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 really am not overstating things when I tell you that
Tsui Hark's 1983 special effects opus, "Zu: Warriors of the Magic
Mountain", is a terrible, terrible movie. But on the plus side, it's bad in
the so-bad-it's-good way. Essentially the forerunner to Hark's 2001 remake
"Legend of Zu",
the first "Zu" was made in 1983, and oh my does it ever shows. Even by
early '80s standards, the special effects is quite bad, which may explain why
most, if not all, of the movie's major battles take place either at night or in
very dimly lit rooms or caves. All the better to hide celluloid imperfections,
of which there many.
At the risk of being repetitive, I won't bother to break
down the plot (such as it is) of "Zu". The simple reason being that
the 2001 version is pretty much a remake of this older movie, only with better
special effects. Some of the characters have been given bigger roles, others saw
their roles reduced in screen time, but there's no real difference between the
two movies. (My guess would be that Tsui Hark re-wrote the original screenplay,
added some scenes that he now knows he could get away with, and deleted others
that seem too cheesy for 2001 standards.) Instead of Zhang Ziyi in the
human-meets-superhero role, the original features Biao Yuen ("Avenging
Fist"). And instead of taking the whole thing as a serious
action/drama, the original is all goofy comedy.
You can't really say that Tsui Hark failed at what he
attempted back in 1983. Sure, the movie looks cheesy as heck, and you can pretty
much see every wire that's pulling the characters around the screen. Some of the
techniques, like fast cutting and "morphing", reminds everyone just
how far Hong Kong had to go way back then. If you're looking for a comedy, a
movie to make you laugh, then "Zu" is a better movie than its 2001
remake, which takes everything so seriously you have to wonder if Hark ever had
second thoughts. Then again, if you wanted serious superhero action, the remake
is a muchbetter film.
Both versions of the movie has the same nonsensical plot --
an evil something-or-rather decides it's time to wipe out humanity, and our
superpowered guys and gals have to stop it/him/her/whatever. What's missing from
"Zu" is Cecelia Cheung, although Hark does give us a young
Brigitte Lin ("Bride
With White Hair") in her stead; the movie also offers up future
American TV star Sammo Hung, who shows up briefly as an unnamed "Fat
Man".
I wouldn't go so far as to say that the special effects in
"Zu" are laughable, since few movies, even the American ones, had
pretty cheesy special effects as a matter of course back in the early '80s. If I had to
guess, I would say that "Zu" is utilizing special effects from the
mid-70s, which leaves it, at the time of production in 1983, just 8 years behind
its American counterpart. The remake was (in my best estimation) only a couple
of years behind its American counterpart. I guess that's an improvement. Isn't
it?
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