User reviews

If you're not put off by subtitles, any fan of war films and heroic fantasy should watch this. Though it seems odd they haven't done an English-dubbed version, which would get it through to a much wider audience.

They could also try a different title. Maybe Superheroes of the Fall of the Shang Dynasty. For Chinese and other East Asians, the idea of mortals becoming gods is familiar and believed by the religious or superstitious. A belief also found in Classical Greece, but confusing for a Western audience.

It is an heroic fantasy, loosely based on the actual fall of the Shang, 3000 years ago. A concubine who was widely blamed in later histories is re-invented as a Fox Demon - another concept unfamiliar in the West. And it is actually simplified from the original legend, which has three spirits sent by an offended goddess to be destructive concubines who made a bad man worse.

Which may be no more historic than Shakespeare's Macbeth, but certainly makes a good drama.

It seems this legend is even better known than Journey to the West / Monkey, which is much better known in the West and had a recent much-rewritten film, as well as a Japanese television series that was popular in the West with dubbing into English. As I said, maybe humans become gods is too odd in the Western view, though the very popular superheroes are essentially the same.

The plot is complex, and I found the palace guards confusingly similar. But it was entertaining, and is the first of three.

The original novel was published 400 years ago and have too many memorable moments. So it is very unsuitable for movie use. Moreover, Chinese classical novels, especially this type of novels, (hua beng) do not have the sublimation of characters in modern Western novels, so they are not necessarily suitable for movies. So the director made simplifications and trade-offs here. Many familiar scenes have not been retained. The perspective of the movie is abandoned and the change of a character is the most important driving force for the movie. The visuals have improved a lot. It is already very good to have such a performance.

Let's start with the pros. Some of the costumes, art, and casting in the movie are excellent. Fei Xiang's face has a very advanced sense of screen quality, Yang Jian's casting, styling, and action design are bright and eye-catching, Su Daji is more in line with personal aesthetics, and the fox's dynamic expression is very dynamic. Zhaoge and Xiji are each unified in terms of visual sensibility, color, and design language, and from an art perspective, the shaping of the worldview is successfully completed. Zhaoge and Xiji are unified in their visual senses, colors, and design language, and from an art perspective, the shaping of the film's worldview is successfully completed.

The biggest problem is that the script is too weak in literature and has too many contradictory points of logic. The whole movie is boring if you take away the art and special effects. The deaths of Empress Jiang and Bigan were awkward, and the deaths were meaningless.

An absolutely needed movie for Chinese cinematography. Surprisingly edgy and mystical that makes one wonder how did it ever pass the "bar". Many scenes reminded me of the Red Wedding from Game of Thrones, and indeed as many lauded, this could very well be the Chinese version of GOT or Lord of the Rings. At the same time, the film has so many things that is so distinctly Chinese in terms of its value system and culture. No doubt, I hope the sequels gets the green light, as these films could really push our culture and stories forward to a larger stage. Only gripe is that there is still a sense of awkwardness in some of the acting, most specifically with the King. Nevertheless, it is still one of the greatest villains I've seen in a Chinese film and the casting of the younger actors are fantastic, finally some masculinity again!

Since its detonating release in the mainland, this movie was praised as legend among the viewers. Indeed, Feng Shen represents China's highest standard of film production, whether VFX, production and costume design, screenplay adoption, choreography, and performance. Despite the few scenes at Kunlun with questionable green screen utility, the visual effect is much better than that in The Flash, as the extreme wide shots of the coronation or the sacrificial pyre depict architectural grandeur without forgetting the details of men. In terms of bringing one of China's most famed mythology into life, the movie succeeds once more in modifying the intent of Daji the Fox Demon and adding the Army of Hostages; my personal favorites are Nezha's Fire Wheels and Red Sash, which are exactly what I pictured from the original text. Performance wise, Fei Xiang and Na Ran are doubtlessly the best castings for the devious tyrant and the animalistic temptress.

