A Nightmare on Elm Street 3

Description

Often described as the best of the Elm Street sequels, Patricia Arquette (Stigmata) is placed in a hospital psychiatric ward with six other troubled teens, who all dream about the same horrible Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) trying to kill them.

Customer Reviews:

old enemies, new heroes.......2007-08-07

When I first saw this one it hadn't made too much sense to me till I saw the first and then it filled a lot of questions. Personally, I thought that was probably the best of the sequels since it picked up where the first left off and brought it to a new area. But if there had to be one problem with this one it would be with that one doctor since she did not want to listen to the kids and the ending result of that was that half the kids were killed. Also it seems that in every movie that there is always one interfering grown-up and it always comes to the same thing and that is they've got to go against the clock before that character is killed. There were some really good parts in the film I thought that some of the best scenes in this were when they were showing off their powers, and I liked the fight between their doctor and Freddy's skeleton, as well. All in all, I found this one to be really good. Check this one out, you won't be disappointed.

Survivors unite against Freddy Krueger.......2007-02-03

New director for this third episode. The modern world is growing and we are starting to have the information highway coming into the picture. The new architecture is very striking and powerful. We come back to a girl as the center of the film, but at once that girl is living with her mother and her male guests. But also at once she is moved to a hospital where she meets a whole gang of young people who are Freddy's victims. Freddy does not try to make anyone kill the others. At first he tries to terrorize them into committing suicide. Society reacts as can be expected : the kids are calling for some attention and their dreams and suicides are nothing but the symptoms of their guilt. A junior doctor reacts positively when a psychiatrist comes into the picture, and this psychiatrist is the surviving girl of a preceding episode. This leads to a psychiatric ward in a hospital with all these kids, and group therapy. This time Freddy has a group against him, a group that can remain united, or at least the survivors can, and they can start a war against this Freddy. The film also densifies Freddy Krueger with a mother who was a medical personnel in the old psychiatric ward of the very hospital in which we are. This wing of the building was closed when this young woman was by accident left behind in the ward surrounded by all kinds of crazy criminals. She was raped and many other things and Freddy is her son. Even worse she lost her head, though not completely and could then dedicate the end of her life to religion. She became a nun. The father of the young psychiatrist who has survived Freddy was one of those who burnt Freddy to death when he was caught after kudnapping and killing twenty children. His remains had never been buried. The father will finally accept to tell where the bones are. During that time the kids and the young psychiatrist are getting into the dream to save the others who have been taken and to get rid of Freddy. They will not all come back, but they will come back after Freddy's destruction by the junior doctor burying the bones and sprinkling them with holy water before covering them with earth. It is the first time the christian theme is brought in with holy water and a crucifix, hence with a parallel to vampires. The film then is a new twist in the general fabric invented by Wes Craven and it is quite effective. We must go on in this saga to see where we are going, where we are taken to. Be sure Freddy will live forever and ever, ever after the end of each film.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Paris Dauphine & University of Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne

Freddy really gets going.......2006-12-27

Freddy Krueger (Roberet Englund) has tracked down the last of the "Elm Street Kids" to Westin Hills, a mental asylum where all the kids are being treated for anti-social behavoir caused by their dreams (little wonder with Krueger after them). Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp returning from the original) becomes a resident at the hospital to in order to help the kids fight Freddy. But helping Freddy is the doubting thomas doctor (Creig Wesson) and their own prejudices against each other.

Easily the best of the early sequals Elm Strret 3 is actually the begining of the larger mythology of Freddy, as we are introduced to his mother Amamda, a nun who was raped by inmates years before, resulting in Freddy's birth. It also starts the trend of Freddy using the kids' weaknesses against them, like the recovering herion addict and the fantsy obsessed kids dying by their own devices. The idea of 'Elm Street Kids' seems streaching it a little, but I guess more than three sets of parents had to help kill Freddy, right? Director Chuck Russell really pulls out the stops on special effects, while some are a little hokey (though not a serious crime) the snake Freddy and pig gag really stand out.

