Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 21, 2020

Tsui Hark's "Zu Warriors From The Magic Mountain" (1983) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with the director; vintage interviews with cast members; new audio commentary by critic Tony Rayns; and more. In Cantonese or English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Head games

Beware of critics who write that they know exactly what takes place in Tsui Hark’s film Zu Warriors From the Magic Mountain and proceed to explain it to you. You will be wasting your time with their articles because whatever it is that they describe it won’t be even half the film you will experience. Here’s why:

The main goal of Zu Warriors From the Magic Mountain is to overload your senses. It does tell a story, but it functions as a ruse that provides Tsui Hark with the right opportunities to unload a wide range of spectacular visuals. Also, the majority of these spectacular visuals begin overlapping with such intensity that it is practically guaranteed that at some point you won’t be able to keep up with them. You could and probably would get dizzy, and when it happens you will conclude that you need to go back and look for that precious thread you were following that helped you keep the events in the film in proper order. I know that this is a plausible summation of your experience with the film because it is my experience with it.

I kept up with the story until Adam Cheng and Sammo Hung’s characters tried to evade the soldiers with the colorful costumes. But after they were separated and the action moved to the big mountain cave, I started to get the sense that a lot was happening that I did not fully comprehend. For example, I think that there were some very specific references that can be placed in a proper context, but perhaps only by Chinese viewers that understand the cultural significance behind them. (Think of Tarzan and how easy it is to immediately visualize the historic environment from which he emerged. I think that there are characters of similar stature that are mentioned in this film. Plus, there are references to similarly popular myths and/or traditional tales). Sure, I got the point that the Blood Demon did not mean well, but how about all those ‘good guys’ that kept coming out of left field and then just like that took off to face another villain? And when they talked, I often felt as if I had been forced to endure a conversation that was missing the parts that make it coherent. It was an odd feeling, to say the least.

By the time the female warriors arrived, I had given up on trying to rationalize what my eyes were seeing, so I guess you can tell that I was just ‘going with the flow’. It wasn’t a bad experience either. Tsui Hark may not be a great storyteller, but he is a seriously gifted visual artist, so I found the colorful excess on my screen quite attractive. It kept me interested in the film because I wanted to see just how crazy the whole thing would get before the final credits rolled.

When the film ended, I felt exhausted. It was not the feeling you get after a difficult test, rather I felt as if I had successfully endured an unusually long roller-coaster ride that had shaken up things in my head. I know I missed plenty that other viewers deem essential, but I am not at all convinced that you have to get all of its details to appreciate what it does. This is precisely the reason why I mentioned at the top of the article that you should not waste your time with smart critics that offer elaborate deconstructions of its story -- they are meaningless. it. Basically, in this film, Tsui Hark gives you all the cinematic fireworks you can handle, but what your mind does with them is an entirely different story.

*Eureka Entertainment’s release of Zu Warriors of the Magic Mountain is sourced from a recent master that was prepared after the film was restored in 2K. It features an original Cantonese Mono track and alternate English Stereo track.

Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release is sourced from a recent 2K master that is quite good. However, when you judge the master you need to keep in mind that the film is loaded up with so many different visual effects that the type of consistency that you would typically get from another similarly strong 2K master is impossible to get here. Now, just to be perfectly clear, there is still room for minor improvements in terms of density and delineation, but the original cinematography introduces plenty of native limitations, most of which can exacerbate what you could perceive to be weaknesses. Grain exposure could be more convincing as well, but there are no traces of compromising digital tinkering. The color grading is convincing, but it is quite easy to tell that both saturation and the existing ranges of nuances can be even better. Image stability is excellent. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I tried both tracks. I started viewing the film with the Cantonese tracks but once the action moved to the giant cave in the mountains decided to experiment with the English track. To be honest, the nature of the exchanges is such that I don't know which track is better. The English track makes it a little easier to stay in the discussions, though I as I mentioned in our review it seemed like there were some meaningful references that remained vague. Anyhow, clarity and stability are very good. However, on the English track from time to time there is some small but obvious unevenness. (This is more than likely how the English dub was created).

Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Alternate Opening Credits - the credits can be accessed via the main menu as well through the special features section. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (2 min).

• Commentary - critic Tony Rayns discusses the production and marketing history of Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain and shares some interesting information about its characters. This is a selected scene commentary.

• Zu: Time Warrior - presented here is an export cut of the film. In English, not subtitled. (97 min).

• Son of the Incredibly Strange Film Show: Tsui Hark - presented here is a portion of the original program that focuses on the life and cinematic legacy of Tsui Hark. Clips from archival interviews with the director are included in the program. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• Interview with Tsui Hark - in this long video interview, director Tsui Hark discusses the genesis of Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain, its action choreography and visual effects, the evolution of his cinematic style, etc. The interview was conducted in Hong Kong, in January 2020. In English, not subtitled. (62 min).

• Interview with Yuen Biao - in this archival video interview, Yuen Biao recalls how some of the special effects in Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain were done, and discusses Tsui Hark''s directing methods, the completion of key sequences from the film, its sense of humor, etc. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (13 min).

• Interview with Moon Lee - in this archival video interview, actress Moon Lee discusses her contribution to Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain as well as the stylistic appearance of the film. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (22 min).

• Interview with Mang Hoi - in this archival video interview, actor Mang Hoi discusses his acting career as well as his involvement with Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (18 min).

• Interview with Mang Hoi - a vintage trailer for Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain from Golden Harvest. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (3 min).

• Boolklet - a collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film.

Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The visual excess that Zu Warriors From The Magic Mountain unloads can very quickly become nauseating if you try to keep up with it and closely follow its story. To be honest, I think that the film works best if you just focus on the fireworks that Tsui Hark provides and then let your mind do the best of them. Eureka Entertainment's release is sourced from a good 2K master and offers a wide range of bonus features, including a very long new program with the director, that fans of the film will surely appreciate. If you decide to pick it up, keep in mind that it is Region-B "locked". RECOMMENDED.