China's demon slayer legend premieres
- By Zhang Rui
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E-mail China.org.cn, February 5, 2015
One of the most anticipated movies for the Spring Festival movie season, "Zhong Kui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal," premiered in Beijing on Wednesday.
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Chinese actor Chen Kun and actress Li Bingbing promote their new movie "Zhong Kui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal" in Beijing on Feb. 4, 2015. [China.org.cn] |
The 3D adventure fantasy movie was directed by top Hong Kong cinematographer Peter Pau ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") and Zhao Tianyu, and stars Chen Kun, Li Bingbing, Yang Zishan and Winston Chao.
The movie is about the legendary Chinese demon slayer and ghostbuster Zhong Kui, who is traditionally regarded as a dark vanquisher of ghosts and evil beings, and was reputedly able to command 80,000 demons. His image is often painted on family gates as a guardian spirit, as well as in places of business where there are expensive and high value goods.
In "Zhong Kui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal," Chen Kun plays a young man in the Tang Dynasty endowed with mysterious powers who is forced into a battle among the realms of heaven, to save his countrymen and the woman (actually a female demon) he loves: the Snow Girl (Li Bingbing).
The "Zhong Kui" film is the sole fantasy movie to be released during China's traditional Lunar New Year period, in an attempt to recreate the box office success of "The Monkey King" in the same period in 2014. The movie grossed 1.06 billion yuan (US$170.8 million) by cashing in on a Chinese household name.
Studios including Desen International Media, Enlight Pictures, K Pictures Co., Village Roadshow Pictures Asia and Warner Bros., have high expectations for the film's performance at the premiere. Some critics who attended advanced screenings later complained the clichéd story was trying to create a Chinese superhero but mimicked "Spider-Man," "Hulk," "Avatar," "Lord of the Rings," and even Disney's "Frozen." Many said the CGI visual effects were so bad -- something like an unconvincing video game, in comparison to Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" trilogy.
The film is slated for release on Feb. 19, 2015.
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