CREATION OF THE GODS I: KINGDOM OF STORMS

Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms, Well Go USA

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Review by Mark Dujsik | September 21, 2023

There's truth in advertising to the title, at least. Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms tells the epic tale of politics and administrative uncertainty in ancient China, of the intervention of divine and/or supernatural forces in the affair of humankind, and an impending doom that could spell the end of civilization or humanity itself. It does all of this with a large sense of scope, of course, but as the title's Roman numeral makes clear, this is just the first part of a bigger story.

In terms of establishing that more significant scale of storytelling, co-writer/director Wuershan's movie offers plenty of promise of things to come in a planned three-part adaptation of the 16th century novel The Investiture of the Gods. As a standalone story, it feels a bit too much as if this screenplay is so busy establishing characters, ideas, narrative threads, and this world of humans and their divine overseers that its own tale doesn't quite make an impact.

On the other hand, though, what we do get from even a third of this story is often imaginative and occasionally impressive. Wuershan takes it seriously, in that the filmmaker clearly wants this to be a respectful translation of a work that has maintained some hold on Chinese culture for hundreds of years, but not so seriously that it's a bore. After all, there are grand battles, with massive armies of men and supernatural entities performing all sorts of unlikely maneuvers, and villains as dastardly as the heroes are pure and all of sorts of magic to present here. Beneath the attempted respectability of the material, one can sense Wuershan having some giddy fun in bringing those elements to life.

It all begins with narration over a vast tapestry, explaining how the gods gave form to the world, created humans, engaged in their own conflicts and dramas, and left humankind alone to thrive—with good intentions and for good purposes, they hoped. At this point in humanity's history, this realm is divided into four territories, marked by the points of a compass, and ruled by a central authority in a king. One territory has entered into open rebellion against that king, leading the monarch's son Zhou (Kris Phillips) to lay siege to the dissident's castle, looking to return the traitor's severed head to his father.

From the start, two things are apparent. First, the story revolves assorted distinctions of high and low—from the king and future king and their court, to characters like the territorial price and royal hostage Ji Fa (Yu Shi), to the mystical sages who reside in an almost heavenly realm and keep tabs on ordinary mortals, to the unseen gods that preside over it all. The drama here suggests generations of tradition, layers of festering conflict between those in power and those who want it, and betrayal that could incur the wrath of both man and the divine alike.

Before the first act comes to a close, a Great Curse threatens to befall the land, after the king is murdered by one son and Zhou takes control, offering himself up as a sacrifice to appease the gods—but really trying to find a way out of that deal by multiple, often magical means. That includes a sorcerer with the ability to dislodge his head and send it floating around the room, although that trick won't do any good with the massive pyre being built to immolate Zhou.

Second, Wuershan has apparently spared no expense in allowing these ideas to be realized. The opening battle, for example, has Zhou's army charging through a fiery breach in the castle wall, sending warriors and horses alike into battle while partially ablaze. By the end of this tale, there will have been a dragon, giant statues brought to life, and, if one sticks around for the pair of teases during the credits, giants that likely will play a part in the next chapter. That doesn't even account for Ziya (Huang Bo), a sage who volunteers to bring a magical scroll to the new king as way to help, and his two companions, Nezha (Wu Yafan) and Jian (Cisha), who perform all sorts of magic-assisted acrobatics. Oh, there's also Daji (Naran), the rebellion leader's daughter who somehow survives a stab to the throat and may or may not be guiding Zhou toward evil.

It's a lot, and as counterintuitive as it might sound in regards to the first installment of a planned trilogy, it might be too much, as well. The fast-paced introductions and plotting are overwhelming to some extent, especially since it takes so long for the screenplay (written by the director, Ran Ping, Ran Jianan, and Cao Sheng) to cut through the abundance of characters, exposition, and plot devices to get to the core of the story's conflict.

In other words, Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms may offer many vaguely fascinating characters, plenty of ideas about power and human nature, and various imaginative sights, but it's doing so, mostly, in service of a story that is yet to be told. The story here suffers, not only because it's incomplete, but also because the filmmakers don't seem to trust this first chapter enough to give it a self-contained form and purpose. There's promise here, but unfortunately, it's a case of waiting for what's to come.

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