A belated sequel to Andy Laus cult favourite, The Storm Riders (1998), The Storm Warriors once again focuses on the characters of Wind (Cheng) and Cloud (Kwok), two all-powerful warriors who have so far maintained a peaceful balance throughout the empire. However, when evil warlord, Lord Godless, unleashes hell in a bid to take over all of China, Wind and Cloud must do their utmost to increase their powers and take on the near-invincible Godless.
Not nearly as much fun as Laus first instalment, the po-faced The Storm Warriors pitches itself as a fantasy action epic of gargantuan proportions, yet very little seems to happen throughout the 110-minute running time, and the film takes itself way too seriously. Smitten with its own heavily digitised effects (looking a bit like 300 but not quite as cool), the film drags out a handful of stand-offs to often mind-numbing effect, and while the visuals do occasionally impress (the film bagged the special effects award at the Hong Kong Film Awards earlier this year), theres very little characterisation or plot to sink your teeth into.
The special effects look great on Cine Asias Blu-ray release, and the CGI landscapes and battle sequences make for some sumptuous eye candy. The contrast and colour seem a little off throughout however, and the weird and darkened colour palette prevents this from looking as crisp and slick as it should do. There are no complaints with the audio mix though, and those epic, drum-banging, special effects heavy scuffles provide a terrific surround sound experience.
The extras pile on the (short and standard definition) featurettes and also include an audio commentary with the all-knowing martial arts cinema expert, Bey Logan. As always Logan bombards the viewer with information and provides and exhausting but impressive walk through the proceedings.
Overall Verdict: A po-faced and sometimes tedious martial arts epic that manages to hold its own on Blu-ray.
Special Features:
Audio Commentary With Bey Logan
Making Of Featurettes
Special Effects Featurettes
Cast and Crew Interviews
Trailers
Reviewer: Lee Griffiths