The kids are really nice kids and are well played by the young actors, most notably a very young Patrica Arquette. I liked the kids and could relate to them and thier (real world) problems; alienation, authority figures not beleiving them, ect. This intallment also has a pre-stardom Larry Fishburne as sypathetic orderlie Max who, while he certainly dosn't beleive in Freddy, really likes the kids wants to help them. And of course there is Englund's Freddy. It is still early in the series so Freddy hasn't become a clown yet; though he's on his way. He is still dark and believably a serious threat.

This is really the start of the franchise here. While I loved part 2, this is really where Freddy became mythic. The only real problem with "Elm Street 3" was that is weas a dark fantasy-adventure, but not scary really. Oh well, that can be over looked.

I'll Show You the Horror.......2006-12-04

My dad, ever the moralist, never allowed me to watch Freddy Krueger movies as a kid. He said that they led to the discrimination against burn victims, and that he would take no part in that. So I'm in catch up mode with this series. This is the second that I've seen in the series after I watched the original a few months ago. Overall, it is a step down, though not a massive one. Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) from the original is brought in as a savior of sorts to a bunch of kids in a psych ward placed there because of "suicide" attempts. Patricia Arquette, looking surprisingly hot in her younger days, takes on the role of Kristen who is our main character here. From there everything else is pretty much predictable. Kids try not to fall asleep, they eventually do, Freddy slices and dices. Only in this chapter the goofiness factor is turned up full blast. Look, there's Freddy up in the sky playing the role of puppet master, oh and now he has turned into a TV set, and now a creepy little doll. There is also this terrible little twist that these kids gain certain powers when they fall asleep. The scene in which they come together for a group dream so that they can show off their powers couldn't have fallen any flatter for me. I am also hoping that somebody could explain to me the scene in which one of the kids turns into the "Wizard Master" and shoots a very 1980's pre-CGI green lightning bolt out of his hand to destroy a murderous wheelchair Freddy had turned loose on him. . .because I'm at a loss. To me that scene captures everything wrong with this film. Also, the less said about the scene where Freddy's skeleton comes to life the better.

But under all this kookiness there are some good messages to be found here. We, of course, get the traditional, fight your fears and believe in teamwork. But we also get the more unconventional lesson of never listen to your elders because they don't know what the hell they are talking about. Throughout this film (and the original) every decision made by a figure of authority turns out to be dead wrong. Here the only things more evil than Freddy are the clueless authority figures who serve the kids up to him with their idiocy. On the flipside we also get the kids who are punished for "Overt sexuality" (shock!). One if left for dead with Freddy after chasing after an easy, eager blond. The director, Chuck Russell, does find time for a striptease first. I guess he'll be sex on Freddy's hit list. I do wish that I could go back in time and enjoy this film for what it is. But my eyes have seen too many movies and have turned critical on me. So I know that the acting here is bad and the special effects (which are used liberally) are so horrible your jaw will drop. There is a kinetic energy at work here that makes it an easy pill to swallow. I will also admit that the silliness here does cut both ways. Most of the kills are borderline brain dead, but they are also interesting and eye-catching. Russell wasn't shy about screwing this one up, and oddly enough I admire him for that. **3/4

Don't watch the second one.......2006-12-01

For me, the second one was absolutely diabolical, and seeing as I'd just bought the seven disc set, I was angry, and reluctant to watch the rest. I was persuaded, and found myself actually enjoying Dream Warriors. It continues on a few years after the first one, and it's like the second one never happened, as there's no apparent reference to it.

Dream Warriors is made all the better for a higher budget and bringing back Heather Langenkamp. She's definitely an asset to the movies and although she doesn't appear again until the seventh movie (as herself, strangely enough), hopefully the movies will continue the same as this.

A very, very young Patricia Arquette appears in this, her first film, and thankfully she has managed to hone her acting over the years. She's laughable in this. Also look out for "Larry" Fishburne!!! Larry, good grief.

The story is basically simple: a young girl (Arquette) is put into a psychiatric ward, with others, who discover they're all dreaming about the same man. They find an understanding adult in the form of Heather, who was of course in the original. She's older, wiser, and specialising in this kinda thing. She tries to help him, but when she finds out Arquette's character can bring others into her dream, they agree to go in and tackle Freddy.

What makes this film better than the second one, is the deaths are becoming bigger and better. One girl dies being put through a TV during Critters - she dreamt of being an actress. Then there's the whole back story to Freddy. We find out his mother was raped repeatedly, and actually appears in the film - a little twist in the plot. He was also never properly buried, and needs to be buried in holy ground, and that will finally get rid of him. Obviously not enough to spawn another 4 sequels.

