Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force
With his second film in his adaptation of the novel by Zhonglin Xu, Wuershan adds a lot more color and depth of frame than the first film of this planned trilogy had, and boy does it make a difference to the spectacle of the movie. “Demon Force” has much more of the fantasy elements in it than its predecessor, and it was a big gamechanger to this film. This is like the 2010 remake of “Clash of the Titans,” but actually impressive from a visual standpoint, and engaging from a narrative one. While there are things I liked about the first film, there’s more I liked about this one.
Taking place after the first film, the city of Xiqi is under attack by the Shang dynasty army. With this new war in front of them, Jiang Ziya (Huang Bo) and Ji Fa (Yosh Yu) must bring humans together to defend Xiqi, with the help of Kunlun immortals. When a former crown prince is brought before the great Saints for resurrection, things go awry, with even more challenges brought to the forefront.
One of the reasons “Demon Force” feels like a stronger film than “Kingdom of Storms,” its predecessor, is not just the stronger visual flair that is shown in the set pieces- and in general- but how this structure feels a little bit more familiar in how it plays out. This is a little like the “Seven Samurai” structure of a band of misfit warriors working together to save a specific place, just with a huge supernatural element involved. I likened this franchise’s potential more to the “Hobbit” movies than “Lord of the Rings,” but there’s a confidence to this film that feels more in keeping with the “Rings” films that enhances what we saw in the original, which is what a great continuation film should do.
I will admit that I’m finding myself to be a sucker for these sort of large-scale adventure epics as I get more into modern Asian cinema. These films, the “Alienoid” films, and Kim Han-min’s Admiral Yi trilogy all have a flair for old school spectacle that I love. Yes, by their nature, the “Creation of the Gods” films rely more on noticeable CGI to bring the action to life, but all of these franchises have found a way to ground their narratives in characters and emotions that only increases their worldbuilding. I find myself more intrigued by following this franchise through to the end now than I did after the first film. That’s a credit to the choices Wuershan has made, and he’s making strong choices as he gets closer to the end.
