Member DrNgor Posted November 21, 2021 Member Share Posted November 21, 2021 As China produces more and more xianxia and xuanhuan movies, do you the threads about individual films should go into the "Asian Cinema" section? Or in "Modern Martial Arts Cinema" section? Xianxia - Genre of Chinese fantasy influenced by Chinese mythology, Taoism, Buddhism, Chinese martial arts, traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese folk religion, Chinese alchemy and other traditional Chinese elements Protagonists are usually "cultivators" (修心者 xiūxīnhě, 修士 xiūshì, or 修仙者 xiūxiānzhě) who seek to become immortal beings called xian. Along the way, they attain eternal life, supernatural powers, and incredible levels of strength. The fictional cultivation practiced in xianxia is heavily based on the real-life meditation practice qigong. The stories usually include elements such as gods, immortals, yaoguai, ghosts, monsters, magical treasures, immortal items, medicinal pills, and the like. They often take place in a "cultivation world" where cultivators engage in fierce and usually deadly struggles to acquire the resources they need to grow stronger. Oftentimes, the initial setting is reminiscent of ancient China, but the stories usually become cosmic in nature, with the protagonists attaining godlike abilities, sometimes creating their own planets, galaxies or universes. While the primary focus is action and adventure, there are also romance-heavy stories. Xuanhuan - literally means "Mysterious Fantasy". A broad genre of fictional stories which remixes Chinese folklore/mythology with foreign elements & settings. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member sifu iron perm Posted November 21, 2021 Member Share Posted November 21, 2021 Thanks for this piece of knowledge. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted November 21, 2021 Moderator Share Posted November 21, 2021 2 hours ago, DrNgor said: As China produces more and more xianxia and xuanhuan movies, do you the threads about individual films should go into the "Asian Cinema" section? Or in "Modern Martial Arts Cinema" section? I'd say Asian cinema. In many ways I see these flicks as an evolution of the early 90's new wave wuxia's, which we're still based in the 'martial arts world', but mainly focused on fantastical displays of power through creative wirework and practical effects. The key difference is most of the entries in that genre came with actual martial artists either in the lead or in prominent supporting roles, so we'd still get to see some martial arts prowess. Today the relentless output in the xianxia and xuanhuan genres usually come with non-martial arts trained casts (this isn't a criticism by the way) and are reliant on CGI for their spectacle, with any trace of actual martial arts being peripheral at best. These are big budget action fantasy flicks, and many of them do what they do well, but they're not martial arts flicks. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Super Ninja Posted November 23, 2021 Member Share Posted November 23, 2021 Any examples of xuanhuan movies? I know Ching Siu-Tung's latest effort Jade Dynasty is a xianxia movie, I believe Double World as well, even the original Zu Warriors seems to fall into that category, but I haven't heard of xuanhuan as a genre yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted November 23, 2021 Author Member Share Posted November 23, 2021 1 hour ago, Super Ninja said: Any examples of xuanhuan movies? I'd say Renny Harlin's Legend of the Ancient Sword was xuanhuan. That had a number of Western elements in it: steampunk robots, airships, a modern club complete with a DJ. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Super Ninja Posted November 23, 2021 Member Share Posted November 23, 2021 5 hours ago, DrNgor said: I'd say Renny Harlin's Legend of the Ancient Sword was xuanhuan. That had a number of Western elements in it: steampunk robots, airships, a modern club complete with a DJ. Somehow that one flew under my radar. Hope it's better than Bodies at Rest and The Misfits. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted November 23, 2021 Author Member Share Posted November 23, 2021 1 minute ago, Super Ninja said: Somehow that one flew under my radar. Hope it's better than Bodies at Rest and The Misfits. See my review: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Super Ninja Posted November 23, 2021 Member Share Posted November 23, 2021 (edited) Terrific review! You already sold it to me with Real Steel-esque robot fights, but Cthulhu-esque octopus as the DJ and magical airship piloted by a talking panda really sealed the deal, I'm definitely watching this! Edited November 23, 2021 by Super Ninja 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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