My suggestion is that you skip the second one, and move straight from part one to part three. Honestly, you will never know the difference. Definitely the best of the series so far. Look out for a severely phallic Freddy snake, and a very cool stop motion puppet.

Average customer rating:

Stay away!
wow
If you like movies made in backyards by 10 year olds....
sleep warriors
Thoroughly Entertaining!!

Dream Warrior
Starring: Sherilyn Fenn , Isaac Hayes , Lance Henriksen , Richard Norton , and Daniel Goddard
Director: Zachary Weintraub
Manufacturer: Velocity / Thinkfilm
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0006A9II4
Release Date: 2004-12-21

Description

The Ultimate Battle For Human Survival The Apocalypse has come: an asteroid has destroyed the world and civilization as we know it. Out of the rubble rises a new world order including humans and human-looking mutants with super-human powers. Parish (Lance Henriksen) is the leader of this new civilization and has declared war on all mutants, driven by his fanatical need for a Pure Human society, and his personal pursuit of Rage, the mutant leader. While the mutant freedom fighters rise up to confront Parish and his merciless soldiers, Parish continues his obsessive search for Rage. When Parish and Rage meet face to face, the dark secret of their past is finally revealed.

Customer Reviews:

Stay away!.......2006-04-21

I like post-apocalyptic theme in computer games and movies, I really do. I dig b-graded stuff that many people call "horrid" and "not watchable" - if it deals with survival of human race after the whole world has been set on fire it usually is enough for me to be able to enjoy.. But I made a big mistake the day I purchased this dvd without reading any review. Must be a Mad Max clone, I thought. I was wrong, oh how I was wrong. There are no costumes, no barbaric weapons, no barren landscapes.. Script, actors' performance, director work - just plain horrible. Please read reviews below - and do not repeat the mistake I did when purchasing this piece of *beep*. My copy of this dvd goes straight to the trash can.

wow.......2005-09-28

this is it yeah??? i have always been a fan of Lance Henriksen but wow what is this??? i love B movies but this ummm i dont know what this is - ummmm just rent it if u want to see it...simple as that...dont buy.....

If you like movies made in backyards by 10 year olds...........2005-09-13

...then you are going to love this movie!

Same as many others I was lured in by the spiked club-wielding, armor-plated lunatic on the front cover. It's obvious pride at being a B-Grade movie just fooled me into thinking it was going to be a fun little apocalyptic nightmarish movie. Well, the nightmare part was certainly true.

The only possible way you can you enjoy this movie is to watch it with some fellow Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans while getting drunk. By the end you won't be able to feel the pain that this puddle of monkey drool was designed to inflict on the movie-renting public. Seriously, let me lay this out for you:
the acting is bad, the sfx are done with Photoshop 4.0, the plot is indecipherable, and the sets establish new thresholds for "cheap" (only cost as much as a few citations for trespassing).

According to the future as told by this moview, there are few things the post-apocalyptic future has no shortage of (oh an asteriod hit Earth and apparently caused lots of green grass, trees, and blue skies to appear--yes awful I know)... I present these things to you in no particular order as a way of summarizing the plot in "Dream Warrior": white cotton thongs, gasoline, cheesy-motorcylces, vintage trucks, cardboard boxes, white facepaint, black eyeliner, trench-coats, scarves, makeshift pistol weapons, grenades, mobs of pasty, bored-looking extras, and women who want to sleep with Lance Henriksen.

Keeping in turn, here is the list of things that ARE in short supply in the future: ballistic weaponry, cars with doors, buildings with walls, men who can throw a punch, women who can act, plot, narrative, character development, and apparently also things that float.

Lance Henriksen obviously owed somebody some favors (perhaps the writer is his actual illegitimate child, you know like in the movie?). He is at least delivers the nasty tripe that are his assigned lines very well. Isaac Hayes is good but his character is basically random, inane, and confusing. Though admittedly after a few drinks he's the most awesome thing about this movie. His best move comes when he uses his "mutant power" (his sudden movements can make people flinch) on the goth people (the second most awesome thing about this movie).

