Warriors from the Magic Mountain Zu

Tsui Hark, a genre visionary and one of the key architects of Hong Kong cinema, made his fourth feature film as a direct answer to Hollywood blockbusters. He wanted to prove that the local genre tradition could inspire the same sense of wonder - and he succeeded through lavish production design, striking cinematography, and groundbreaking special effects. The film revived the wu-xia adventure phenomenon for modern audiences, tales in which superhuman swordsmen face supernatural forces.

Like Spielberg or Lucas, Tsui drew from genuine love of classic genre films and the ambition to create their contemporary form. The result became the foundation for later hits like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and inspired filmmakers worldwide - John Carpenter openly credits it as the main inspiration for Big Trouble in Little China.

Heading the stellar cast is Yuen Biao as a young soldier who finds himself caught between two warring armies during the Tang dynasty. He seeks refuge in a cave on the ominous mountain Zu - but there he faces a battle with supernatural forces.