DEMIGOD: The Legend Begins

Unheedful of his master’s warnings, ace acupuncturist and martial arts apprentice Su Huan-jen decides to treat Yu Lin, the ailing Lord of the Five Mountains, only to find himself at the centre of a deadly palace intrigue. In his attempts to extricate himself from a serious accusation, Su discovers that destiny has much bigger plans for him.

Chris Huang Wen-chang’s DEMIGOD: The Legend Begins is a baroque puppet animation wuxia epic that synthesises traditional and modern storytelling techniques to sumptuous effect. It has everything: magic, madness, heaven, sin, love, treason, high emotion, heroic bloodshed and attractive-as-hell protagonists. All of which is integrated into an eye-popping, breathtaking world of kinetic action and bloody violence with the help of elaborate practical and special effects, bringing to life glove puppets from Taiwan’s traditional pò͘-tē-hì theatre. They burst with vital energy as the film carries you away with sophisticated cinematic language, multiplanar compositions and frenzied editing patterns. The characters are all voiced by the late Wen Tze Huang, and complemented by exquisite costumes, accessories and props.

The result is a creative, crafty and opulent wuxia fantasy that moves at breakneck pace, featuring swashbuckling warriors, scheming vassals and benign demigods. And yes, there will be blood.

– Srikanth Srinivasan

The screening on 30 January will be preceded by a video essay by Yoana Pavlova, as part of the Critics' Choice programme.