6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In the fifth century, constant civil war scars western China. To escape death, Ti, a young scout, jumps through a crevice in the Zu mountains where he gets entangled in a great battle against the Blood Demon, a supernatural entity seeking to wreak havoc upon the world.
Starring: Adam Cheng, Brigitte Lin, Damian Lau, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Biao YuenForeign | 100% |
Martial arts | 32% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Cantonese: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
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
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).
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).
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.
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