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Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe

Original title: Jiu ceng yao ta
  • 2015
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 58m
IMDb RATING
5.1/10
2.2K
YOUR RATING
Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe (2015)
Trailer for Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe
Play trailer1:12
1 Video
99+ Photos
Martial ArtsSupernatural FantasyActionAdventureDramaFantasy

Giant fossils unearthed in Mongolia lead government scientists to a dangerous underground world of massive beasts and temples.Giant fossils unearthed in Mongolia lead government scientists to a dangerous underground world of massive beasts and temples.Giant fossils unearthed in Mongolia lead government scientists to a dangerous underground world of massive beasts and temples.

  • Director
    • Chuan Lu
  • Writers
    • Chuan Lu
    • Muye Zhang
  • Stars
    • Mark Chao
    • Jin Chen
    • Li Feng
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.1/10
    2.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Chuan Lu
    • Writers
      • Chuan Lu
      • Muye Zhang
    • Stars
      • Mark Chao
      • Jin Chen
      • Li Feng
    • 27User reviews
    • 21Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 5 wins & 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe
    Trailer 1:12
    Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe

    Photos239

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    Top cast11

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    Mark Chao
    Mark Chao
    • Hu Bayi
    Jin Chen
    Jin Chen
    • Yang's mother
    Li Feng
    • Fat Wang Kaixuan
    Chen Li
    Chen Li
    • Mr. Wang
    Guangjie Li
    Guangjie Li
    • Officer Han
    Yan Tang
    Yan Tang
    • Weiwei
    Rhydian Vaughan
    • Chen Dong
    Deshun Wang
    • Anliru
    Qingxiang Wang
    • Doctor Yang
    Jun Wu
    • Lead Soldier
    Chen Yao
    Chen Yao
    • Shirley Yang
    • Director
      • Chuan Lu
    • Writers
      • Chuan Lu
      • Muye Zhang
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews27

    5.12.2K
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    Featured reviews

    5paul_m_haakonsen

    Action packed movie, but a confusing mess of a story...

    The synopsis for "Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe" (aka "Jiu ceng yao ta") does make this sort of feel like a mixture between the traditional Asian martial arts movie mixed up with a hefty doze of "Tomb Raider" or "Indiana Jones". And this is also what the movie turned out to be, to some extend...

    Visually then "Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe" was indeed a nice treat for the eyes to behold on the screen. Lots of great things, details in the scenes, props, costumes, etc. to look at. But the story just failed to have all that shine and luster that the visuals had.

    The story turned out to be a confusing scramble of an attempt of writing a coherent storyline, and it just lacked that all-important red thread that ties it all together. And on that account, the movie just became something of a visual presentation of various effects and Visuals, more than it was a story-based and story-driven movie. Which ended up being a hindrance for the movie.

    Now, whether this was the fault of director Chuan Lu or the fault of writers Chuan Lu, Bobby Roth and Nick Roth, I can only guess of course. But I am prone to lean towards the writers.

    The characters in the movie were well enough details and chiseled out on the screen, but they just were run over by the confusion of the entire movie, which overshadowed everything. And it should also be noted that they had indeed managed to get together a good ensemble of acting talents to star in the movie, just a shame that they had virtually no script or storyline to work with.

    There are far better forays into the adventure genre, even in Asian cinema, and as such, then "Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe" is hardly the type of movie that you will watch more than a single time.
    7unbrokenmetal

    Return to the underworld

    1979 in a distant area near Mongolia, huge monster skulls are discovered. The exploration team finds a way to the ghost temple, where dangerous beings can get through a portal. Not only the big "hell hounds", but also the tiny "fire bats", whose mere touch burns human beings to ashes. Hu Bayi (Mark Chao) survives and reads occult literature to understand better what has happened to the team. The movie continues with the second expedition probably in 1988, not "present day" as many reviewers wrote mistakenly, because we see a 1985 calendar and then get a subtitle '3 years later'. Also Hu Bayi is not an old man yet. Anyhow, he meets his lost love Ping, who now calls herself Shirley and pretends not to know him. The second expedition takes them to a destroyed desert town, and then the monsters reappear. What will happen when the portal gets opened again?

