The Sorcerer and the White Snake, starring Jet Li, is another asian martial arts movie to premiere at the Venice Film Festival 2011. An average entertainment according to the first reviews.
The film’s version screened was an international cut – yes – which “contains several scenes featuring cute, animated talking animals that look like they stepped out of another film; they will have more scenes and turn into human beings played by well-known stars in the Asian cut” writes THR.
What about Jet Li’s performance? It seems he still has it, Screen Daily thinks Li “is now something of an older statesman of the fantasy/action film genre, but he still has the presence and poise to carry the film, he is a solid and reassuring figure” – Jet Li plays a Buddhist monk facing demons.
Another good point, IndieWire says the film “hews relatively close to the original myth, which might explain why it departs from the good-and-evil narrative that Western audiences might expect“. While FBA defines the film as “an uncomplicated mixture of stunts, setpieces and local elements aimed directly at an Asian audience, with no special depth to the characters or their emotions and a plot that’s simply there to keep the action coming“.
More negative comments, about the look of CGI. The director’s approach “seems influenced more by recent Hollywood blockbusters” writes IndieWire, before making a comparison with Zack Snyder’s blue screen approach. And during an interview, director Ching confirmed this point, “the idea was to blend Chinese tradition, which is martial arts, with Western technology“. So, to sum it up, “the film’s tonally messy, garish—with every frame crammed with fourth-rate visual effects“.
The Sorcerer and the White Snake opens in China on September 29, 2011.
source: wildgrounds.com