Well bad plots, writing, lighting, sets, characters, stunts, special effects, endings, acting, and directing aside this moview was worth at least 1 star for the partial nudity and and the random yet satsifying inclusion of Isaac Hayes in the film.

sleep warriors.......2005-09-06

I picked this movie up in a bargain bin at my local video store hoping for some cheap thrills. I had fairly high hopes, considering the post apocalyptic setting, the presence of the awesome Lance Henriksen and a cover featuring a guy with a spikey club. What I got instead was what seems like the rough cut of a rejected sci-fi channel pilot. The story has no momentum and meanders in circles never really getting anywhere (slowly) for the better part of it's running time, while trying in vain to jazz things up with endless flashbacks or visions or something. Action scenes are few and far between and when they do materialize are fleeting and lamely staged. What you DO get a lot of is people walking through the woods, characters pontificating about nonsensical mysticism, a girl healing people repeatedly (this consists of her running her hands sloooowly over them while NewAge music plays on the soundtrack) and Lance Henriksen brooding around in his lair that looks like the Soho loft of a cocaine addicted art dealer. No exageration at one point I began fast forwarding and watched several minutes of people walking through the woods talking (and that was at triple speed). This movie takes itself way too seriously with nothing to back it up. Not even some prime nudity can save this somnambulistic waste of 1's and 0's.

Thoroughly Entertaining!!.......2005-06-24

Excellent movie!! This is a great conflict-driven story about the battle between 2 races after the end of civilization as we know it. Daniel Goddard (who was so great in the Beastmaster t.v. series) is perfectly cast as Rage. There is a lot of action, as well as a great ending (I won't give it away). If you like the movies on the Sci-fi channel, you will thoroughly enjoy this movie!

Average customer rating:

Eccentric but Awesome
why leon? why???
Dream of a Plot
Not THAT bad
Just Awful

Dream of a Warrior
Starring: Lai , and Na-Young
Manufacturer: Tai Seng
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002KPI64
Release Date: 2004-09-21

Description

Pop superstar Leon Lai (Bullets Of Love, Infernal Affairs III) stars in this futuristic time travel adventure. Lai is a cop who is sent back in time to rescue Nam-Hong, the daughter of Doctor Jang who invented the time-travel device. He finds himself strapped in an unknown pocket of space filled with gladiators and bounty hunters. He must rescue Nam-Hong and return with her to the present world soon before the time travel machine is destroyed by an evil cult leader.

Customer Reviews:

Eccentric but Awesome.......2006-05-16

Ill agree that this movie may get a little fuzzy, and jump around timelines like nothing.. but it is in my top 10 list of favorite movies.. I believe it potrays honor and sacrifice over great odds.. but you dont have to take our word for it. Give it a try.

-Jarred

why leon? why???.......2005-10-23

*sigh*...i really like leon...but this movie...was crap...:P
he has good hair in it, though. but...don't waste your money for that!

Dream of a Plot.......2005-08-27

I'm writing this review while watching the movie, to help me document just what's going on. Even then, I'm having trouble.

Remember Leon Lai from such films as Bullets of Love? Infernal Affairs III(snicker)? Me either. And unless you study Chinese Popstars, you won't.

Regardless of fame, Leon Lai plays a cop in this time travel adventure, who is sent to the past to rescue a girl named Nam-Hong, daughter of Doc Jang (who invented the time travel device). He gets trapped in a pocket of space filled with gladiators and bounty hunters. He's gotta rescue the girl and return to the present/alternate timeline or else the machine will be destroyed by an evil cult leader. Confused? This is almost exactly what the back of the box says. If this is what the movie company thought would sell this disc, you know it's not gonna win any oscars anytime soon.

This thing starts off quick, dropping you in a story with characters you neither care about or know anything about. We see a police chase, a crazy dream, a news broadcast, and a gladiator fight before we get into the main story. I think. There are two lovers, princess rose and the warrior dean. I don't get why they show this, because even though an evil sorcerer wants them dead. I think.

This movie has a decent art direction, with the fantasy timeline showing great detail from the flashy officers uniforms to the nazi-like gladiator uniforms. The future reminds me of the house in a clockwork orange though. Very sixties.

