Released theatrically in Hong Kong 11 years after its predecessor, Storm Warriors is a sequel to the 1998 movie Storm Riders. Despite pretty boys Ekin Cheng and Aaron Kwok returning as the warriors Wind and Cloud, the two films split into two directions. Different directors, different visions.
The Pang Brothers take artistic influence to a new level. Each film they release seems to copy the style of a recently successful contemporary: Bangkok Dangerous reeks of Tsui Hark, The Eye follows the footsteps of Takashi Shimizu, and Storm Warriors blatantly looks like it was directed by a poor man’s Zack Snyder.
Shot extensively, though not entirely, on bluescreen, the film uses 300-style CGI backgrounds and its trademark annoying stop-start slow-motion action scenes; except it obviously has 1/10 of the budget so they just look like a daytime children’s program that has the human host dancing in front of a cartoon landscape. This is what happens when a cost-cutting Hong Kong-Thailand production adapts a Chinese comic book in the style of a blockbuster Hollywood adaptation of an American comic book. The two styles not only clash badly—the intent is transparently sad.
Based on the popular 80’s comic series Fung Wan (Cantonese for wind and cloud) about the adventures of the heroic duo, both Storm Riders and Storm Warriors adapt different story arcs of the serial. Riders has the luxury of being the first, with a clear introduction and climax, about Wind and Cloud’ time growing into skilled fighters under the tutelage of Lord Conquer, who turns out to be an evil conquerer. In Warriors, we skip intros immediately into the Japanese Lord Godless’ plan to invade China already underway. Wind and Cloud break out of Godless’ custody in the opening scene, then goes to seek help from the masterful Lord Wicked, who turns out to be less than entirely reliable when it comes to resisting the dark arts. Complicating matters is that Godless’ son Heartless, who is even more evil. Perhaps, between their martial arts training, these guys should find the time to study a “name meanings” book.
We may propound the idea that Ekin Cheng and Aaron Kwok are pretty terrible actors who strain when they are required to do any acting that doesn’t involve being pulled by wires, but actually, being idols that they are, they also sing the movie’s pop tune theme song. That counts for something. The supporting actors, especially female love interest Charlene Choi, do nothing but look forlorn all movie. I would seem that the only people displaying any awareness of the theatricality of the premise in these movies are the villains, who get to ham it up a few notches. The always reliable Simon Yam plays Godless; a reversal of the first movie where the Japanese Sonny Chiba played the Chinese Lord Conquer. It’s only fair.
Storm Riders isn’t exactly a good movie, either, but it knows to get silly with its multicolored chi blasts. It’s your standard wuxia with some Dragon Ball Z visuals thrown in, which is at least consistent with the flairs of Chinese manhuas. Here, we mostly get bro-angst that try to take its ridiculous CG-heavy battles po-faced, even as its characters are outfitted like they’re cosplaying for an RPG convention.
While the Pang Brothers will tell you that Storm Warriors can be taken as a standalone movie, it certainly doesn’t lend any credibility to that claim. The impatient and context-defying opening telegraphs its apathy for storytelling, so when the film just abruptly cuts to credits on an intentionally hilarious shot mere seconds after the climactic battle ends, it’s almost expected.
DVD Bonus Features
A short behind-the-scenes featurette with the standard claims and an even shorter spotlight on the VFX. Neither are particularly interesting, but that depends on one's level of interest toward the subjects.
"The Storm Warriors" is on sale February 15, 2011 and is rated . Action, Comic Book, Martial-Arts. Directed by Paco Cabezas, Danny Pang, Oxide Pang. Written by Ma Wing Shing. Starring Simon Yam, Aaron Kwok, Ekin Cheng, Charlene Choi, Nicholas Tse.
