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Minor Spoiler Alert
Chinese filmmaker Stanley Tong may well be running on fumes when it comes to coming up with fresh ideas. While there are minor elements to like in A Legend, which has been out for a while now and is finally available in North America, the people on the Internet have already spoken–this director relied on too much CGI tomfoolery to finish this movie. He really should have done a casting call to find a young-looking person who almost looks like Jackie Chan instead of relying on computers to de-age the actor.
Not only is most of the digital set design apparent in higher resolutions, but also pixels covered most of Jackie Chan’s screen time! As General Zhao Zihan in the flashbacks, he is 30 something years old rather than 70. We see this younger incarnation enjoying a moment in the grassy foothills of Central China, with Huajun (Lay Zhang) before a lady in distress arrives!
Princess Mengyun (Gülnezer Bextiyar) is being chased by a Hun, He Boer (Aarif Rahman) because he believes she carrys the key to access the wonders buried high up in the mountains. He will stop at nothing to get it and when that includes waiting multiple lifetimes for the right opportunity, therein lies the beauty of this narrative. As for the other elements, it’s very hit-and-miss.
In the modern day, Professor Fang (Chan) and his three-person crew (and one of them is a reincarnation of Huajun) are digging around the mountains, also in a search for this fabled land. But when they find horseshoes instead, thus begins a bunch of shared dreams–told in vivid flashbacks.
When the film returns to the present, the last third of the tale is very much like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. While no fountain of youth exists in this movie, the question of whom this royal loves more is hard to guess. And in classic theatrical fashion, the answer needs to be told rather than shown with a kiss. Love triangles are tricky to pull off and I barely paid attention.
Instead, I kept on wondering why everyone is so invested in their fight for control of the Gansu Corridor. I had to do some research after seeing this film to learn this region is part of the Silk Road; two dynasties regularly fought to maintain control. Had more historical data been added, I would have enjoyed this film more.
Despite A Legend having a lot of problems in its digital execution, there are some great action sequences to go wow at. Most of it comes from showing what neat tricks an archer can do with a composite bow. Huajun’s skill is clear; if he, rather than Zihan, had been the focus, the movie might not have received criticism. Even Legolas (Lord of the Rings) would admire this warrior’s skill. Although Tong is great at coming up with some action sequences, I’m hoping he’s learned his lesson at relying on artificial intelligence too much when finishing a film. He was in his prime with the Supercop franchise, and his brand of humour is at least consistent. But ever since then, nothing has topped that.
3 Stars out of 5
A Legend Trailer
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