by Cain Noble-Davies
Worth: $16.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Huang Bo, Yosh Yu, Kris Phillips, Narana Erdyneeva, Chen Muchi, Yafan Wu, Nashi
Intro:
As raw action spectacle, it is fantastic, with a sense of size that highlights what the ‘Filmed for IMAX’ signifier should look like.
The classic Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods has been getting a lot of mileage lately in terms of adaptations. Beijing Enlight’s Fengshen animated universe (Ne Zha and Jiang Ziya: Legend of Deification), the dieselpunk-inspired New Gods series (Nezha Reborn and Yang Jian), not to mention the 65-episode live-action series by Mango Studio; one of the foundational texts for Chinese shenmo (“gods and demons”) fiction stays alive and well today. And yet, this particular undertaking, Creation of the Gods – part of an epic trilogy – still stands as the most ambitious, to the point of setting itself up as China’s Lord of the Rings in terms of mythic scope.
Where Part 1 Kingdom of Storms laid the emotional and dramatic groundwork for the trilogy, with its emphasis on dynastic turmoil and how relationships with authority (parents, emperors, gods, etc.) affect the characters’ actions, Demon Force leans right into the action side of things.
It still highlights the struggle between young lord Ji Fa (Yosh Yu) and the tyrannical King Shou (Kris Phillips) and his fox demon concubine Daji (Narana Erdyneeva), but the latter two are still recovering from Part 1.
Part 2 is less human displays of cruelty and callousness, and more smackdowns between heavenly giants, winged demons, and the radiant blue muscles of Yin Jiao.
The CGI fidelity on the individual creatures, much like in Part 1, isn’t great (in video game terms, the graphics are at least a generation behind, and that’s being generous), but given that Chinese cinema tends to use CGI to highlight the reality-defying nature of mysticism (like the titular weaponry in House of Flying Daggers), they still function as parts of the larger battlefield that is a forge which tempers the gods themselves.
Of course, it helps that practical effects make up the heft of the visuals here, from the densely populated set pieces, to the labyrinthian etchings of the costumes, to the sheer scale of the warfare scenes. Whether it’s a simple one-on-one fist fight in the marshlands, or a darkened invasion where lethal light shines from heavenly mirrors, Part 2 effectively raises the action ambition of the trilogy by consistently delivering across its two hours (not counting credits and mouth-watering post-credit teases). It also does justice to the tactical side of things as well, with Jiang Ziya (Huang Bo continuing to be the best part of these films) as the Taoist fisherman equal parts aloof and cunning.
The character work also shines through, with Ji Fa still striving to avenge his family, Ne Zha and Yang Jian serving as the Gimli and Legolas to Ziya’s Gandalf (Ne Zha 2 cannot come soon enough), and even the new faces like General Deng Chanyu (Nashi) doing admirably with the occasionally inconsistent characterisation.
The scale of the film thankfully doesn’t become top-heavy through all the digitized spectacle, as there’s plenty of room for quieter moments and even humorous asides. That, and the underlying philosophical tone of the source material, with the main conflict essentially serving as a large-scale duel of praxis between Confucianism and Taoism, which helps to keep the presence of gods, demons, and mystical immortals from being entirely surface-level.
Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force holds back on some of the first film’s dramatic punch, but only because it’s focusing on the accuracy of its literal punches. As raw action spectacle, it is fantastic, with a sense of size that highlights what the ‘Filmed for IMAX’ signifier should look like. While foreknowledge of Chinese folklore and philosophy (and, of course, watching the first film) can help bring out the depth of the storytelling as a viewer, its immediate blockbuster impact doesn’t turn that into a requirement to get your money’s worth. Here’s hoping Part 3 finishes things off with comparable force.
[…] Full Review | Original Score: 16/20 | Feb 3, 2025 […]