Onto the negatives, the movie seems to portray plot-driven characters instead of having the characters pilot the storylines. Especially approaching the final act, the deaths and arcs of numerous characters, including the protagonist, either appear scripted or simply do not convince me. This could be the result of extensive editing and condensation in regards to the length, which is always an issue for commercial films with adopted screenplay. The work is enough as entertainment, but if the trilogy wants to become classic, it still needs a push.

Can't wait to see the second.

Chinese mythological epics are rare - mainly because cast of characters and their relationships to mystical themes can be overwhelming. Lots of characters and events compete with waning audience attention.

It's surprising how satisfying the film is. There's battles galore, assisted by the support of abundant CGI in nearly every frame; some effects worked (the battles) while others didn't (the flying fox spirit), while a visit to the realm of the immortals was disappointing. While the story itself was irregularly paced, I found it more absorbing than, say, LOTR, and you can't deny that Chinese mythology has never been rendered as well as this film.

There's loud instrumental music from start to finish, with plenty of fights to keep your attention. The sincerity of the narrative is balanced by an amusing trio of spirits who try to prop up a failing Shang dynasty. It's really a miracle of sorts that the narrative coheres so well.

As a Chinese-speaking expat in China and a movie enthusiast, I've had the opportunity to watch the majority of Chinese films released over the past decade since my move here. With a profound respect for Chinese culture, "Creations of the Gods: Kingdom of Storms" was truly the cherry on top for me. It breathed life into my Chinese mythology fantasies, all while maintaining a remarkable level of professionalism. This movie boasts exceptional quality, and I find myself consistently recommending it to those around me. Witnessing the industry progress to such lengths is nothing short of amazing!

This movie deserves a place in cinemas worldwide. I hope it will be appreciated by viewers around the globe.

Firstly I'm not inclined to fantasy movies, so my review may be impacted. But it was recommended again and again by others and I watched it. It is indeed extreme fantasy, loud, fast and with all sorts of creatures beyond your imagination. Overall, the movie was executed pretty well given it crammed so many stories and characters together. The first one hour was a bit disconnected - I guess because the plot had to be introduced via so many channels. I found the scenes on The Immortals a bit tiring. After the first hour, the movie seemed to flow better. The fighting scenes are very well done. The demons are quite imaginative and believable. Even though it's around 2.5 hours, the time passes quickly. Will I watch the sequel? Not sure as this may be too much fantasy for me.

It's a phenomenal movie, it revolves around the core of the prophase of the Chinese civilization--fatherhood and inheritance. The director has excellent taste in history and Chinese myth. Very clear storyline and character shaping, all of them correspond to the ancient Chinese value system, the kind intent to manipulate his sons equals he wants to dominate the whole regime, but he has the ambition to eliminate his ancestors to build his surmountable power which makes he be seemed as a villain in Chinese culture. The cinematography is top-notch, I am appealed to the whole time in the movie! Highly recommended, it's a stunning epical representation of the Shang Dynasty and Chinese myth!

As with any film that's the first in a trilogy, this spends just a little too long setting out who's who but once it does, this develops into an enjoyable fantasy adventure film that brings a wonderfully vibrant myriad of Chinese mythological and human characters to life. Ancient rivalries and battles between humanity, the deities and some marvellously created mystical beasts - especially the dragons - form the basis of the story set some three millennia ago. Personally, I tended to the side of the immortals - and there's even the slightest hint of a bromance for one of them - as the "Demon Fox", and the manipulative "King Zhou" use mankind's greed, avarice, loyalty and decency to ensure they retain their place at the top of the mountain. The visual effects are usually top drawer and the action scenes avoid the often lazily constructed, repetitive, style of combat scenes. Now the acting isn't the best - indeed there is plenty of woodenness for us to inspect here, and I also found it a bit over-scored, but the richness of the mythology could, a bit like "Lord of the Rings", perhaps, provide for more characterful adventures and personality development in the next film. For a part one, though, it's a long, but increasingly quite compelling watch if you like the genre and appreciate the wealth of stories before us. Get comfy though - we're in for a long ride!

Inconsistent special effects, a plot that lacks any logical progression, terrible acting, and chaotic editing. In summary, it's a film where directorial control is completely lost.

