Jade Dynasty 誅仙

Replacing balletic martial arts choreography with an orgy of CGI extravaganza.

Directed by: Tony Ching Siu Tung

Starring: Sean Xiao Zhao, Meng Meiqi, Li Qin

China, Mandarin

Remember when Tony Ching Sui Tung use to make good films? Directing all time classics such as A Chinese Ghost Story Trilogy (1987 - 1991), The Swordsman Trilogy (1990 - 1993), Duel to the Death (1983) as well as choreographing classics such as Hero (2002), House of the Flying Daggers (2004), Shaolin Soccer (2001) to name just a few in his extensive filmography. Ching returns once again after a slew of mediocre films, his 2008’s An Empress and the Warriors was a misguided affair with terrible casting, a mundane plot and weak action followed by 2011’s The Sorcerer and the White Snake which was a CGI mess filled with ineffective drama. Come 2019’s Jade Dynasty which marks another CGI enhanced fantasy film from Ching which is based on the popular eight series novel by Xiao Ding.

After the mysterious massacre of his village, Zhang Xioafang (Sean Xiao Zhao) is adopted into the Qingyun sect. The ever optimistic and happy Xiaofan spends his time cooking and training martial arts under his master and his fellow disciples. During Xiaofang younger years a master has bestowed upon him the blood pearl, as Xiaofang has aged into an adult a chance moment unleashes the pearl and fuses with the soul stick becoming an all powerful weapon. Sensing the return of the staffs power, the Demon King sends his daughter, Bi Yao (Meng Meiqi) to retrieve the stick. During this time frame the various grandmasters gather together to announce a martial tournament for all students to participate. Underdog Xiaofang is seen as the weakest of the bunch and during a surprise turn of events he manages to make it to the finals, pitted against firm favourite and hot stuff Lu Xueqi (Li Qin). Soon the Demon King and his minions make their presence known and issues an attack on the sects with all masters fighting to fending off the evil forces.

So with Tony Ching at the helm audiences expects an abundance of highly stylised fight scenes but the fights are pretty standard affairs. Participants occasionally engage in hand to hand and sword on sword bouts but then it devolves in to an orgy of CGI flailing and lots of flying both wire assisted and CGI. It is not too dissimilar to Yuen Woo Pings Thousand Faces of Dunjia (2018) eschewing fight choreography with CGI enhanced powers. Granted that some of the wire work is very impressive with people flying and leaping abound with ease which is to be expected from Ching and his team but if you want any semblance of intricate fighting then you are out of luck. The finale is truly abysmal with the all powerful grandmasters versus the Demon King, each master stands in a line firing powers out of their palms and visual effects handle the rest. Ching’s hybrid energetic camera movement and onscreen balletic choreography is no longer present. The worse insult the film places upon audiences is that it ends in a cliff hanger, meaning that the filmmakers assumed that it is going to be a hit with the audiences. It becomes apparently obvious that the majority of the film was padded filler.

The story is so unfocused and hollow its hard to care for anything that is playing out which is not helped by an un-engaging protagonist who is just another typical underdog that is more stupid than endearing. Sure his kind hearted nature is supposed to elicit some sort of triumph emotion when he wins against all odds but the uninteresting handling renders the moment mute. Carrying the film is a cast of young actors with a small pedigree of projects under there belt, a member of the boy group X NINE, Sean Xiao as Xiaofang is serviceable as the happy-go-lucky character but when he has to emote anything more he fails to do so convincingly, his final transition to a whole new character is handled with very little delicacy and it feels rather forced opposed to a natural transition. Tang Yixin plays the daughter of the master, her sweet natured character is warming but offers little else. Li Qin barely performs and spends most of the time emotionless, her stoic performance feels unnatural and ill fitting. Fairing better out of the lot is singer / actress Meng Meiqi as the Demon Kings daughter whose bubbly charm and feisty character carries through making her the most endearing female character. Rounding of the cast is veteran actors playing the various grandmasters; Cecilia Yip, David Chiang, Norman Chu and Leung Ka-Yan yet none of there presences are utilised in a satisfactory way, often used to spew exposition.

The CGI is serviceable but it can prove rather distracting since most of the backgrounds are green screen affair. Character physics are abnormal and seems oddly floaty and the flying weapons are obvious CGI flying weapons removing any real sense of danger. Ching’s approach to comedy is also rather misguided with jokes often falling flat. The best thing to come from the film is the various henchmen deployed by the Demon King which offers some creativity, with each henchman possessing a unique ability and exaggerated look. Oddly enough its Demon King himself looking the blandest of them all, with a swollen head and horrible make up.

It is starting to feel like the action directors of the golden era are failing to work with the times and mistake visual effects as good film making. Corey Yuen Kwai’s slew of directed films The Avenging Fist (2001), Twins Effect 2 (2004) and Treasure Inn (2011) or Yuen Woo Ping’s Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon 2 (2016) and The Thousand Faces of Dunjia (2018) all provide little entertainment value.

This is another one in a long line of CGI enhance fantasy films in China that provides little entertainment value. This is not worth anyones time and audiences are better served elsewhere.