New Gods: Yang Jian Review
New Gods: Yang Jian hits U.S. theaters on Jan. 20, 2023.
Ji Zhao’s New Gods: Nezha Reborn was probably the greatest cinematic surprises of 2021, a gorgeously animated retelling of a Chinese language fantasy that includes massive emotional beats and the vibe of John Wick. New Gods: Yang Jian, the second movie in Mild Chaser Animation’s New Gods collection, had an enormous debut in mainland China final 12 months, nevertheless it’s prone to be a tougher promote with audiences much less acquainted with the dense supply materials.
In some ways, the New Gods collection faces the identical issues as an American superhero film: how you can inform an action-packed story that may fulfill viewers who’re already acquainted with its larger-than-life heroes and villains with out shedding those that are coming in chilly. Nezha’s story was grounded by way of stakes, with the titular hero working to take down a corrupt dragon crime boss, however Yang Jian makes the error of introducing far too many characters and complicated twists.
A mix of the Tang dynasty fairy story The Magic Lotus Lantern and the sixteenth century Chinese language novel Investiture of the Gods, Yang Jiang is ready 13 years after the eponymous deity sealed his sister beneath a mountain and misplaced most of his powers within the course of. He’s now scraping by because the chief of a crew of bounty hunters that may barely preserve their ship within the air. The setup feels extraordinarily like Cowboy Bebop, right down to Yang Jiang’s devoted hound Xiaotian being reimagined as a shapeshifter who alternates between the type of a canine and manic woman, successfully turning into a fusion of Radical Edward and Ein.
However the onerous luck ensemble arrange is brief lived because the movie pivots right into a fantasy noir, with a mysterious shopper tasking Yang Jiang with catching a thief. A number of twists and betrayals in, it’s not possible to know why he was really employed besides that the style’s tropes demand the down-on-his-luck protagonist be recruited by a stupendous and untrustworthy lady.
Yang Jiang’s crew fades into the background to make manner for a parade of different characters tied to his myths. Some, just like the Diablo Brothers, work nicely as a result of they’re so outlined by their spectacular preventing types that each one they should add to the story is a few cool strikes that may present a worthy problem for Yang Jiang’s substantial energy. Others, just like the drunken warrior Shen Gongbao, by no means get sufficient improvement to make their motivations clear and are available off feeling extra like archetypes than actual characters.
The interpretation from Mandarin to English isn’t at all times easy, resulting in some complicated idioms and in any other case stilted dialogue. The movie whips between stiff exposition, pointless inside flashbacks, and introducing new powers and ideas with none clarification. The result’s some issues feeling like deus ex machinas and it’s typically onerous to determine what the stakes really are.
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But for all these flaws, New Gods: Yang Jiang is a completely attractive film. The realm of the gods looks like Cloud Metropolis by the use of Blade Runner, a spectacular floating realm populated by an enormous number of unfamiliar beings from tiny mischievous demons to preening monkey crime bosses. The colours are vibrant and the main points on the ships, armor, and clothes are so nuanced they carry depth to each scene.
Like with Nezha Reborn, New Gods: Yang Jiang is pushed by its many kinetic chase scenes and combat sequences. The battles mix the type of wuxia with the over-the-top assaults of a martial arts anime. Characters duke it out by conjuring big power avatars or summoning a rain of glowing blades, however the final result remains to be decided extra by having a secret ally or a intelligent plan than a present of uncooked energy.
The ultimate sequence is very spectacular, using surreal landscapes harking back to Inception or Physician Unusual whereas taking part in with the animation type to show that the characters have been transported to a harmful new realm. Sadly the story ends so abruptly that too many characters and plots really feel like they’ve been left hanging for the movie to ship a extremely satisfying conclusion.