Starting with the visual effects, they are far behind the times aesthetically. Throughout the entire movie, there isn't a single scene that's memorable or leaves an impression. The aesthetic of the effects even comes across as comically bad, almost like watching a poorly made online game advertisement.

Plot: The director could argue that this is the first film in a series, and there's a lot of ground to cover, so not everything can be accommodated. However, the movie's plot lacks coherence; the main storyline is feeble, and the transitions between plot points are illogical and abrupt. If this is due to censorship and runtime constraints that led to edits, then I'm looking forward to a director's cut that might change my perspective.

Performances: The performances of the new actors are terrible. The dialogue and actions of the actors lack logic; there isn't a single character whose behavior has logic or reason behind it. Each character feels like a puppet of the director, and the audience can't connect or empathize with them at all.

Editing: The chaotic editing results in a jumbled narrative and abrupt scene transitions. The director's shot selection and editing are subpar.

Sound Effects: Apart from being loud, the sound effects completely fail to evoke any emotional response from the audience.

To sum it up: this is an unqualified movie.

Absolutely a fantastic movie, the storyline, the acting, the virtual images, the music all made this movie an Epic movie.

Let me talk about the conclusion first: this is the best mythical epic movie in China!

As a fan who read Fengshen Yanyi at the age of seven and re-read the original novel countless times in more than 20 years, I can say responsibly that this movie is definitely not a magic reform! On the contrary, it is the first masterpiece among all film and television adaptations.

Some passages that seem magical at first glance are actually well-founded, and they are the optimal solution after careful research and selection. The adaptation of the movie is very good.

This new story from a contemporary perspective can be called a divine script. It is seamless from beginning to end, and echoes before and after the transition.

Can't wait for the 2nd one!! Highly recommend to everyone!

This is cinema on a grand scale, everything about it is breathtaking. The cinematography and visuals are stunning, the set pieces are immense, the scope of the story telling is wide and a large cast deliver polished performances. For western audiences, imagine a movie matching the scale and vision of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. The stories are completely different but there's something about the sheer scale and vision which they share.

The story is quite straightforward, good vs. Evil, the importance of family, moral corruption and the last for power, however it is done extremely well and makes for compelling viewing. The story is based on a classic story, I am not familiar with the original book so cannot comment on how faithful the movie is to the original.

Production values are very high and all of the cast deliver strong performances. If I have a criticism it is that the good vs. Evil story is very heavy. There is no nuance, no grey, the good people are paragons of virtue, the bad people full on over the top villainous caricatures. Although the main villain starts off as quite tragic in falling for the temptations of a demon that is quickly left behind as he becomes crazily over the top evil. That's why I give 9* instead of 10*, a little more nuance in the characters would have added a lot I think.

Overall a terrific movie for those who enjoy fantasy epics on a grand scale. They don't make many like this.

Unfortunately CGI's over use for spectacle does not make up the writers need for a decent script. What remains are all the usual cliches used in these types of films. Why use 10 Trebuchets, when you can have 100? Etc. Loyal and obedient to the death sons, grubby barbaric warlord traitors and demonic women abound. Shame this sort of nationalistic nonsense gets funding to the detriment of the great films that China can and has produced in the previous 100 years. It all looked wonderful, like a shiny Hollywood musical but I was bored 15 minutes in and gave up. I'm sure the original tale was far better. Learn Mandarin and read the original. Got be easier than watching this.

(This review mainly focuses on facts and what happened behind the scenes to hopefully give you a brief idea of the efforts they have input in making the Trilogy.)

I am truly in awe of the high quality of the movie consistently demonstrated in all aspects, a master-piece conjured with the blood, sweat and tears of a team of nearly 10,000 crew: the mind blowing cinematographic effects, the exceptionally amazing actors (whether it be men or women, new or seasoned), the extremely elaborate costumes, the lavish grand palace and buildings crafted by 2204 carpenters, the beautiful original scores and songs, the simply superb and talented Director Wuershan who has dedicated whole heartedly more than 9 years to the Trilogy while constantly striking nothing but perfection throughout... The list goes on.