    This fantasy movie is a bit complicated, not telling the events chronologically, but jumping between 1979, 1985 and 1988 (?). It's not too easy on the audience, but it's worth paying attention. The 3D effects work well, especially in the cave scenes when you really feel you can look down into the depths. I'm not entirely satisfied with the monsters, as the jumps don't look real. For the weight they must have, they jump much too high, looks a bit like rubber balls. Anyhow, the story satisfies, and the effects are still pretty good apart from minor grudges.
    3Wizard-8

    If it had only made sense....

    It's interesting to watch foreign movies that attempt to compete with Hollywood blockbusters, because sometimes you can find some entertaining movies that do things differently while being entertaining. However, there are definitely times when these foreign films can be as bad as the worst to come from Hollywood, and "Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe" is one such movie. I didn't have a problem with the Chinese propaganda (every national cinema has films that trumpet their culture). And even though the special effects were kind of erratic, I didn't really have a problem with them as well.

    However, I did have a big problem with the script. The first fifteen minutes are pretty coherent, but after that point, the movie becomes extremely muddled. There are a ton of unanswered questions and mysterious plot developments. Some of these head-scratching moments are eventually answered (kind of), but new murky touches come up to take their place. I don't know if the confusion was due to translation problems, a necessity to know Chinese culture well, or simply bad writing... though I suspect the third possible explanation is the answer.

    The movie is well shot, fairly fast-paced despite its length, and it never gets to the point of being boring. But with such a muddled narrative, it's hard to care for the characters or what is happening. As a result, the movie is very unsatisfying. I would be willing to see these filmmakers do another movie, but only as long as they were working with a much better script.
    5Snootz

    Interesting but goofy

    The special effects and acting in this are pretty good as is the directing. The script is another matter. Stupid on toast. One can't even account the absurdity to modern re-telling of ancient Chinese lore, as this is totally modern fiction. It has a plot, sort of, it has a story line, sort of. I'm giving it 5 stars because it's a somewhat interesting watch and keeps ones attention all the way through, but the longer the movie goes the more ludicrous it gets and the ending is a total let-down. Plus, the werewolf like monsters have been seen before and seem to be right out of Daz 3D. I'm a fan of Chinese cinema. This was a disappointment.
    7Hellmant

    A lot of fun, especially if you like creature features.

    'CHRONICLES OF THE GHOSTLY TRIBE': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

    A Chinese fantasy action flick; about researchers, that discover ancient creatures, in the mountains near the Mongolian Border (in 1979). The story also takes place in modern day New York City (when the monsters reappear). The movie was directed by Chuan Lu, who also co-wrote the script (with Bobby and Nick Roth). It stars Mark Chao, Yao Chen, Rhydian Vaughan and Wang Qingxiang. The film is cheesy, and sometimes hard to follow, but it's still a lot of fun (especially if you like creature features).

    The story begins at the 1979 Mongolian Border; where the fossils of monstrous creatures have been found. A research team has been assigned to head into the mountains, to investigate the findings. They're lead by a professor (Qingxiang), his daughter (Chen) and an adventurer, named Hu Bayi (Chao). After the team is attacked, by various different beasts, Bayi is the only survivor. The film then flashes forward, to present day New York City, where Bayi now works as a librarian (studying demonology). He's called back into action, when he hears about more monster attacks (in Northern China).

    The film has some fantastic visual effects (the creatures look amazing)! I had trouble keeping up with the subtitles sometimes, and also the story, but I still really enjoyed the movie. I love monster flicks, and this one is definitely a fun one. I couldn't have cared less about the human characters, or any of their drama, but I loved watching the creatures; and the amazing special effects!

    Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/lcZBQp0HBZg

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    Related interests

    Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon (1973)
    Martial Arts
    Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson in Ghostbusters (1984)
    Supernatural Fantasy
    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    Still frame
    Adventure
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Elijah Wood in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    Fantasy

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Goofs
      While walking through the town the shadows of multiple creatures have the sunlight from different positions.
    • Quotes

      Doctor Yang: The life you choose may not persist. The death you choose may not exist.

    • Soundtracks
      Napoleon
      Composed by Kasson Crooker and Melissa R Kaplan

      Performed by Symbion Project

      Courtesy of Speed of Dark Music

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    FAQ16

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 30, 2015 (China)
    • Country of origin
      • China
    • Language
      • Mandarin
    • Also known as
      • Ghost Blows Out: The Nine-Story Demon Tower
    • Production companies
      • Chuan Films
      • Beijing Global Yoodoo Films
      • Beijing Happy Whale Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $106,380,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 58m(118 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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