The movie happens to be a LOT of fun, with great special effects (something the Chinese usually skimp on) and fun action sequences, but the first act tends to bring the film down as well as the feeling that there was a lot of instances where the script could have been trimmed and tightened a bit, as the film feels about 20 minutes too long. Not to mention the copious fight scenes with hand to hand combat thrown in that would make Angelina Jolie and her stunt double jealous. There’s plenty of gold and traps to keep our heroes busy, but there’s a lot of Chinese mythology and emphasis on ethnic methods of mythology and lore to keep it interesting.
Once that’s established the rest is actually a very enjoyable “Tomb Raider” knockoff that keeps the spirit of the video game and movies alive, just with a Chinese twist. The first act takes a bit of getting used to as the viewer struggles to find out just how the group dynamic works between Wang, Shirley and Hu. Now the group of tomb raiders has to find their way through the maze of the tomb, NOT get eaten by zombies or burned alive by phosphorous traps AND somehow law Ding’s memory to rest at the same time.Īs I mentioned earlier, there’s some eccentricities in the first act that seems to have been lost in translation or poorly laid out in the exposition. Despite Hu’s decision to leave her death in the past. This cult is after the same power that destroyed Ding and the rest of their group 20 years ago, and Wang is still desperately obsessed with finding out what happened. Especially since their benefactors have been keeping a few secrets of their own along the way. Surviving all the traps of the ancient burial rites is another. The only problem is that getting into the tomb is one thing. Now, 20 years later Wang and Hu have been given the opportunity to go back to that very tomb at the behest of this cult and their leader. After going out and disturbing an ancient tomb as a sign of rebellion against the old order, Ding is lost in the mystical mayhem that is unleashed. Back then they were in love with the same girl, Ding Sitian (played by Chinese model Angelbaby), and were involved with the People’s Republic of China and the Rise of Chairman Mao. This is later explained through flashbacks where the viewer is privy to seeing the two men back 20 years ago in 1969 (the film is set is 1989 instead of the present). There’s an even further disconnect when Wang decides to take a job offer from a mysterious woman and her cult after seeing a mysterious artifact. All we know is that there is some sexual tension between Hu and Shirley (which is kind of amusing to hear the Mandarin language try to pronounce the English name), and that Wang is a bit of the comic relief. There is some information that is certainly lost in translation during the first act, as we’re really not let in on WHO the characters are and what their motivations are until a bunch of flash backs start happening. It has been a tradition for over 80 generations, but now the Mojin have disbanded and moved to America after a job gone poorly. Hu Bayi (Kun Chen), Wang Kaixun (Bo Huang) and Shirley Yang (the incredibly beautiful Qi Shu) are the newest generation of Mojin, otherwise known as Tomb Raiders who steal from the riches of the buried to fund the wealth of the modern Chinese government. While this is the second film in the franchise it isn’t wholly necessary to have seen the prequel, and in fact, while there is some issues here and there with the exposition, The Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe doesn’t really play much into the plot besides pre knowledge of Hu and Wang. It takes the idea of Lara Croft and turns her into a team of tomb raiders who have given up their old past only to be dragged back into the profession when one of the members is hired to dig up an old grave that holds great sadness for the two founding members. Mojin: The Lost Legend is actually the second in the series, with The Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe looking like it will come out from Well Go USA in the next couple of months (which excites this author more than a little bit). There were several films that tried to mimic the success of the tomb raiding heroine, but none were as successful as The Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe that came out of Hong Kong a few years back. market and even was able to craft a solid sequel (in some ways better than the first) with Cradle of Life back in the early 2000 era. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was a moderate success In the U.S. This is another "Legacy" review of a previous reviewed film to coincide with the release of Mojin: The Worm Valley, and as such will have references to 3 years ago rather than the present.
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