The Devil's Mirror Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Devil's Mirror Blu-ray Movie Review

The Devil’s Mirror is an exciting and action-packed Shaw Brothers film with a supernatural element. Produced by Runme Shaw (Heroes Shed No Tears, Fists of the White Lotus), The Devil’s Mirror is an essential watch for Shaw Brothers fans. The Devil’s Mirror features the debut performance of legendary action star Sun Chung. Featuring lead performances by Dan Lau and Pei-Pei Shu. Co-starring Chia Chien Li and Hsieh Wang.

The esteemed swordsman Wen Chien Feng (Dan Lau) and the beautiful swordswoman Pai Hsiao Fung (Pei-Pei Shu) team up to fight a notorious “Devil Girl” who is a huge threat to everyone. Determined to take down the Devil Girl and to stop her from obtaining two special mirrors containing magical powers, Wen Chien Feng and Pai Hsiao Fung fight the good fight in order to win the battle and defeat the evil before them. Two dueling oppositions clash with one clan fighting against another clan – the magical mirrors at stake. Can Devil Girl be stopped before she possesses the supernatural mirrors and every magical element makes her an unstoppable force to be reckoned with?

The performances add so much to The Devil’s Mirror and help the film to stand out as an essential view for fans of the martial arts genre. Dan Lau and Pei-Pei Shu are both impressive in their leading roles and the actors provide a dynamic sense of gravitas to their performances. Lau is noble and heroic while Pei-Pei Shu demonstrates considerable charm and energy in her role.

The production merits are outstanding. The set designs are fantastic and showcase a wonderful sense of style within the supernatural setting of the story. The gothic and eerie production elements help to add a horror style to the film which is fun to experience. The art direction by Chi-Jui Chen (Five Fingers of Death, The 14 Amazons) is superb and far surpassed every expectation. Chen is a talented art director, understanding the necessary ingredients to bring out the best in the production.

The action stunts coordinated by Simon Hsu (The Dragon Missile, The Twelve Gold Medallions) and Sung-Hao Hsu (The Invincible Fist, The One-Armed Swordsman) are first-rate – outstanding work. Absolutely breathtaking stunts are featured in The Devil’s Mirror. The Devil’s Mirror has a fun, unmissable, and energetic action backdrop. The finale is so exciting I was glued to my seat. Everything about the finale spoke volumes to me – the build up and the climax was surreal with so much energy and style. The bodies might pile up but stars Dan Lau and Pei-Pei Shu won’t let it stop them from continuing the good fight.

The score composed by Yung-Yu Chen (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Five Fingers of Death) is an essential ingredient to the production. The score is fantastic and has great tension and build-up. Everything about the score works and composer Chen brought a fantastic sense of style to the production. A wonderful score by Chen.

The cinematography by Yung-Lung Wang (Five Fingers of Death, Red Spell Spells Red) is incredible and a clear highlight of the film. Wang is a talented cinematographer with a good sensibility with the lens – fantastic imagery helps the storytelling to unfold with ease. Given the supernatural element, Wang provides spookier-than-usual imagery for a Shaw Brothers production and it works perfectly.

Written by Yang Chiang (Five Fingers of Death, Hotel Blues), The Devil’s Mirror is a well-written script with a great concept for the Shaw Brothers film. Chiang handles the characters well and gives a fun storyline for the characters to inhabit. The dialogue is well-written and the finale is especially well done, even leaving the film on a thoughtful note after mayhem and carnage.

Directed by Chung Sun (The Proud Youth, The Kung Fu Instructor), The Devil’s Mirror is a perfect example of how great the Shaw Brothers films are. The Devil’s Mirror has plenty of spectacle and it provides it in spades. The Devil’s Mirror won’t disappoint Shaw Brothers fans with its action quotient and the great direction by Sun helps to make this a sometimes eerie and supernatural outing in the Shaw Brothers world. Don’t miss it.

The Devil's Mirror Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory, The Devil's Mirror is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. The Blu-ray release has an impressive high-definition presentation. Color reproduction looks excellent on the release and is a wonderful element of the presentation. The transfer is free from any egregious issues concerning damage to the print – scratches or marks on the print. The transfer is pleasing overall and has a reasonable amount of detail. Not a perfect transfer but a good one and with solid encoding.

The Devil's Mirror Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (with English subtitles). The lossless audio sounds crisp and clean on the release. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. An impressive audio presentation lacking any significant hiss, crackle, or pops (these kinds of audio detriments are not heard during the presentation). The score is well reproduced and sounds well integrated into the sound mix. Subtitles were well- done on the release and are free from any egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

The Devil's Mirror Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary with Film Historian Brian Bankston

Original Theatrical Trailer (HD, 3:47)

The Devil's Mirror Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Devil's Mirror is an enormously entertaining Shaw Brothers thrill-ride. The supernatural action epic has incredible action sequences choreographed by Simon Hsu (The Dragon Missile) and Sung-Hao Hsu (The Invincible Fist). Stars Dan Lau and Pei-Pei Shu deliver fantastic lead performances. The directing is exemplary. The Blu-ray release provides a worthwhile high-definition presentation and a quality lossless audio presentation. Recommended.