User reviews

The makers of The Storm Riders took a chance when making this experimental film. They did something that had never been done before by fusing extreme computer graphics into a Hong Kong style martial arts film. Needless to say they were very successful. I have never seen the amount of visual graphics found in Storm Riders in any film prior. With the help of SFX all the characters gain divine fighting abilities. In fact it's like watching battles between gods rather than humans. I enjoyed this film greatly and would have loved to have seen it on the big screen. The story is straight out of Asian folklore and the acting is painless. The only flaw I found in this film is also it's strength. Though beautiful and powerful, Storm Riders relies on SFX too much. There is actually very little fighting skill used. Most of the fights are completely computer enhanced and the actors never truly cut loose. The good news is that the creators of this fine film learned from it and did a little fine tuning in their next attempt, A Man Called Hero.

the storm riders is a big budget, special effects laden, martial arts fantasy adventure. based on a popular comic book by ma wing-sing, the film proved a massive hit in the hong-kong box office.

set in a mythical chinese past, this fantasy epic is a classic tale of prophetic young heroes and a megalomaniacal warlord (played by sonny chiba) who strives to become the undisputed leader of the martial arts world. chiba excels in this movie and gives an enormously entertaining performance as 'conquer', who frequently comes across as something of a pantomime villain.

critics will argue that the film relies too heavily on visual effects, but the extensive use of cgi conjures a stunning overall look and feel which is somewhere between comic book, video game and live action movie. besides, when the special effects look this good, who cares?

packed full of swordplay, magic, stunning locations, ridiculous costumes and some quite incredible hair, the storm riders is arguably andrew lau's most accomplished movie to date.

The DVD case uses the phrase "Final Fantasy" twice, and they're not kidding - moody photogenic youths with perfect windswept hair, a tragic love triangle, outrageous swords, and even a character called Cloud. The starting and closing credits are cut-scenes as well.

It's all good though. The film looks gorgeous, has some beautiful set pieces and is very entertaining. Enjoy the trip, this is for people who enjoyed Zu Warriors.

A couple of points points - you'll have to be a bit tolerant of Canto-pop if you watch the extended version. Also, fight fans be warned, this is about special effects not choreography, so if you're looking for some fancy moves get a Jet Li movie instead.

I heard how great this Hong Kong flick, so I was really happy to find a copy of it at my video store. Unfortunately, at the time of my rental, I didn't know that the U.S. video/DVD distributor hacked out about THIRTY MINUTES from the original running time! What a mess! The movie made absolutely no sense!

Still, I could see enough in this butchered print to indicate that the full uncut version must be fabulous (and make a heck of a lot more sense!) So I think it's safe for me to recommend you see it - though ONLY if you can see the uncut version!

This was a huge hit when it went on the bigscreen around Asia, and I must say as I now have laid my hands upon the DVD version that this film is a rather nice story telling magician movie =) it uses a lot of effects which overall is very nicely done..though I have awaited a little more action but I guess we can't get it all..

I must say that I wonder where they have cut out almost 30 minutes of the movie but for the US release. I got the HK version so I can't tell what they cut out

I recommend this movie to everyone that enjoys HK movies and likes magic to rule an film =)

The evil warlord Conquer is told by a mysterious monk called Mud Buddha that he must find "Wind" and "Cloud" to become successful and invincible for the following ten years. After this ten years, there would be another prophecy about his destiny. Conquer then kills the parents of young children "Wind", "Cloud" and "Frost" and raises them so they can help him in his quest to conquer and rule over every known country in the world. Their magic powers make them winners in every battle. "Wind" and "Cloud" also both fall in love with Charity, Conquer's daughter. After ten years have passed, Mud Buddha tells Conquer that his successful days are over. When Wind and Cloud unite to become a storm, Conquer would be overcome and his might would be destroyed. Angry about this new prophecy, Conquer separates his still loyal warriors in an attempt to change his destiny...

"The Storm Riders" is the most expensive movie in the history of Hong Kong cinema and came close to hit three times the box-office record of the later "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (for some reason that film became by far better known in the west) in Hong Kong theatres. A classic, epic story of martial-arts heroes, magic, romance and revenge, this is riveting from start (opening with a great CGI credits sequence) to finish and a must-see for every fan of Asian fantasy and action movies. The special effects are first-rate and the CGI fight sequences must be seen to be believed! It's a bit slow-paced at times, but the action definitely makes up for it. Love that scene with the fireflies! Make shure to see the 128-minutes director's cut of the movie and not the butchered international version that lacks most of the plot development and even some of the (pretty tame) violence.

