@Heindrich1988 There are sorcerers? I always thought the one thing missing in many fantasy movies was some evocation or conjuration style magic. I mean Gandalf... was a walking flashlight. The second most magical thing he did in the films with his "magical staff" was hit things. So disappointing.
@Heindrich1988 There are sorcerers? I always thought the one thing missing in many fantasy movies was some evocation or conjuration style magic. I mean Gandalf... was a walking flashlight. The second most magical thing he did in the films with his "magical staff" was hit things. So disappointing.
'Magic' in the Wuxia genre is quite different than in Western fantasy, and it varies between different authors. Jin Yong's setting is a largely historically accurate version of Middle Ages China, as in his stories fit within historical context and major events like the Khitan-Jin domination of Northern China, and the rise of Genghis Khan, as well as Chinese Dynasties. There are other settings for video games and movies that are not even set in China at all, but a purely fantastic version of Medieval China. I guess it's like Westeros, Aber-Toril and Middle Earth are all Western fantasy settings, but there are major differences between them, in terms of how magically charged the setting is, and how it works.
In Jin Yong's setting, most 'magic' is actually highly advanced martial arts, developed by extremely skilled masters, who jealously guard their secrets and pass them on to selected disciples. There are different sects with different moral and philosophical alignments. The most notable factions include Shaolin Monks (based on reality and representing Buddhism, "Lawful Good-kinda"), Daoist Priests (based on reality and representing Daoism, "Lawful Good") and the Beggar's Sect (fictional and "Chaotic Good-kinda"). There are of course a myriad of minor cults and sects, both Good and Evil, and the majority of the most powerful individuals in the world are typically lone warriors with no affiliation to any sect or organisations.
Most 'advanced martial arts techniques' in this setting relies on the power of Chi, or 'Inner Energy', which can be channelled to resist damage, project energy attacks, fly (not in a superman way, but rather like running on air), heal wounds, cure diseases etc... How 'fancy' these abilities are depicted in live action TV/movies does vary significantly, even if they are based off the same source material.
Some characters are called 'witches' and 'sorcerers', but mostly in derogatory terms, so it is not entirely clear if these individual truly possess sorcerous abilities beyond normal Chi-based techniques, or if it is a derogatory insult for warriors who use 'negative energy' and poison (a big feature of Wuxia genre) in their techniques, which is considered dishonourable by the likes of the Shaolin and the Daoists (AKA Quanzhen Sect).
If that is beginning to sound a bit like Jedi and 'the dark side', then it is no coincidence. The whole concept of Jedi, the Force etc, borrows heavily from Shaolin Monks and Buddhist Philosophy, which is also central to Jin Yong's work.
Anyways that's a lot of words... time for some videos.
I've shared this one before. It's from one of my favourite TV series based on Jin Yong's "Return of the Condor Heroes". I love the girl in that clip, and her costume, which makes an already beautiful girl look absolutely divine.
This is the first episode of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (English dubbed), which is generally consider to be Jin Yong's best work. This particular edition of the TV series is also pretty good, but the story is rather epic and complicated, as it is basically 3 stories with 3 protagonists, whose stories intertwine and eventually culminate in an rather epic way. So it is probably not the best one to get started on if you happen to be interested.
@Nonnahsweiter Irenicus is based in Evil, see the ending of Time Bandits and the opening of SoA. And if you think of it, all the storyline of SoA is based in Time Bandits.
David Warner was awesome in Mad Dogs. I didn't know it was him, but after awhile of saying "why is this guy so familiar" he said the word "dare" and I was like OMG its him!
The film Circle of Iron I brought up earlier doesn't have any fly by wire combat or magic in the traditional sense. Bruce lee really had little patience for unrealistic martial arts, but because he was not there to direct the combat resembles something like connan. The film conveys his love for philosophy, but the world and some of the enemies are magical in nature. In my view even with the poor special effect this is one of Bruce Lees greatest creations and one of the greatest films of all time.
@booinyoureyes I don't know why you've became so random, what did ebay has to do with this?? No, I was eating an apple and painting a picture of my lego (destroyed) city, it wasn't my chaos, it was my mom who walked over it, and them I did the same, shit, it shouldn't be in the middle of the room!
Okay... some point about two years ago I downloaded all those movies because they were recommended by an imdb list. They were all basically soft pornos. d'oh!
Yeah, its something else when David Carradine in a silver bikini isn't even the most eye-popping part of a picture!
And when four tits aren't enough, you can have a snake fooling around, not to mention that Gandalf-like smokey over there and those ghouls in the background.....
