Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms

2023 2h 28m ZH

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 507

ActionFantasyWar

Synopsis

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Based on the most well-known classical fantasy novel of China, Fengshenyanyi, the trilogy is a magnificent eastern high fantasy epic that recreates the prolonged mythical wars between humans, immortals and monsters, which happened more than three thousand years ago.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Yu Shi
Ji Fa
Kris Phillips
King Zhou
Li Xuejian
Ji Chang
Huang Bo
Jiang Ziya
Narana Erdyneeva
Su Daji
Chen Muchi
Yin Jiao
Xia Yu
Shen Gongbao
Yuan Quan
Queen Jiang

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Wuershan
Writers: Wuershan, Ran Jianan, Cao Sheng
Languages: Mandarin
Countries: China

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $85M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.3× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Part of the "Creation of the Gods Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Wuershan, shot by Wang Yu. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Gordy Haab. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Huang Shuo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Yu Shi and Kris Phillips and Li Xuejian carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Wuershan directs. Wang Yu behind the camera. Gordy Haab scores. Huang Shuo cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in China. Dialogue in Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $85M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Made its money back 4.3× over at the box office.
3Released 3 years ago.
4Part of the "Creation of the Gods Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Wuershan, shot by Wang Yu. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Gordy Haab. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Huang Shuo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Yu Shi and Kris Phillips and Li Xuejian carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt6979756 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 9 themes, including "monster", "based on novel or book", "mythological beast", "wuxia".
11Released under 28 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Wang Yu
Original score: Gordy Haab
Editing: Huang Shuo
Production design: Timothy Yip Gam-Tim
VFX supervisor: Chris Morley
Sound: Yang Jiang
Stunt coordinator: Jacob Tomuri
Runtime: 148 min · 2h 28m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $85,000,000
Box office: $369,081,777
Return: 434% of budget
Original language: ZH
IMDB: Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms (2023)

Awards

Golden Rooster Award for Best Picture

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Creation of the Gods Trilogy

The Investiture of the Gods (Fengshen Yanyi), adapted from the 16th-century fantasy novel by Ming dynasty author Xu Zhonglin, is set during the transition between decline of the the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC) and the rise of the Zhou dynasty (1600–256 BC). This epic work blends historical events with Chinese mythology, folk religion, and philosophical elements from Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Featuring a vast array of characters, including deities, demons, immortals, and spirits, it is regarded as a classic that showcases the richness of Chinese culture and imagination.

Also by

Wuershan

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-10-21
★ 7/10
As with any film that's the first in a trilogy, this spends just a little too long setting out who's who but once it does, this develops into an enjoyable fantasy adventure film that brings a wonderfully vibrant myriad of Chinese mythological and human characters to life. Ancient rivalries and battles between humanity, the deities and some marvellously created mystical beasts - especially the dragons - form the basis of the story set some three millennia ago. Personally, I tended to the side of the immortals - and there's even the slightest hint of a bromance for one of them - as the "Demon Fox", and the manipulative "King Zhou" use mankind's greed, avarice, loyalty and decency to ensure they retain their place at the top of the mountain. The visual effects are usually top drawer and the action scenes avoid the often lazily constructed, repetitive, style of combat scenes. Now the acting isn't the best - indeed there is plenty of woodenness for us to inspect here, and I also found it a bit over-scored, but the richness of the mythology could, a bit like "Lord of the Rings", perhaps, provide for more characterful adventures and personality development in the next film. For a part one, though, it's a long, but increasingly quite compelling watch if you like the genre and appreciate the wealth of stories before us. Get comfy though - we're in for a long ride!
Sejian2024-11-07
★ 8/10
This was quite fun! "The Investiture of the Gods, also known by its Chinese names Fengshen Yanyi and Fengshen Bang, is a 16th-century Chinese novel and one of the major vernacular Chinese works in the gods and demons genre written during the Ming dynasty." Yes please, give me more! This is the second time this year I'm being treated with the mother goddess Nuwa in media, and being mixed Chinese and only recently learning this part of Chinese mythology, I am happy for it! It's a long movie, so strap in. I don't complain about movie length unless it's a snore and this isn't. The CGI isn't perfect and it can "feel" off sometimes but it's fine. I ain't got much else to say. Enjoy!