I am impressed by the new actors and actresses who survived 6-8 months in an intensive training camp. Their daily routine usually ran from 5am to 9pm, 6 days a week, where they were required to undergo various types of training including riding, archery, combat, music, history, physical training, swimming and performing, all of which helped transform them into what warriors should look like 3000 years ago - not just the muscles, but also the SPIRIT! And yes, their acting skills may be debatable, but they are by no means awkward. They are meant to play roles that are in the teens/early twenties, which are exactly where they were when the movie started shooting more than 5 years ago. Practically all of them were new to equestrian, one of the many subjects they had to master in the training camp. By the time they graduated, they all became excellent riders that were able to perform amazing acts in concert. That's why the horseback riding shots are so breathtaking - no stunts at all. About this, I would in particular raise my glasses to Yu Shi (Yosh), the actor that plays Jifa. He has a reputation for constantly pushing himself to the limit, back then and throughout those years while waiting for the movie to be released (which was overdue for 3 years). There is a jaw-dropping scene where he turned around and shot arrows from the horseback without reins, something apparently so dangerous that no one else (the equestrian director included) in the set was able to complete. He insisted on performing everything himself and eventually he pulled it off with flying colors. I am sure this is only one of the many spectacular moments that he will be remembered for, down the line.

As for the King, I adore Kris Phillips' (AKA Fei Xiang) portrayal and I beg to differ from those who took the view that his acting was terrible. Anyone who goes to the movie with a peaceful heart cannot possibly have come up with that blatant conclusion. His dramatic expressions and awesome physique imparted life to the King who is known in history and novels as someone smart, strong, tall but most of the time, brutal... Many Chinese are of the view that no one else in modern days is better fitted to play the King.

Jichang, played by Li Xuejian, is another role that truly touches my heart. He is a veteran Chinese actor who has won probably all the awards in China that can be garnered. Some may laugh at the way he speaks in the movie, but please understand that he has been fighting nasopharyngeal cancer for more than 2 decades, which has seriously affected how he articulates and his hearing too. Why did they insist on using his own voice? It is because only that way, an actor could fully unleash to the audience what the role should really be like. Mr. Li's performance is powerful and flawless in every scene.

Surely, there are areas that require improvements. The special effects - yes, they could have been better but considering the lack of funding and the fact that the Director had to pay out of his pocket to keep it going, I am only hoping the first Installment of the Trilogy could score better in worldwide box office so that more funds can be injected to improve that area which is very important to the 2nd and the 3rd installments. The plot - yes, some wonderfully shot scenes did not appear in the movie, which arguably could help audience understand better, but the Director had to make a judgement call in order not to compromise the integrity of the story line, and having a movie longer than 2.5 hours means more difficulty in getting it released in Chinese theatres, apparently...

Truth be told. I've seen the Creation of the Gods 5 times, 4 on iMax. Each time, I was able to find details that I previously missed. Each time, I was able to feel more. I have never repeated a movie this many times.

So if you have a big heart and are happy to embrace cultural diversityies, may I urge you to give this movie a chance, and please do so on iMax theatre if you can!

I wish I didn't have to leave a rating to post a review, because I really can't tell you how good or bad this movie is. Why? Because I don't speak the language and thus have to resort to close captioning. Normally that isn't a problem. I probably watch several movies with subtitles each year for just this reason. Sometimes they go buy a bit too quickly to make for a comfortable read. Occasionally they present color problems, i.e. White text in a film set primarily in the snow. But this is a rare and special case. Whoever/whatever did the translations did a really poor job, they simply don't make sense for a significant percentage of the film. How often? I would guess somewhere between 10 and 20% of the time.

If you can watch the film in the native language, other reviewers seem to enjoy it. If, like I, you were planning to use closed captioning, I recommend you find another film.

