Zu Warriors (2001)

Tsui Hark's "Zu Warriors" follow-up is a feast not only for the eyes, but the soul. It tells the tale of a collection of flying mountains, where God-like beings reside. After thousands of years of peaceful existance, another God-like character (Insomnia) begins to one by one destroy their worlds, in (what else?) a plot to destroy everything as powerful as he/she. The film stars a cornucopia of HK talents, including Crouching Tiger's Zhang Ziyi as a young soldier, Sammo Hung (of Martial Law and 40 years of HK fight films), and Akin Chang, of The Storm Riders, as the last remaining student from a mountain destroyed several hundred years ago. It is also written and directed by Tsui Hark (HK's number one action producer) and features fight choreography by Yuen Wo Ping of The Matrix and Crouching Tiger. The film is Chang's, and his sad story of having no home, and pining for the woman (and teacher) he once loved is the heart of the film. Like many Chinese period pieces, it occassionally ventures into melodrama, but the characters and story pull you along, with grand help by visuals that rival any US-made film. In short, it is an epic. And a good one. If you love films that are massive in scale, with a little more intelligence and heart than the action schlock we see over here, you definitely owe it to yourself to check this masterpiece out.