The character design is lacking, with some of their full story revealed, others we barely know anything about. In fact, they do the videogame stat thing (i.e. pop up video style text that says 'Sum Dum Gai: he is strong warrior, with clear mind. he is third class kleebokmba) That leads me to the next point. Unless you speak cantonese or mandarin, or korean, you won't be able to stop yourself from laughing. The subtitles are ridiculous! They stop for a long time on stupid things (like doctor jang giving a soliloquy, and it saying 'I need a guy for 45 seconds) or have broken english and backwards grammar, if they spell things right that is.

The audio is all over the place:

In Korean, it's muted and fuzzy, with little or no effects or music.

In Mandarin, you have a better quality, but not much better on sfx and music. Also, since most of the actors speak korean (except Lai) you get the bruce lee syndrome.

In Cantonese, you have the best quality, with it's 5.1 Dolby (which rivals the Goonies, pre-remastery).

The video quality is horrible. It says on the back of the box:
MPEG-2 Encoded. It looks it. With visuals that look as though they were shot in late 70's, early 80's, with colors and styles to boot. Watch it, then remember it was made in 2001. There is grain and texture, specks, and fuzz.
The Special Effects aren't that special. The sorcerer has this tentacle attack that looks MS Paint-y. The citys are cheap scans. And the Praxus was the cheesiest monster, he even disappeared when he died.

I've talked about this too long. No special features, a running time of 84 minutes, terrible acting, scripts.

Save yourself an hour and a half. Go watch samurai fiction, krull, conan and willow, warriors of heaven and earth, alive, ghost in the shell, and all the other movies this one rips off style points from.

Not THAT bad.......2005-07-16

Sigh... Okay... it WAS pretty campy. The switch between scenes was pretty confusing and the story was a bit weak. But, c'mon... what chopsake movie was ever billed as high drama... the combination of high tech weapons combined with traditional and a little sorcery, time travel, romance and a music track that could have come from Love Story??? The perfect movie for cigar night with the boys (or girls). Oh, and we can't forget to give kudos to whoever did the subtitling... That (unintended) humor alone adds a star. Bottom line - if you don't expect high art, it is an entertaining flick.... it doesn't make much sense, but it is entertaining :) Enjoy!

Just Awful.......2005-06-07

Avoid this at all costs. The story here is so confused that it's nearly impossible to tell what is actually happening. The subtitles only add to the confusion. To express how bad this movie is, I'll end with this...I watched the movie before reading the Amazon review and I could not figure out what the premise of the movie even was. Nothing syncs up and nothing goes anywhere.

Average customer rating:

Dream of a Warrior
Starring: Leon Lai , Eun-hye Park , Na-yeong Lee , Chan-ho Seo , and Tae-young Yoon
Director: Hee-joon Park
Manufacturer: Tai Seng
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008G8AH
Release Date: 2002-11-26

Average customer rating:

Some clarifications and a few interesting facts (warning: contains spoilers)
A feast for the senses, an adventure for the spirit. Let yourself be enlightened.
Mystical Kung Poo with side order Nonsense!
If you want to see the special effects X-men should have had
Hard to Follow but Visually Stunning

Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain
Starring: Adam Cheng , Norman Chu , Hark-On Fung , Sammo Hung Kam-Bo , and Damian Lau
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
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ASIN: 6305261385
Release Date: 1999-01-19

Amazon.com

Tsui Hark was supposedly inspired by the then-groundbreaking effects of the first Star Wars trilogy when he made Zu, a fantasy action film starring Yuen Biao, Sammo Hung, Brigitte Lin, and Adam Cheung. In a somewhat confused story line, a young soldier (played by Biao) stumbles onto a magic temple after escaping an all-out civil war battle between various armies. There he meets a magic swordsman (Cheung) and his disciples, who enlist him to help fight against the evil Blood Monster. They also run across a group of swordswomen and an ice goddess (played by Lin) who appear primarily to sprinkle in some romance and humor. The 1983 special effects look dated, but they were once revolutionary, this film forming the very first special-effects house in Hong Kong. And the playful spirit behind the effects hasn't faded. Demons (which look suspiciously like the Sand People in Star Wars) fly about in an impressive aerial ballet, and in another scene, an evil demon is bounced between pillars like a pinball. One of Tsui's earliest films, Zu is a good introduction to the fast and furious style of one of Hong Kong's most visionary directors. --Shannon Gee

