Film Review - Creation of the Gods 1: Kingdom of Storms (2023)

Large-scale fantasy epics are quite few and far between, and the quality of such projects has been inconsistent, to say the least. Not even Peter Jackson could capture lightning in a bottle twice, as The Lord of the Rings is on a completely different level compared to The Hobbit films. So, I’m always worried when it comes to this genre. I had this feeling when I watched Creation of the Gods 1: Kingdom of Storms for the first time last year, and in a way, I had the same reservations when rewatching the film for the home video release.

Creation of the Gods 1: Kingdom of Storms is the first in a planned trilogy of films that adapt the novel Investiture of the Gods, known in Chinese as Fengshen Yanyi. Taking place during the Shang dynasty, the film’s narrative is deeply complex. The story follows a variety of characters, each with their own goals. Simply put, the film follows King Zhou, who conspires with a fox demon to kill the emperor and seize power. He slowly becomes a tyrant, and due to this, incurs the wrath of heaven. This leads to gods intervening to save the mortal realm. The gods invest in an unlikely champion with the hope of him challenging the evil king.

That is a very basic summary of the film; there are many more layers and characters to this narrative. You could argue it is too much, but the film does a masterful job of blending all the narrative elements into a smooth and thrilling epic. To say this film is epic feels like an understatement. The film’s scale is immense and unlike anything I have ever seen before. Everything about this film is unique. From the costume design to the action set pieces, everything feels otherworldly. Eastern fantasy, while having similar imagery, feels dramatically different from Western fantasy. Its depictions of gods, dragons, and even demons feel refreshing to see.

The film’s greatest strength, though, is its acting. Everyone in the cast brings their A-game. Kris Phillips as King Zhou is nothing short of scene-stealing. Every time he is on screen, the tension levels are at their peak as we see this once-strong warrior descend into tyranny. In conjunction with his performance, we have Li Xuejian as Ji Chang, who is the polar opposite of King Zhou. He brings such humanity to this role, and we feel his suffering so expertly through Li Xuejian‘s performance.

With this Blu-ray release, we get some bonus features in the form of over an hour of making-of featurettes. We get to see behind the scenes of the set design and cinematography. Seeing the curtain being pulled back was fascinating, and the ion for this project by everyone who worked on it was palpable.

In addition, the film’s transfer to Blu-ray is utterly gorgeous. While I would have loved a 4K release or even a 4K steelbook, the Blu-ray still looks stunning. You can see all the beautiful and complex details in the costumes, and the luscious landscapes are displayed in all their glory.

Creation of the Gods 1: Kingdom of Storms is one of the best fantasy films I have seen in a very long time and is truly special. It is masterfully made and something everyone should see. I cannot wait for the other two films to be released.