Snowy Frogs. The Five Poison Sect. The Soul Calling Stance. Purple Jade Powder. The Cyclone Strike. Golden Snake Man. With story elements like these, you know you'll have to pay close attention.
The speed with which characters change allegiances is matched only by the frequency of the many spectacular swordfights. Added to which, there are scenes which took me back to being an open-mouthed wondering child.
The plot description doesn't even cover a quarter of the plot. This film is action most of the way, leavened with perfectly-placed interludes of comedy, magic, wonderment, romance and bravado. The color and movement are so breathtaking that you probably won't take much notice the performances. Tsui Kam Kong stands out in minor but important role, and has a cackling good time. Cheung Man's cheekiness is well done, and stops things from getting too serious.
Everything HK movie fans love about wu'xia is in this film and few, if any, do it better. A definite must-see.
Reviewer Score: 9
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