Playing July 16 and 28 at Fantasia 2022 at the Salle J.A. De Sève
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The timing couldn’t be better for the comeback of The Heroic Trio. Not only do we get to see three terrific Chinese actresses—Anita Mui, Maggie Cheung ane Michelle Yeoh—at their prime (this movie originally came out in 1993), but also it is an homage to all the campy superhero shows of the past.
Yeoh appeared in numerous pictures, but the fact the movie, Everything, Everywhere All At Once, is a spectacular hit has her on the radar again. Cheung is just as active, and Mui, before her passing, was known for her roles alongside Jackie Chan.
To Kei-fung’s directorial vision acknowledges the outrageous fun found in the history of works they’ve done, but also extends further. For example, we find nods to The Green Hornet, Flash Gordon, Tim Burton’s Batman and Wonder Woman. Nobody should be astonished that the heroines, Invisible Woman (Mui) and Wonder Woman (Yeoh), are familiar names. In contrast, they are nothing like their Marvel and DC Comics counterparts. I’m sure Kei-fung knew what he was doing and was paying tribute to their influence on Chinese pop culture.
Thief Catcher (Cheung) is new because she doesn’t quite fit into the Catwoman mold. Neither is she a Batman clone; I think her role is more like The Last Action Hero, going in with guns blazing and using her fists to deal the hurt. As an illustration, the fun moments are when these superheroines do what they do best, and that’s kicking butt. One aspect of this film that stands out is the action. As a result, The Heroic Trio is crazy, and I can’t help but be reminded of many fights from Lynda Carter’s time as Wonder Woman but done Kung Fu style!
In this superhero martial arts action drama, they must address a supernatural threat who is kidnapping babies. The Evil Master (Shi-Kwan Yen) wants the old ways to return and vows to restore The Emperor to the throne. For this reason, to discover who is the one who will take some doing. Because there’s no indicator, all the kids were taken. As for whether the filmmakers were making a statement regarding returning China to a pre-Communist world, the subtext isn’t entirely there. With this in mind, the potential to go down this route was missed.
The Heroic Trio is filled with more action than discourse. As a result, there’s enough character development to make me care for why these girls have decided to take up the mantle of vigilantism. It is a product of the times, and the special effects shows it. Because of this aspect, this film has been compared to Terminator, but I think it goes much further back to how Ray Harryhausen pioneered the stop-animation field with films like The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. The supernatural side has a bit of that Evil Dead flavour, but I digress…
This motion picture is about seeing three outstanding leading ladies deliver good old-fashioned vigilante justice! The fact we get a peak at their efforts to maintain a double-life is excellent. I’m reminded of how Clark Kent was trying to hide his identity in the early Superman movies. For those who loved the film, they can find the sequel, Executioners, online. I’m a little surprised that the organisers didn’t consider procuring the rights to show this successor too. Had this event paired both would’ve been awesome. I’m sure fans of these actresses would appreciate it.
3½ Stars out of 5
The Heroic Trio Trailer
