I've never seen all of the original 1998 STORM RIDERS- only a couple of minutes playing on the TV over the bar in my local drinking establishment, while I waited for a bartender to notice me standing there- but it looked pretty great in a late-90's wire-fu epic way, great enough that I borrowed an iPhone and immediately googled the name of the antagonist- Lord Godless- to identify the film.
STORM WARRIORS, the sequel, continues the story adapted from Ma Wing-Shing's long-running graphic novel series, following Wind, Cloud, Nameless, Lord Wicked and other martial artists with awesome names as they fight against the aforementioned Lord Godless. Don't worry if, like me, you're coming to the series in media res, because it's pretty obvious what the deal is from frame one- Japanese guy in armor bad, plucky band of martial artists good.
The storyline is an oldie, but most definitely a goodie: Lord Godless is a Japanese warlord in enchanted armor, bent on ruling China, and when the movie starts he looks like he's got it pretty much in hand, with a vast, bloodthirsty CGI army and every major Chinese martial artist drugged and hogtied. But a daring, last-ditch attack frees protagonists Wind and Cloud, as well as O.G. martial artist Nameless and a few allies, and they disperse, hoping to hone their skills for a final battle. Nameless sends Wind and Cloud to the mountain retreat of Lord Wicked, where they are to learn the much more powerful "evil kung fu", sacrificing themselves to save China.
There's no shortage of movies about Chinese martial artists repelling invaders, but, weird political resonances aside, the storyline is much more compelling that your standard fare, with a really interesting take on what is, essentially, post-traumatic stress disorder.
Visually, the film is great- apparently they took a lot from 300, and while there are moments when the effects feel a little cheap, most of the greenscreen work looks good and fits with the overall tone of the film- and the fighting is varied and fresh.
STORM WARRIORS may not break the boundaries of wuxia film, but it definitely moves the thread forward.
Catch all the wire-fu antics and then some, at The Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center, Sunday June 27th (12:00 noon) and Thursday July 1st (6:15). Bonus! Actor Simon Yam will be attending Sunday's screening. More info and tickers here!