Disclaimer: There are spoilers in this review.
The “Creation of the Gods” franchise is a Chinese epic fantasy film trilogy loosely based on the 16th-century novel “Investiture of the Gods” “Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force” is the second movie in the Creation of the Gods trilogy, a combination of history and fantasy, reimagining the story of Ji Fa, an actual Chinese emperor, through XianXia — a martial arts genre with more fantastical and mystical elements.
Directed by Wuershan, the trilogy has been in progress since 2018, exploring the world of immortals. The film, which is in Chinese but offers English subtitles as an option, pulls you into an immersive story and incredible visuals, cementing itself as a worthy successor to the prequel.
The movie just finished showing in AMC theatres nearby with English subtitles, and will most likely hit online streaming services soon, as its prequel already has.
While we didn’t watch the prequel “Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms,” the movie still flowed well since every scene that requires prior knowledge has a flashback or explanation.
Set after the events of the first film, Demon Force starts off with the resurrection of Yin Jiao, the son betrayed by his father, the King of Shang, Yin Shou. During the process of resurrection, Yin Jiao absorbed all the power of the Great Saint Jiang Ziya.
It then pans to Xiqi, a city holding the Feng Shen Bang, a divine object that Yin Shou has been convinced is the key to the survival of the Shang Dynasty. He sends an army led by Deng Chanyu, a skilled warrior, to reclaim the Feng Shen Bang. In this process, Deng Changyu and Ji Fa start fighting, in which both of them tumble down a cliff and are temporarily out of the equation.
While this is happening, Jiang Ziya, who lost all his power, ends up kidnapped by Shen Gongbao’s crows but is rescued and brought to Xiqi, where he will join with the resistance and act as the strategist and ultimately lead to the resistance’s survival.
As the story goes on, plot twist after plot twist keeps you on your feet, glued to the screen and longing for more.
Writing deserves praise
Expanding on the Fengshen Yanyi universe, the writing of “Demon Force” is great. All of the characters feel multi-faceted: Ji Fa continuously debates himself over surrender or resistance, trying to save as many Xiqi lives as possible, feeling like a selfless character who sometimes acts selfishly.
Deng Changyu has internal strife over Shang’s actions and following orders versus the morals that her father instilled in her. I especially like the fact that she isn’t the perfect heroine but a character who has had trauma and her own experiences. Yin Jiao is a character with built-up resentment from the betrayal of his father, Yin Shou, who killed both him and his mother for Da Ji, a fox spirit. He has to grapple over his personal vengeance and the good of Xiqi and his friend Ji Fa. The story has characters that feel real, and that made me much more invested in the story.
Besides the characters themselves, the overall story progression makes sense; I can feasibly understand many of the actions that are taken and how the story progresses.
Turning away from the plot, the effects and choreography are nothing short of stunning. The fight scenes are choreographed incredibly realistically and engagingly. They draw you into the battle, unable to peel your eyes away from the screen. For example, during the fight scene between Deng Changyu and Ji Fa over the cliff, there are so many details that bring the scene to life. I found the movement incredibly realistic as they fought on horseback; while they fought and moved, the horses did too, following the flow of the fighting. They also used their center of gravity in a very believable way, twisting and turning with subtle details and eventually falling off the cliff due to their fighting.
The CGI integrates fabulously with the atmosphere of the movie and the set itself. One such example would be the four demonic giants, who truly do feel real. With their steps, you can feel the weight under them, and their designs are intricate, with details not seen in “Hulk” or many other movies I’ve seen.
Timeline inconsistencies
The largest critique we have of “Demon Force” is the erratic timeline of the story. It lacks a consistent flow of time and can sometimes confuse the watcher. With the plethora of changing perspectives, it’s easy to get disoriented if you zone out for a moment or have to leave for the restroom. It jumps around, sometimes jumping to another situation that is happening after or at the same time as a previous scene.
One such example occurs near the end, where a spell backfires, and many become the victim of the consequences. All of the people who would die from the spell should have died all at the same time, but while all of the minor characters die at once, the lead one doesn’t. Instead, the main characters sit there, holding each other and having a last conversation.
It made no sense, considering every other victim was dead. Time felt completely off — it was as if they prioritized a grand scene of masses dying and the last words of an important character over a consistent sense of time.
Overall rating: strong but not perfect
Despite its flaws, we would rate it a solid 4 out of five Falcons, and it is definitely worth a watch. Its stunning visuals and engaging action scenes, coupled with the high fantasy of Fengshen Yanyi, bring it to life in the XianXia genre.
While the lack of a consistent flow of time irked me and sometimes felt disorienting, everything else compensated for it, making me forget all about the erratic timeline the next moment. For those interested in Chinese mythology and high fantasy, it is a good bet to beat many mainstream American movies.
