Writer: Loong Wai Ting

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Watch this if you liked: "The Legend Of Tzu", "The Storm Riders", "Final Fantasy"

After the countless action movies on triad societies and other drama pictures of the same ilk, Hong Kong wants to emulate Disney and produce their very own Wuxia film with a heavy touch of computer generated imagery.

Speaking of which, "Storm Riders: Clash of Evils" represents such an approach. The concept is still very much the same as the action movie "Storm Riders" made famous by Aaron Kwok and Ekin Cheng. With mighty swords on their backs and long hair fluttering in the wind, not to mention the striking pose and superpowers built for destruction, one can never forget the 1998 original.

For "Clash of Evils," the story is neither too great nor too boring but for fans of Wuxia comics, this is something made especially for you. For the general public, one might find the killer abs, well-toned backs and good-looking characters impressive, so what is there not to like about "Storm Riders"?

The characters as well as the sceneries are well crafted. Every expression and form is created using brilliant strokes and colouring. Occasionally though, the backdrop can appear quite fake. It seems like a mix of 3-D backdrop graphics, followed by 2-D characters and props. Sometimes it can almost be very much like basic paper and pencil drawing.

For every fight scene, the art director prefers to use slow motion to depict the intensity. However, not all slow-mo effects hit the bull's-eye. Some of them are quite unnecessary too.

Well, don't expect too much on character development, as the story focuses primarily on the action-driven need to seek revenge and defeat evil forces. Of course, there is still room for the story to expand without leaving so many question marks on everyone's head.

Cinema Online, 21 November 2008