Asian fantasy films that have been in my review queue lately, to the point that I kind of wondered if this entry, like some of the others I’ve written about over the past year or so, is based on some pre-existing mythological text. In perhaps one sign that the internet isn’t quite yet completely stuffed with useful information, what little data I could track down on the genesis of this film seems to suggest it’s related to a series of 21st century novels instead of ancient scriptures, though it’s evident that whatever the source material is/was, there’s an unmistakable folkloristic element to the story which involves an epochal battle between humans and winged creatures who are more or less divine beings (even if their behavior is hardly “godly”). The whole “winged tribe” aspect of the story perhaps unavoidably recalled League of Gods for me, since both films feature a winged protagonist who hasn’t yet quite mastered the art of flying, but it’s interesting to note that League of Gods, like several other films that film reminded me of, was based on a 16th century text, one that might seem like “myth” simply by dint of its age. I’m clearly not expert enough in terms of Asian stories about gods and devils to know if the whole winged tribe aspect is common to many such tales, but of course winged divine beings are prevalent globally, as evidenced by the Western fascination with angels.
Legend of the Naga Pearls is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. As mentioned above, any sort of data on this film is fairly sparse on the internet (at least that I was able to find), so I don't have authoritative information on what camera was utilized or what resolution the presumed DI was finished at, but this has a very appealingly sharp and well detailed looking presentation, at least when actual humans (as in actors) and practical props are in the frame. There are several key sequences that are fairly heavily graded, including some underground material that's deeply blue, something that tends to keep fine detail levels at bay. But in bright lighting, the palette looks natural and quite robust almost all of the time, and detail levels on things like facial pores or textures of fabrics are largely flawless. The biggest issue here is with some really oddly "cartoon like" CGI, both in terms of Oka, the little armadillo like creature, but also with regard to some of the backgrounds and (especially) establishing shots. These can all look pretty soft and ill defined at times, at least when compared to the bulk of the presentation. There's some passing mentions of a 3D presentation of this film in some markets on some sites, something I haven't been able to confirm, but as with so many other Asian films released overseas in that format, this Blu-ray offers only a flat 2D version.
Legend of the Naga Pearls features a nicely detailed DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix in the original Mandarin (with optional English subtitles). The sound design provides good, consistent immersion courtesy of a glut of sound effects the erupt when any of the many hand to hand battles accrue, but also with regard to well placed ambient environmental effects or even some of the sillier sounds that emanate from Oka. Dialogue and score are both rendered with clarity and precision on this problem free track.
Legend of the Naga Pearls doesn't break any new ground, and it gets its particular job done in an okay manner, but it's never totally engaging, and as things go on it gets increasingly repetitive. The actors are charismatic, even if Wang tends to play things extremely broadly at times. Technical merits are first rate for those considering a purchase.
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