Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Magnificent Warriors Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 2, 2023

Commentator Frank Djeng mentions some budget and box office return numbers in his typically boisterous analysis of the film, and if his data is correct (which I'm assuming it is), Magnificent Warriors cost a lot of money and brought in spectacularly little at the box office, which may actually come as a surprise to those who either have seen the film or who, after coming to it via this new Blu-ray presentation, will find it a breezy and exciting adventure that Djeng kind of humorously retitles Indiana Jane, as if that made sense (it does, kind of, anyway). Michelle Yeoh is on something of a career high as this review is being written, courtesy of a film that made the very tippy top of my Top 10 list for 2022, Everything Everywhere All At Once , and in that regard, and as Djeng also mentions in passing, it's kind of interesting to see her billed here as Michelle Khan (Djeng gets into a bit of Yeoh's history with regard to nomenclature). Magnificent Warriors does in fact posit Yeoh as a rather Indiana Jones-esque character, at least in terms of an old time "serial" ambience with regular cliffhangers, and also the general timeframe (early forties, according to Djeng, though an essay in the insert booklet states that it's 1938) and Yeoh's facility with a whip. Yeoh portrays Fok Ming-Ming, an adventuress who might be likened to a Chinese version of the Australian heroine at the center of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, at least with regard to her abilities as a pilot, and more generally in her adventurous spirit.

Magnificent Warriors wastes no time in introducing Fok Ming-Ming, and almost as quickly detailing her butt kicking (and/or whipping) proclivities, as well as the general political unrest that underlies the plot dynamics, with the typically villainous Japanese in "occupation mode", and Ming-Ming and her ultimate cohort tasked with defeating them. The film flirts with some nascent "secret agent" material (not only is Ming-Ming a quasi- spy, there is in fact a character specifically identified as "Secret Agent 001"), with regard to two males who ultimately partner (more or less, anyway) with Ming-Ming, albeit in the case of one of them, for mistaken identity reasons. That plot point may strike some viewers as a potential stumbling block, but it's actually handled with a fair degree of humor and isn't overly labored.

Wong AKA Secret Agent 001 (Derek Yee) has already been seen working undercover (albeit at times not all that successfully), but a plot conceit whereby Ming-Ming doesn't know who he is and will identify him by a watch he should be wearing brings in the mistaken identity aspect, when another guy who is basically nameless but who is somewhat hilariously identified on various online data aggregators either as Drifting Conman or Fake Wong (Richard Ng) of course gets swept up in the intrigue when he ends up with the watch (after unceremoniously dispatching and then eating the carrier pigeon who had been tasked with getting the timepiece to Secret Agent 001).

The film supposedly takes place in Bhutan, and has a somewhat exotic aspect despite the oft told tale of valiant nationalistically minded Chinese fighting back against their Japanese interlopers. The film has a rather cheeky sense of humor, and its more than obvious "borrowings" from Raiders of the Lost Ark in particular are frankly not all that problematic since the setting and especially the martial arts finesse give this its own distinctive flavor. This probably plays up some cheeky humor more than even the generally (generally) light Raiders of the Lost Ark did, but there is certainly more than enough action here, including some spectacular stunt work by Yeoh and others, that should satisfy most adrenaline junkies quite easily.

Magnificent Warriors Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Magnificent Warriors is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. As with many 88 Films Blu- ray releases, there's not a ton of technical information imparted, and in fact the only reference I could find to any technical information was a simple passing "brand new 2K restoration" in the "fine print" on the back cover. This is a largely satisfying looking presentation that does have a few curious quality downturns at times, but which for the most part provides a really nicely saturated palette and some rather commendable detail levels. A few isolated shots, as in a nighttime sequence showing Ming-Ming landing her plane, which is shot through smoke from torches, can be pretty murky looking and without much in the way of detail, let alone fine detail (see screenshot 19). There are a few other interstitial moments where grain suddenly spikes and clarity diminishes, sometimes within the same scene (and even within the same sequence between edit points), which I don't have any real explanation for, but the good news is these moments generally pass quickly. A lot of the film offers a nicely resolved grain structure. Damage is minimal and never distracting. There are some anamorphic oddities on display, which to my eyes made things look intermittently squeezed a bit.

Magnificent Warriors Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Magnificent Warriors features LPCM 2.0 Mono tracks in either the original Cantonese (though as Djeng gets into, there's a smattering of Mandarin as well) or an English dub. There's not a huge difference between these tracks, but I'd say the English track is arguably just a tad brighter in the upper midrange, something that's probably most noticeable in music cues, but the Cantonese track is overall more fullbodied, with a more expressive lower midrange that helps to support some of the sound effects. Both tracks offer nicely fluid listening experiences, and both tracks support score, effects and dialogue without any issues. Optional English subtitles are available.

Magnificent Warriors Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng


• Archive Interview with Actress Michelle Yeoh (HD; 6:57)


• Archive Interview with Stunt Coordinator Tung Wai (HD; 12:53) is subtitled in English.


• English Opening Credits Sequence (HD; 1:49)


• Hong Kong Trailer One (HD; 4:34)


• Hong Kong Trailer Two (HD; 4:03)


• English Trailer (HD; 3:12)


• Stills Gallery (HD; 3:41)

Additionally, 88 Films offers a really nicely appointed insert booklet with a lot of photos and an unusually interesting essay by Matthew Edwards (which takes Djeng's whimsical "re-titling" and makes it Indiana Yeoh. The keepcase features a reversible sleeve and it also houses a folded miniposter featuring the original artwork. Finally, packaging features a slipcover.

Magnificent Warriors Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's kind of surprising that Magnificent Warriors evidently didn't resonate that well with Chinese audiences back in the day. It's a really fun and often quite funny adventure yarn, and it nicely weaves in a bit of pseudo-history as well as offering some good production design elements. Yeoh is remarkable in this role from a purely athletic, stunt achievement perspective. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.