There's always a greater than usual chance of getting it wrong when judging the artworks of other cultures, but there's little chance in this case. Trust me, it's abysmal. If there's any value I'm missing it lies in the dialogue, which, I presume, was imperfectly represented by the subtitles I saw - few obvious mistakes, but clearly they were written by someone not perfectly at ease with English. All the same, I doubt that the stilted Dungeons-and-Dragons-speak is entirely an artefact of translation. ("I note your Frost Bolts are at a mere 80%" ... or words to that effect; I had difficulty staying awake.)

Apart from the occasional stirring shot there's nothing visually spectacular about the film: it has the inconsistent artistic purpose of a director who insists on using every camera trick he can think of, usually badly, without any clear idea why he's using any particular one. An occasional fight scene will surge forth with SOME energy, but this only serves to highlight lethargy elsewhere. Watching the script-following characters muddle their way through the convoluted plot is like watching an aerial shot of people trying to get out of the Hampton Court Maze. Please tell me that they weren't trying for mythic grandeur. That would be just too embarrassing.

When I first saw the box for The Stormriders, I had never heard of the comics, let alone the film. But given that this is one of the biggest films, Hong Kong had ever made, I had to watch it for myself.

I was, it has to be said, very pleasantly surprised. The storyline was a bit dark (possibly one might say it could have been darker to give it a bit more depth), and some of the martial arts action were brilliantly choreographed. The characters were on the whole well built giving the whole movie an edge.

However, the main weakness of the film has to be the discontinuity in many places in the film. It does feel, even with the Directors' Cut, version that I saw, there was too much edited out of the film and it left you slightly disoriented at times. I can't begin to imagine what the International Version must be like as it has some 40 minutes taken out of it.

But credit has to be given to the graphics team behind the special effects. They were all discreetly put together into the film, such that it added to the film rather than the film depending on it. The film is already some four years old as I write this, and it seems to not have aged at all.

Overall, it is a good film to watch. The box also mentions that it's Final Fantasy HK Style, and though I'd say the story itself might not make a great Final Fantasy game, the SFX do give it that feel. The film isn't perfect, but I have to give it full marks have for effort.

The most appropriate opening statement for this review would have to be the following: Storm Riders is one of the most overrated movies to EVER come out of China.

First of all, the movie proved insatiably annoying within the first half hour. The first action sequence (in a forest) is a disgrace to the art of action choreography, using quick-cuts and non-fluid camera tricks that play out like you're watching a slide show (similar to those used in Ashes of Time). Add to this a "wise man" who talks as if he's a robot with a stick up his rear-end, and one has in the making a remarkably poor film that annoys to the point of making the viewer angry.

The use of extremely poor action is the hallmark of this film, as well as its brother movie A Man Called Hero. I have always held that the concept of "action" demands that the characters actually DO something. They don't here. Storm Riders first walks the dubious roads trekked by Pistol Opera in having its characters perform theatre poses, only to then invoke the Pokemon-like glowing balls used in A Man Called Hero. Who could possibly call this nonsense "action" while keeping a straight face? The fact of the matter is that the special effects in this movie are used as a smokescreen to mask its deficiencies in action choreography. It's as if the makers of this movie didn't feel like taking the time to painstakingly map out fight scenes or brainstorm over fresh combinations of moves and maneuvers. The result is a series of artsy confrontations devoid of any quality whatsoever.

The fact that Storm Riders is absurdly overrated is beyond question. One reviewer on another web site went so far as to compare this movie with The Matrix because it "sets up a new dimension of film making." If the exploitative substitution of cartoons for quality action set pieces is to be deemed a "new dimension", then I suppose he is correct.

Rating = 1/5 stars

This was very entertaining to watch. The special effects are great as fight scenes giving the characters super powers. The story is not hard to follow and the whole concept of fate is key. Conquer (played by Sonny Chiba) is the antagonist who's someone you do NOT mess with. I think it's his deep voice though that gives him that real evil aura. I really didn't find myself disliking his character which, again, is credit to Sonny. He's just a really cool baddie.

Wind and Cloud are really cool to watch. Their powers are amazing to see and they can deal a lot of damage. Interesting triangle involved too. One thing that films like this do is focus too much on the effects and disregard the acting. Storm Riders gives you two great warriors: Wind is strong, but kind hearted and caring. Cloud is unpredictable and has a tough demeanor. Give credit to Aaron Kwok who gives a great performance. His blank look stare totally defines his character. Hey, add Kristy Yang and Shu Qi, you can't lose!!