Customer Reviews:

Some clarifications and a few interesting facts (warning: contains spoilers).......2006-11-24

ZU: WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN (XIN SHUSHAN JIANXIA, featuring Bridgette Lin)is a film dating back to the 1980's and is NOT to be mixed up with the much more recent LEGEND OF ZU (SHUSHAN ZHUAN, in which Zhang Ziyi appears), which appeared a couple years back, even though both are directed by Tsui Hark and both are supposed to be (I want to emphasize: SUPPOSED to be) based on a long fantasy novel entitled SHUSHAN JIANXIA (SWORDFIGHTERS OF MT SHU) by Chinese author Huanzhu Louzhu (also named Li Shoumin; 1902 ~ 1961). Many of the reviewers here seem to get mixed up between the two movies. By the way, the novel's not yet translated into English, sorry -- even though I'm perfectly confident it's more than a match for Tolkien's trilogy in terms of content. :p (Certainly the novel has exerted a tremendous influence on later Chinese swordplay fiction, such as the work of Jin Yong or Louis Cha.)

NEITHER movie is true to the original novel (which in my estimate would require at least five long films, serious). The films aren't even condensed versions of the novel. With both movies Tsui Hark has committed the unpardonable sin of whipping together a story with elements and characters selected almost at random from the novel, possibly even adding his own stuff, and naming the resultant hodge-podge after the novel itself. To give a couple examples of how Tsui Hark's movie departs from the novel, in the novel becoming a blood monster is a strictly voluntary matter; you must go through special training :p and can't become one merely by being 'infected' by a blood monster, as happens in the movie. (I don't remember the blood monster forming a coccoon of skulls around itself in the original novel, either.) Also, in the original story the green and violet twin swords were lost treasures discovered by accident by two GIRLS, NOT guarded by a female immortal who then handed them to two BOYS, as in the (earlier) film. And that's just two examples, mate.

So does that automatically make ZU: WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN a bad film? Yes and no. Yes, because it's nothing short of sacrilege to mar a work of literature in this way. No, because the film actually does have a lot of cool and spectacular effects, such as fighting with swords of lightning ;) and the visually impressive and lovely interior of the palace/fort of the 'Ice Queen' (though I doubt these appear in the novel at all), and the film's own plot is not too bad, either (I personally would have much preferred that the 'Ice Queen' could eventually cure the hero who turned into a blood monster, though). Tsui Hark has a very annoying knack, however, for rushing the story so much that all you have to do is blink and you'll miss out on a huge chunk of what's going on. Can't you have at least a few slower and calmer moments, for Heaven's sake? (This gets even worse in LEGEND OF ZU, so much so the plot is in danger of being utterly lost to the viewer.) Also, sometimes the acting just doesn't feel emotionally appropriate. When you learn that your beloved martial arts teacher is in danger of turning into a blood monster and no one can do anything to help, what would you feel? How would you act? The one playing the role of the teacher's disciple in the film acted like a stupid idiot at the point of learning that hard truth. Really. Tsui Hark really should have known better, for goodness' sake. Also, would you not feel at least some sorrow when learning of your teacher's death, even though he has turned into an evil creature? In the film, the idiot apparently didn't. Yeah, he died, now let's move on. Sure, right.

My overall assessment: superb graphics, passable plot, atrocious handling of human emotions. And that's not taking into consideration the violence done to the original novel.

A feast for the senses, an adventure for the spirit. Let yourself be enlightened........2006-10-13

The original Hong Kong version really is an incredible piece of work. I enjoyed the heck out of it. However it does require that you view it with a certain frame of mind. Most importantly you have to understand that it is not a character drama. There is little range of depth to any of the characters. They exist only to serve their various roles in the story. Think of it as if it were a legend passed down through the ages (like classic Greek mythology). In such legends you always hear the story told through a series of actions and outcomes. You're never given any insight into what drives the characters and we never see more than one side of them. They just represent these sort of unchanging idealized personas. The stories that come from this are fascinating nevertheless. So in this way The Legend of Zu is literally told in the style of a legend.

