7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
After the Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese army tries to once again gain control in China by hiring the secret organization, The White Lotus Society, to kidnap the military minister Zhang Zhidong. Wong Fei-Hung and his disciples try once again to stop this attack and prevent another war from starting.
Starring: Miya Muqi, Lubing Li, Kenya Sawada, Na Wei, Wenzhuo ZhaoAction | 100% |
Martial arts | 40% |
Foreign | 35% |
History | 8% |
Drama | 5% |
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
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Warriors of the Nation has a kind of curious comment on its back cover, which mentions that star Vincent Zhao is “reprising his legendary role”, without stating what exactly that role is or where he may have played it previously. It turns out the role is that of legendary martial artist Wong Fei Hung, whom Zhao previously portrayed in two radically different films, The Unity of Heroes and Kung Fu League, both of which Well Go USA released on Blu-ray last year. What’s kind of odd about all of this is that Kung Fu League was a kind of contemporary comedy where a hapless comic book artist “invokes” the help of several martial arts legends. Warriors of the Nation may in fact offer Zhao “reprising” that role, but this film is a period piece and, while highly stylized, isn’t exactly a laugh fest and should therefore probably be understood as following in The Unity of Heroes’ wake. (For those wanting a brief recap of at least some of the many other films featuring Wong Fei Hung and some of the actors who have portrayed him, there's some information in our The Unity of Heroes Blu-ray review.)
Warriors of the Nation is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Much as with The Unity of Heroes, I haven't been able to track down any verifiable technical data on the shoot, though I'm assuming this was digitally captured and finished at a 2K DI. This doesn't have quite the luster and detail levels that The Unity of Heroes did, though part of what affects the perception of detail in this presentation is the almost nonstop use of both "jiggly cam" as well as weird, askew framings, often with the camera tilted. That said, in more "stationary" moments and when normal lighting conditions prevail, fine detail is quite good. Some minor banding is noticeable during some quick changes in lighting or during fades.
Warriors of the Nation features a nicely rendered DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track in the original Mandarin (with optional English subtitles). This film's emphasis on action sequences definitely helps up the surround ante, with a number of very effectively placed effects in discrete channels. Ambient environmental effects are also routinely offered in the side and rear channels. Dialogue, effects and score are all presented cleanly and clearly, with no problems whatsoever.
If you got a kick (pun unavoidable) out of The Unity of Heroes, my hunch is you'll find enough in Warriors of the Nation to warrant checking it out. This doesn't quite have the narrative momentum of its progenitor, but it's much more action oriented. Technical merits are solid for those considering a purchase.
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