Definitely one worth watching.

This is no doubt a good movie but a rather poor adaptation of the original comic. The writer is basically trying to cram the comic's first 30 or so issues into 2 hours. The story itself is simple but with such a large number of characters, it is hard to follow at times. The fighting scenes are all well choreographed (occasionally true to the original comics) but sometimes they are hijacked but the SFX. A major disappointment is the lack of depth in the title characters, Wind & Cloud.

Overall it is an enjoyable movie.

My oh my. I picked this one up on the basis of the reviews in here and loving fantasy martial arts I thought I was onto a winner. What are the reviewers in here smoking? Even when I don't agree with opinions I can generally understand the reasons behind someone liking a film I don't. But here we have a film without a SINGLE redeeming feature yet it's sitting pretty on a way too generous 6.6. Honestly, this is as poor as film making gets. Awful, awful direction with MTV video editing makes for incoherent fight scenes with no fluency coupled with a dog of a narrative. The film is a mess. That isn't even the biggest problem, it's the films visual style that sells it down the river. It's so contrived and riddled with bad CGI it comes out looking like a CARTOON. Honestly, it's that bad. How can anyone possibly give this pass marks? It looks cheaper than an episode of Power Rangers and amazingly is even poorer in execution. I can only imagine kids under the age of 10 enjoying this nonsense. I'm here to warn any adults who are even remotely curious about this turkey to spend your money on something else. Anything else. If you respect class direction and cinematography try Musa The Warrior or Hero for proper examples of Asian film making. If you love Saturday morning cartoons and are 8 yrs old then get this.

1 out of 10

Niz

Stormriders was a movie that was not highly publicised. After a friend recommended it I popped it into my player with no real expectations.

From the opening credits it grabbed my attention. The music was excellent and it had a hi-tech appearance that belayed my fears that it was yet another low budget Hong Kong B-grade martial arts flick.

The story progressed rather well and I became entranced in the subtleties of the plot. It flowed well from start to finish and had very little confusion that I find occurs a lot in HK movies. The action scenes while very 'Fantasy', were well balanced and not cheap. In general, Stormriders possesses a fantastic mix of stunts, CGA and musical score and will please.

I have seen both the 128 min version in Chinese with subtitles, and the 91 min English dubbed version. The only serious critical comment I have with the 128 min Chinese version is that the subtitles were a little small.

However watch the 91 min version at your peril!! Its missing so many scenes that it becomes so watered down that it becomes farcical. The main characters English dubbed voices don't suit the chars: Striding Cloud (Aaron Kwok)loses his essential moodiness, Jestor becomes a real on screen joke and Mud-Buddha loses his credibility as the all seeing prophet. In general you miss out on so many lovely little tidbits especially from Qi Shu (Muse) and the plot suffers terribly as you are forever fighting to catch up on what the heck is going on. You'll find yourself saying 'Hang on..!!', 'How the heck...', 'Woah, why is that..' etc.

When comparing 'Stormriders'(128min version) with 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', there is no comparison. It made me wonder why the latter received so much publicity and awards and Stormriders received nothing. It is seriously like comparing 'chalk and cheese'.

However, the 91min version of Stormriders I would rate 3/10 and that is being 'very' generous. Seriously - 128min version or nothing.

To this day, Stormriders (128 min)is up there with my very favourite all time action/martial arts movies. See it, I bet it will endear to you too:)

I really liked this movie,and both leads were perfect in there roles.

this is a action fantasy with lots of cool but hoky special effects and almost non stop action.

Great fighting scenes and decent special effects.your 12 to 15 year olds will love it as will most si-fi/fantasy/kung-fu buffs.

This was one of the best HK films I have ever seen. The special FX were beyond amazing and the acting by Ekin Cheng, Aaron Kwok, and Sonny Chiba was some of the best I have seen. It was as if they were born to play their roles. The action sequences were awesome too. usually, movies made from comic books don't do well, with few exceptions, and this is without a doubt one of those exceptions. I recently heard a sequel is in the works. I'll be looking forward to that!!!