That said the story is actually quite awesome. The basic premise is again very, very similar to classic Greek mythology: There is a mythical mountain range in China called Zu. Its highest peak, shrouded in mists, reaches up into the heavens. This place is populated by immortal beings who, in their scattered temples, have devoted themselves to various schools of thought. Across centuries they've honed their skills in the martial arts and have attuned their spirits to the forces of the universe. It is their task to maintain order and balance in the universe so that man can live in harmony with nature. Their actions influence the fates of the mortals below. Trouble arises when an unstoppable entity of pure evil calling itself Insomnia threatens to overthrow the most powerful school in the heavens, the Omei clan, and throw the world into an eternity of discord.

The story is steeped heavily in Chinese lore so some parts are a bit esoteric, granted, but for the most part it's easy to follow if you can just keep up with it. There is a user on imdb who wrote "The most soulful, spiritual film I've ever seen," and I think I might have to agree with him. One of the more interesting aspects of the mythology is that just as the warrior has a spirit, so too does his or her weapon. As the warrior achieves mastery with the weapon their two souls act as one; until finally their sword is no longer a physical object but rather an extension of the warrior's own spirit, capable of unleashing devastating effects and allowing the possessor to fly. The weapons are all so unique in form and function that it makes the battle scenes quite unlike anything you've ever seen before in a martial arts film.

The visuals and CGI effects, while perhaps not up to the level of say Lord of the Rings, are utterly stunning to behold. Every frame is like a painting straight from the mind of a creative genius. Matched to the superlative audio the film is quite a treat for the senses. All of this carried along by an engaging, complex, epic narrative and we have ourselves a little gem of a film! But like I said - you have to be willing and able to both divorce yourself from western conventions and to appreciate the sensibilities and beliefs of a different culture. Step out of yourselves for an hour and fourty minutes and just allow yourselves to enjoy this fun, lighthearted spiritual journey into the world of Chinese legend!

Mystical Kung Poo with side order Nonsense!.......2006-07-05

Despite this movie being about 1. magic, 2. kung fu, 3. general weirdness and cheap funny props, 4. lots of flying in colorful outfits, 5. a spattering of cutie Chinese girls who also know magic- all of which attributes people who love kung fu think should/MUST be a really great combo- it was actually so boring to me (a diehard kung fu fan) and hard to follow that i didnt' want to watch anymore of it half way thru.

It looked like a high-budget Chinese kung fu fantasy film from the 70's. Oh wait, it was.

There was NOT a lot of fighting/kung fu, but there was a lot of flying around in funny colorful costumes and strange,convoluted dialogue.

I got the impression they filmmakers were trying for something really epic, an -alien- Chinese mythology that didn't quite have the neatly-packaged-story nature of familiar, Western mythologies. In short, it make no sense and didtn' try to explain itself (nor should it)! It was a good try tho and if I were Chinese and kind of weird and living in the 70s i'd think the movie is like Chinese star wars.
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One more thing:
They used saran wrap enshrouded with packing tape to depict large broken blocks of ice. I mention this to attest to the early Tsui Hark's innovative set design and creative props. It was a neat although distracting way to cut costs. Also worthy of mention in this regard is the fake, incongruent, drawn cartoon lightning interleaved with fancy acrobatics and disjointed dialogue.

If you want to see the special effects X-men should have had.......2004-08-07

This MOVIE is way ahead of its time. The special effects, or fireworks as some reviewers put it were well in advance of anything I've seen in Matrix, X-men, Hulk, Spiderman and the like. If your looking for a storyline, plot and all that pick up a book instead of watching a MOVIE. For action packed, VISUAL ectsasy this is one of the greats. CGI is the wave of the future for movies my friends. Hell, the CGI Smigel from LOTR almost got an Oscar didn't he?

Hard to Follow but Visually Stunning.......2004-07-19

This movie's plot is a bit hard to follow (or pay attention to ) but the action and effects are absolutely incredible! I bought this movie because I absolutely loved Storm Riders and was hoping this would be as good if not better. You are better off renting it if possible.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

Average customer rating:

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
Starring: Heather Langenkamp , Craig Wasson , Patricia Arquette , Robert Englund , and Ken Sagoes
Director: Chuck Russell
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( N ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00004VYFV

DVD:

DVD

DVD