If you love fantasy, adventure, and eastern culture, you have to watch Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms. It's an awesome movie that takes you to a world of ancient Chinese mythology, where gods, demons, and humans fight for their destiny. The movie is based on a classic novel, but it also has some cool twists and surprises that make it unique. The movie is so beautiful to look at, with amazing scenery, action, and effects. You feel like you are in the middle of the epic battles and adventures. Nearly all actors play their roles really well. Huang Bo is amazing as Jiang Ziya. He is funny, smart, and brave. The movie also explores some deep themes, like fate, free will, loyalty, betrayal, love, and power. You will see how the characters struggle with their choices and consequences, and how they grow and change. The movie also shows some aspects of Chinese culture, history, philosophy, and religion, which make it more authentic and interesting. It's the first part of a trilogy, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

I normally steer clear of reviewing movies because I don't like imposing my opinions on other people, but my Mongol colleague, who's sitting next to me right now, has been pestering me to watch it ever since it came out and I finally caved, just so he could shut up about it. Now, having spent nearly three hours of my life and 25 bucks of my life savings to properly appreciate how millions of dollars could be translated into a steaming pile of garbage, I registered an IMDB account just to post everything that was so obnoxiously wrong with this movie so that you, the reader, don't have to suffer my fate (and a passive-aggressive response to his harassment).

One of the first things that I want to make absolutely clear to you, as my Mongol colleague has been making absolutely clear to me, is that in the Mongol community this movie is considered Mongolian instead of Chinese, because not only the director, the main cast and the brain trust are all Mongolian, the storyline and the main characters are also Mongolian [?]. My Mongol colleague also made it clear that the fox lady's actress is half Mongol and half Russian, which makes her more appealing than an actress who is "only" of Chinese descent [??]. So yeah, if you are looking for an exquisite example of excellent Chinese cinema, don't bother, because that apparently wasn't the intention.

There are also the technical aspects, which my Mongol colleague insists must be "very good and advanced" because the production teams are all Hollywood veterans based in Hollywood while the special effects were done by Weta. They weren't, and that he cannot envision a purely Mongolian production being state-of-the-art would have been somewhat depressing, had the production value been any good. As it is, I was surprised to hear that the movie should have come out around 2019, because the production looked standard for something that came out around 1979 (not that I'm comparing it to Alien, because back then Ridley Scott had imagination and this film's director clearly doesn't).

The script was also especially bad, though I'm not sure whether it's actually bad, or the translation is bad, or the direction is bad. I'm not sure because though I had trouble following the plot and the dialogue, I have the feeling that the actors also had trouble following the plot and the dialogue, since they either looked confused or embarrassed; even their overacting lacked conviction. The elements that I did grasp - the many, many patricides and the recurring theme of youngsters dancing while half-naked - seemed bad taste, but what do I know about Mongolian culture.

My Mongol colleague was also convinced that I would like the film because some guy named Kris Phillips played a major role, because 1) he is half white, and I am white, so that would endear him to me [????], and 2) he is a Broadway megastar, despite not being famous. Unconvinced, because I, indeed, didn't like his acting very much just because he was half white, I looked him up online, and saw his biggest role to date was an unnamed extra in Miss Saigon; great for him to land a main role in a million-dollar production, but not-so-great news for the production if that's the biggest "Hollywood" help they can boast.

I think the only people who actually derive pleasure from this traumatizingly bad movie probably don't really exist, or else just love the scenes where the young people danced half-naked. Honestly, any movie looks like Godfather II next to it, including Shazam II or even, God forbid, Godfather III. FBI should take note; this Mongol movie, with its unintelligible story and dialogue, expensively cheap special effects and disgusting but childish direction at nearly three hours of running time, can be re-imagined as a torture device that even the most hardened criminals would crack when exposed to.

Maybe me posting this review, and my Mongol colleague possibly seeing it, would end our "friendship". Maybe that'd be a good thing.

GoT meets Shogun meets Indiana Jones meets LOTR meets Wheel of Time! Such a great show with interesting characters and plot, well-balanced with action and drama!

I love Chinese culture, and there are so many references to hostoric China and customs that I really enjoyed.

I am American but have always been interested in the concepts of Chinese culture from Taoism to the Tao De Ching. There is so much to learn.

The cinematography was beautiful as are the actors and actresses. I was hoping for a dragon throughout but there are some satisfying mystical elements for those who seek that type of thing. ENJOY!