@booinyoureyes and @CrevsDaak funny enough you can watch it on youtube it's shlock yes but not that bad and yes you can see the quadruplets in all their glory..you know if your into that sort of thing................(；一_一)
@booinyoureyes and @CrevsDaak funny enough you can watch it on youtube it's shlock yes but not that bad and yes you can see the quadruplets in all their glory..you know if your into that sort of thing................(；一_一)
Me no wants so. Me wants gettin' drunk and flyyyyyyyyyy on the skies!!
The problem with putting stuff like this on screen is that it takes a massive budget to make them even half-way believable... I'm not just talking special effects/ cgi, but things like costumes & sets, balancing dialogue somewhere between Pyrhonesque thous & thees and outright anachronism... It's an instant turn off as it just ruins the audience's immersion in the world.
And magic is very unsatisfying as a story device... How can you put your characters under real pressure when a twiddle of the fingers & a hocus-pocus can do anything? This is the reason why most good high fantasy (Middle Earth, Earthsea, Fire&Ice makes magic exceedingly rare, difficult or dangerous. Supremely and obviously powerful characters are innately boring (except - occasionally - as villains).
Also, it's a bit rough wailing on Tolkein for using archetypes, when he created or first popularised many of them.
Comments
http://kuoi.org/~kamikaze/RPG/gandalf.txt
Well... Yes and no.
'Magic' in the Wuxia genre is quite different than in Western fantasy, and it varies between different authors. Jin Yong's setting is a largely historically accurate version of Middle Ages China, as in his stories fit within historical context and major events like the Khitan-Jin domination of Northern China, and the rise of Genghis Khan, as well as Chinese Dynasties. There are other settings for video games and movies that are not even set in China at all, but a purely fantastic version of Medieval China. I guess it's like Westeros, Aber-Toril and Middle Earth are all Western fantasy settings, but there are major differences between them, in terms of how magically charged the setting is, and how it works.
In Jin Yong's setting, most 'magic' is actually highly advanced martial arts, developed by extremely skilled masters, who jealously guard their secrets and pass them on to selected disciples. There are different sects with different moral and philosophical alignments. The most notable factions include Shaolin Monks (based on reality and representing Buddhism, "Lawful Good-kinda"), Daoist Priests (based on reality and representing Daoism, "Lawful Good") and the Beggar's Sect (fictional and "Chaotic Good-kinda"). There are of course a myriad of minor cults and sects, both Good and Evil, and the majority of the most powerful individuals in the world are typically lone warriors with no affiliation to any sect or organisations.
Most 'advanced martial arts techniques' in this setting relies on the power of Chi, or 'Inner Energy', which can be channelled to resist damage, project energy attacks, fly (not in a superman way, but rather like running on air), heal wounds, cure diseases etc... How 'fancy' these abilities are depicted in live action TV/movies does vary significantly, even if they are based off the same source material.
Some characters are called 'witches' and 'sorcerers', but mostly in derogatory terms, so it is not entirely clear if these individual truly possess sorcerous abilities beyond normal Chi-based techniques, or if it is a derogatory insult for warriors who use 'negative energy' and poison (a big feature of Wuxia genre) in their techniques, which is considered dishonourable by the likes of the Shaolin and the Daoists (AKA Quanzhen Sect).
If that is beginning to sound a bit like Jedi and 'the dark side', then it is no coincidence. The whole concept of Jedi, the Force etc, borrows heavily from Shaolin Monks and Buddhist Philosophy, which is also central to Jin Yong's work.
Anyways that's a lot of words... time for some videos.
I've shared this one before. It's from one of my favourite TV series based on Jin Yong's "Return of the Condor Heroes". I love the girl in that clip, and her costume, which makes an already beautiful girl look absolutely divine.
And
This is the first episode of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (English dubbed), which is generally consider to be Jin Yong's best work. This particular edition of the TV series is also pretty good, but the story is rather epic and complicated, as it is basically 3 stories with 3 protagonists, whose stories intertwine and eventually culminate in an rather epic way. So it is probably not the best one to get started on if you happen to be interested.
And if you think of it, all the storyline of SoA is based in Time Bandits.
Well Germans revealed that staring at breasts is good for our health and can even increase our life expectancy!
No, I was eating an apple and painting a picture of my lego (destroyed) city, it wasn't my chaos, it was my mom who walked over it, and them I did the same, shit, it shouldn't be in the middle of the room!
*BE WARNED THIS MOVIE CONSITS OF BEWBS
TO WATCH OR NOT TO WATCH THAT IS THE QUESTION?
MY WORK IS COMPLETE!
And magic is very unsatisfying as a story device... How can you put your characters under real pressure when a twiddle of the fingers & a hocus-pocus can do anything? This is the reason why most good high fantasy (Middle Earth, Earthsea, Fire&Ice makes magic exceedingly rare, difficult or dangerous.
Supremely and obviously powerful characters are innately boring (except - occasionally - as villains).
Also, it's a bit rough wailing on Tolkein for using archetypes, when he created or first popularised many of them.