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The Sorcerer and the White Snake Blu-ray Review

“The Sorcerer and the White Snake” is weirdly entertaining.

“The Sorcerer and the White Snake,” which is based on a famous Chinese legend, is a multi-story supernatural fantasy-action film involving demon hunters (a sorcerer monk and his assistant) and an herbalist who unknowingly falls in love with a female demon snake disguised as a woman. As you can probably surmise, these two storylines collide which proves to be problematic for the couple’s romance. Expect to see a few subplots involving another demon snake and the monk’s assistant as well (I’m keeping it vague here on purpose).

When watching “The Sorcerer and the White Snake,” you might find yourself uttering “What am I watching?” on several occasions as the film is littered with oddball imagery involving batwomen, a talking mouse, a talking rabbit, a talking turtle, demons galore, talking roots, and, of course, Jet Li inside a giant snake, snake women. To say the film is a silly CGI filled martial arts adventure is an understatement, and yet, it’s oddly watchable. Compared to Jet Li’s last starring role in the bland “Flying Swords of Dragon Gate,” ‘Sorcerer’ is a big improvement as it is (at the very least) action-packed, humorous, and entertaining in a guilty pleasure sort of way. It may be cartoony and sort of a “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” knock-off in tone, but at least the film is visually pleasing (thanks to Venus Keung’s striking cinematography) and imaginative (which is rare these days).  

Video/Audio:

Despite the inconsistent CGI, it definitely benefits from being presented in 2.35:1 1080p thanks to the crystal clear transfer.

This disc contains English and Japanese 5.1 DTS-HD audio tracks. The English dub is serviceable, but the original language Mandarin track is the clear victor here.

Extras:
* Magnolia trailers including one for “The Sorcerer And The White Snake.”
* “AXS TV: A Look At The Sorcerer And The White Snake”- A standard featurette that sells the movie and shows off some behind-the-scens footage.
* “Behind The Scenes: Visual Effects And Production Design”- The title says it all.
* “Behind The Scenes With Jet Li: Fighting, Stunts and Laughs”- A brief look at Jet li in action on set.
* “Behind The Scenes: The Beauties And The Beasts”- A featurette that showcases the actresses and the demon characters.
* BD-Live capabilities.

Summary: “The Sorcerer and the White Snake” is by no means Jet Li’s finest work, but it’s a fun rental regardless.

April 26, 2013 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Jet Li, The Sorcerer and the White Snake Blu-ray Review