Jiang Ziya (2020)
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Jiang Ziya Movie Review
Jiang Ziya is a 2020 Chinese animated fantasy film directed by Cheng Teng and Li Wei. It’s a confusing, but magical cinematic experience.
Banished to the mortal world, a warrior has to slay a demon to return to the heavenly realm and become a god. This is the second entry in the Fengshen Cinematic Universe, which is going to be a truly epic, bombastic, audience-friendly take on the Chinese mythology. These myths and famous heroes and fantastical elements are ripe for possibilities, so connecting them all into a cinematic universe is a brilliant idea that I am personally all for. The first entry, ‘Ne Zha’, was also very strong, so I was excited to see this movie as well.
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The result is pretty much similar to its predecessor in both strengths and its weaknesses. While the film is adventurous and fantastical in tantalizing ways, it is rather difficult to get into it in its rushed first act. The rest of the story was much better explained, but the issue remains that this mythology isn’t all that familiar to Western audiences, so those who aren’t acquainted with anime series such as ‘Naruto’ for instance aren’t going to understand any of this.
The protagonist is very cool. Many have said that he is pretty much an Asian Keanu Reeves in his face alone, which is definitely the case, but the most interesting thing about his design is that he is so far removed from the likeness of Ne Zha that the two couldn’t have been more different. One is cartoony and silly, the other is realistic and angular in shape. That difference was wonderfully emphasized in that fun post-credits sequence that finally confirmed to us that this will going to be an interconnected cinematic universe.
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He is cool and composed, mysterious and morally complex. Others are less memorable, though the demon fox was obviously a powerful villain and her force was something else. As for that squirrel or cat-like creature who transforms into a full-on stag, it was not only unforgettable, but genuinely adorable as well as majestic while reminding you pleasantly of Pokémon.
Jiang Ziya’s highlight is undoubtedly the animation. The action is beautifully executed, the character designs are very angular and classical Asian in style while the backgrounds are truly a sight to behold. There were many moments in the movie where I gasped at just how gorgeous the scenery was. I would go so far to say that it’s one of the most truly artistic pictures of the year and its visuals need to be praised more as clearly the budget was enormous and the effort was grand to put all of these mythological and magical elements together on the big screen.
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The world building is absolutely incredible and the score is also timeless in quality and very majestic. The editing is also good and the action sequences are phenomenally executed with the wuxia elements being blended in so well into the superheroic battles. It is obviously a towering blockbuster in every sense of the word, but the script remains problematic and the movie’s somewhat cold tone also hurt it in the long run along with it always being turned to the eleven. Still, China is truly turning animation into a powerhouse medium and I can’t wait to see more from this franchise/universe.