Nice Martial Arts Movie, with very good FX. At the beginning the story is a little bit boring, but when the action begins is just wow! The Actors are playing their roles very good and brings nice emotions into the movie. Especially the firemonster impressed me much. Sometimes it is a little bit to "magic", so i can´t believe some things. But all in all a nice entertaining movie

I was quite surprised to see this movie show up at my local Blockbuster. I'd heard of it before, but I knew it's a relatively unknown movie in North America. Here are my (disorganized) thoughts on it.

I must say that it was a very pleasant surprise for me. I knew this movie was notorious for its use of SFX, but the way they are used for the fight scenes is visually creative, and are very much reminiscent of what one would see in a FINAL FANTASY video game (VII and later). It also brought to mind the mystical warriors of BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, which was possibly an inspiration for the filmmakers.

I also enjoyed the soundtrack and the gorgeous sets. Some of the storytelling techniques used were initially jarring, but I quickly got used to them. The dubbing was competent, and did not bother me as much as it usually does. Sonny Chiba's portrayal of 'Lord Conquer' brought a lot to this movie, what a great villain. Qi Shu was lovely!

A year before The Matrix and X-Men, Hong Kong made a comic book superhero movie with source-material accurate visuals achieved via ground-breaking combinations of wire kung fu and Hollywood style CG VFX, including bullet-time, and it is easily as stunning to watch as either of them. On top of that, the story is amazing. Sonny Chiba, Aaron Kwok, Ekin Cheng and Kristy Yeung have a fantastic chemistry together, their story unfolds like classic mythology or a Shakespearean tragedy. (It's essentially "King Lear" but if the two of the three daughters were adopted sons and there was a love triangle between them and they're all super-powered martial artists, with abilities similar to "bending" like in "Avatar") Shu Qi is adorable in an early comic relief role From the director of "Infernal Affairs" the sweeping gangster epic remade by Scorsese as "The Departed"

What a martial arts movie! Good acting, great special effects and charismatic characters. The martial arts sequences were beautifully shot, indoors as well as out of doors.

The plot is a little hazy, at least as to why Cloud would be a student under the man who killed his father; however, he has the appropriate amount of angst, so it is easily ignored. In my opinion, the Cassandra-like character, Mud-Buddha, is the most compelling. Like Cassandra, he misused his gift of prophecy; however, unlike Cassandra, he was stricken with running sores.

Sonny Chiba was sufficiently intense in this movie. I've seen a great many of his movies and this is not his best performance; however, I don't think that he was meant to overpower the special effects anyway. I find it interesting that, if I hadn't known beforehand, I never would've guessed that the man on the screen behind the beard was Chiba...

Anyone who liked Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon would enjoy this movie. If you like the older martial arts flicks, this one should also be a joy to watch. I give it a nine out of ten...

This is absolutely Greatest Sci-Fi martial arts movie of All time! My first, and foremost Favorite movie. This Movie has a powerful story that stands by itself. Added to that is the effects, and the choreography that make this movie riveting.

This is a must see(must Own) for anyone with a Fantasy-Martial Arts Interest.

Anyoneone who Love's this movie would Enjoy "The Bride With White Hair"(1&2), and "Heroic Trio" and "The Executioners".

I saw the DVD of this movie in a local HMV store and on the cover it said that it outsold 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' in Hong Kong. I read the back and it sounded very interesting. The DVD contained 2 discs - the international version and the Director's cut. I opted for the Director's cut as I like to see films the way the Director intended.

So, I bought it, sat back and pressed play. I was absolutely amazed - the story was fascinating, steeped in Eastern mysticism, the acting was superb (especially Aaron Kowk as Cloud and Ekin Cheng as Wind, the two principal leads) and the special effects were mind blowing.

I won't give the story away and to be honest, the plot wouldn't do justice to the way the film's made and how entertaining it really is. Ideas are thrown in one after the other, Lau's direction is assured and there are set pieces which defy belief (for example, when Wind is fighting the fire dragon in the cave).

It's simple, if you have a chance to see this, then watch it. Watch the Director's version though - the International version is many minutes shorter and badly dubbed.

This is the best Honk-Kong Fantasy out there, !!BUT!! If you are about to buy it, rent it or borrow it, make sure it is the original version and nothing else!!! You will know this by checking the length of this movie which should be over 2 hours! and not 90 min as the US version. Also check the language which should be Cantonese and not English.

In the US version of this flick you will miss the most important scenes and won´t understand anything because it´s cut down to the minimum.

This IS one of the greatest movies. "Final Fantasy" meets "Lord Of The Rings".

US version 3/10. Original version 10/10!!!