"Creation of The Gods I: Kingdom of Storms"

Creation of The Gods I: Kingdom of Storms
#TheAscensionOfTheYoungKingZhou

I had previously seen many people over there saying how good it was, with massive box office numbers, a top-tier international special effects team, a super-strong post-production crew, and a formidable director—finally, a film that could rival Hollywood. Of course, there were also a few dissenting voices who didn't like it. The computer effects, special effects makeup, and mythological fantasy theme all made me quite eager to see it. I was incredibly excited when I watched it, but my takeaway was... perhaps my expectations were a bit too high... Nevertheless, I'm still looking forward to the second installment~

#TheYoungZhousSiege

The film opens with King Zhou leading a siege. What? How could a king personally charge into battle? Then I realized he wasn't king yet, just a prince~ But this creates a conceptual conflict. In ancient times, most rulers, aside from the greatest emperors, did not go to the battlefield. Doing so would imply a lack of capable generals, and the king's death would be extremely irresponsible to the nation, unless... it was a small tribal kingdom.

However, having him in battle is more visually appealing, showcasing his bravery, achievements, and ambition. But the performance in this first battle was a bit "exaggerated," giving off a Bollywood vibe, where everyone is on fire but doesn't seem to feel the heat...

#OrnateArmor

The armor combines elements of bronze ware with Ming and Tang dynasty helmets, featuring lion heads on the shoulders and abdomen—and not the meatball kind...

I feel the decorative carvings on the costumes are overly detailed. Even for a great nation, armor during wartime prioritizes practicality. It's unlikely they would produce expensive, excessively decorated pieces. Moreover, this makes the supposedly rugged, battle-hardened young Zhou seem less gritty. More ornate armor typically appears in post-war eras of peace, usually commissioned by the wealthy to look good and show off. Normally, no one would wear a military uniform made of high-end fabric with numerous medals into a frontline battle. It's basically screaming: "I'm a rich target, come and get me..."

#PalaceDrama

Next is the appearance of the fox demon. I felt this fox was too thin and small... The enchanting allure seemed... present? Or maybe not? Some people online are rushing to defend this film's Daji, claiming she's no worse than in other adaptations, but that's going too far. This movie was never meant to emphasize Daji in the first place...

Following this is a series of palace scenes, which play out very much like a TV drama... Perhaps there are too many main characters. The palace drama is lengthy; it feels like every character has their own main storyline, and this style of storytelling is very typical of a TV series. Feature films, with their limited runtime, usually focus on one or two protagonists. "Creation of The Gods" has at least four or five, and many supporting characters also have significant screen time... This difficulty in prioritizing can easily make it feel drawn-out...

#TheImmortals

I like the design concept for the immortals, which emulates ancient paintings, but the execution... feels like an overly literal restoration of those paintings... I really like the design for Yang Jian; he has a very ethereal aura, with a white coat and a trident made of jade. The fights in the mortal realm, the immortal battles, are something the crew excels at, which is great~ However, the immortals feel overwhelmingly powerful, making mortals seem incredibly weak in comparison... The balance feels off. If that's the case, why don't those immortals from X Mountain just take control of the country? Why bother bowing and scraping to a mortal king...

The old-age makeup looks grimy, both for Old Jiang and Grand Preceptor Wen. It might look good in person, but they didn't consider how it would appear on film. It's like how some people look quite good after plastic surgery, but look strange in photos or on camera... This, I feel, is the most regrettable part...

#TheDemons

What does everyone think of Lei Zhenzi's design? As a game art designer, I feel it lacks realism; it has a heavy CG feel. The general audience might be more accepting than I am, but actually, many recent Hollywood special effects characters have this same major issue. Also, his design in the film looks a lot like a statue you'd find in a temple, which I find a bit creepy. The next installment will feature the Four Heavenly Kings, who look like they walked straight out of a temple. I can't help it, that stuff scares me...

Personally, I prefer the designs of gods and demons from the Hong Kong cinema era, like in "The Legend of Zu." The male characters were handsome, the female characters beautiful, and the Blood Demon Dan Chenzi was incredibly cool~ (Let's not talk about the plot).

The Taotie seems to be a fan favorite. It looks cool, but it doesn't seem to match the other decorative elements in the scenes. Especially with the Sanxingdui elements appearing at the beginning, it feels like an over-fusion of styles. The movement and attacks of the Taotie also have a slightly uncanny sense of realism...

#TheEnding

The ending... just has too many parts. It feels like the director couldn't decide what to use as the ending and what to use as a post-credits scene... Having one ending plus three post-credits scenes is just too messy. Personally, I think using King Zhou's intent to attack Xiqi as the ending, and Grand Preceptor Wen as the post-credits scene, would have been great~ (That bit with Old Jiang fishing was completely superfluous...)

#Accents

The accents and regional dialects are inconsistent among characters from the same area, which also feels jarring...

Centurion? Second Prince? Aren't these terms foreign loanwords? Using these terms in the Shang-Zhou period feels a bit too modern, doesn't it? Or... maybe everyone is just used to it~

#HowEvilIsKingZhou

King Zhou's characterization in this film is strange. Is he mentally unstable, hating his father, suspecting his sons, and ignoring his wife? He only personally kills a few people around him, then persecutes virtuous ministers and makes things difficult for his generals. Doesn't this feel petty, like mere palace intrigue? (This has a very Western feel to it; many foreign emperors had mental issues due to inbreeding).

The Wine Pool, the Forest of Meat, the Burning Pillar... I heard these scenes were filmed but deleted. We don't see any of the greater atrocities that harmed the common people. Is it just that Heaven is displeased because he usurped the throne and committed patricide? And then Heaven brings disaster upon the people? This is far from atheistic; it's quite superstitious and feudal. Why do you revolt? Is it because he wants to kill you, and not because he is a scourge upon the world, bringing disaster to the nation and its people? How do you determine he is a threat to the world? By reading the mood of Heaven? (Revolutionary storylines really must be handled with extreme care...)

#WatchIt

It's still very interesting to see for the art direction and special effects. And compared to Hong Kong and Taiwanese styles, it actually offers a lot of different and intriguing elements~

#CreationOfTheGods #CreationOfTheGodsI #KingdomOfStorms #InvestitureOfTheGods #Wuershan

#KrisPhillips #YinShou #KingZhou #Naran #Daji #HuangBo #JiangZiya

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