Wind and Cloud: The Storm Riders [2004] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Amazon.co.uk Review

The Stormriders transplants Macbeth into a medieval China in director Andy Lau's reinvention of classical tragedy as CGI-laden blockbuster. Officially the source material is a best-selling Manga, and the flying heroes with magical powers and the wild camera angles do indeed have a real graphic-novel flair. As the warlord Sonny Chiba is a commanding presence, while Ekin Cheng as Wind and Aaron Kwok as Cloud are perfect contrasting comic-book warriors. Kristy Yeung is a suitably lovely heroine, while Shi Qi provides irritating comic relief. There is style to burn, with beautiful imagery bearing the influence of Ridley Scott and, in the "blur-motion" duel in a bamboo forest, Wong Kar-Wai; indeed, Lau has served as Kar-Wai's cinematographer. Spectacular yet laden with symbolism The Stormriders is a film to bridge the appeal of Ashes of Time (1994) and The Bride with White Hair (1993) with the Superman (1978) and Mummy (1999) movies. The fights and a romantic flying sequence pay homage to the former, the computer effects update the groundbreaking Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain (1983) with the technology of the latter. Sometimes overly ambitious or just plain bizarre The Stormriders is an emotionally charged darkly romantic adventure which outclasses any comic-book adaptation Hollywood has made in years.

On the DVD: The first disc presents the 127-minute director's cut in its original 2.35:1 ratio with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. While the sound is clean, dynamic and makes great use of all the channels the picture is presented non-anamorphically, so that while well-focused, with strong colours and little sign of artefacting, it is not as solid or detailed as it could be. The main special features are two documentaries, a general "making-of" running 22 minutes, and a 20-minute "featurette" on the special effects. Both are promotional pieces made at the time of the film's release.

The second disc features the US trailer and an object lesson in how to ruin a film, i.e. the "international" version ofThe Stormriders. Cut by 38 minutes, horribly panned and scanned and dubbed, this is a travesty that destroys all the beauty and atmosphere and renders the story incomprehensible. Why anyone would watch it when they have the complete film on the first disc is a mystery. The sound is again Dolby Digital 5.1 and the 4:3 image is fair. --Gary S Dalkin

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2005-06-21

This movie promises much more than it delivers. it has an uninteresting storyline which is sort of Ok but the fighting is really lousy. You sit through the whole movie waiting for something better to happen

Not what I expected.......2005-05-05

Having become interested in Asian cinema recently and steadily making my way through it's large catalogue I came across the reviews of this on Amazon and decided to purchase it on the strength of the reviews (as I had never heard of the film before).

It's OK to watch once but I wouldn't bother again. After reading the reviews I was expecting something a bit more stylish. Instead what this film is is something like a glorified version of the TV series 'Monkey' or 'The Water Margin'. If that's your cup of tea - fine. If you want something more in the vein of Kitano's excellent 'Zatoichi' than take a look at 'Azumi' and similar.

A magnificent movie.......2005-03-08

A most poetic and visually gratifying movie, with very endearing characters and beautiful landscapes. Stunning fights and special effects

Stormriders (chinese person's thoughts).......2003-01-22

Stormriders is an epic tale of love, tragedy, power. Conquer a power-hungry lord, wants to conquer the whole world. he manages to find the mud bhuddist who can predict the future, and he tells him that 2 people named Wind and Cloud will help him conquer the world. he finds wind and cloud and has his men to kill their parents, and take them to his castle and take them as his 2 best disciples. he teaches each of them their own special moves which brings out their name. the the Cloud punch, and the Wind kick. sooner on, he finds the mud bhuddist again and finds out that Wind and Cloud will ultimately lead to his death. "Wind and Cloud will make you and break you!" a movie similar to Crouching tiger hidden dragon, but even better!

A well crafted, atmospheric fantasy.......2001-11-08

This movie is a fairytale fantasy for grown ups, although with a 12 certificate it will appeal to younger watchers too. It is crammed full of magical things; fortune tellers, dragons,fruits that heal wounds. The main characters have fighting skills (martial arts) which are enhanced by their special powers. Conquer, a power crazed warlord, played by Sonny Chiba, looks very much as though he has just come to life from the Comic Book that the whole movie is based on. Aaron Kwok plays a wonderfully moody and unfathomable "Cloud", who as the name suggests can do interesting things with water. "Wind", able to fly and conjure up whirlwinds from nowhere is given a more kindly and elegant persona by Ekin Cheng. The leading lady is suitably lovely, and the supporting cast playing the Jester and Mud Buddha are excellant. On top of all this, the choice of scenery is delightful. There is a good variety between castles, caves, waterfalls. Visually its a treat and the special effects - and there are lots of them - have been carefully done so you don't think of them as effects. One obsession in the movie, and perhaps its from the Comic Book, is with swords. The swords have special names, and there is even a sword grave, where the final scene takes place. If you've guessed by now that I liked this film, you are right, but I liked it much better on second viewing. By the way, I've been talking about the DVD Director's (full length) cut, which is subtitled. I haven't tried the international version, but I can't imagine how they could cut a full 40 minutes without losing some good scenes and most of the plot.

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