By Nick Nitkowski 

This was a brand-new movie experience for me. And when I say that, I mean that I literally watched the first movie at home this morning and then went and saw the sequel in theaters in glorious 4DX. This is another one of those movies that I feel I may have discovered a tad late. But better late than never, because these “Creation of the Gods” movies are really entertaining. If I had to compare it to something, I would say that it’s like a Chinese “Lord of the Rings” franchise. 

It’s got magic, battles, creatures, and world building. I really enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun to watch. Of course, one of the drawbacks to something like this that is sure to detour most people from seeing these movies is that unless you speak fluent Mandarin, reading subtitles is a requirement. Now, lately, this has not dissuaded me from watching a movie. Subtitled movies are an enriching experience and provide many unique stories that you wouldn’t get to experience otherwise. Of course, future DVD releases with English dubs are always an alternative option, but I find those to be quite annoying outside the realm of anime.

The first movie is about a tyrannical king who wants to literally become king of the world. This ambition angers the gods and brings upon a curse throughout the land. It’s up to a group of rebellious warriors of both men and immortals to stop him. The sequel is pretty much a continuation of that story where evil forces seek to invade Xiqi City while the heroes prepare to defend it. And yes, there are plans for a third installment later on down the line, which will end the trilogy, and I’m very much looking forward to it. 

While I did enjoy both movies, I can honestly say that not everything worked in it. One particular example is one of the characters in the second film, which has the power to change his appearance, and it is very noticeable CGI. Most of the CGI in the films, while somewhat noticeable, was passable, all except for this particular CGI character. I’m not sure what they could have done to make it look better, but it is what it is. It’s safe to say that I don’t know any of the actors or their names in this film, but the performances were pretty solid for the material they were given to work with. 

The action sequences in these films were really great. It was the first thing I noticed when watching the first movie. You can see the production value in these sequences. They were grand in scale, exciting, and very engaging. And with both movies running close to two and a half hours in length each, I can honestly say that I was never bored watching what was on screen.

Overall, if you’re willing to give mystical Chinese franchise a try, then look no further because “Creation of the Gods” I & II both provide plenty of entertainment. It does a great job building this world and draws you in with its action sequences. I know that subtitled movies aren’t for everyone, but for those of you who are willing to give it a shot, I don’t think you will be disappointed. And yes, you do have to watch part one before seeing part two. If not, you will be completely lost going into part two because it takes place almost immediately after part one with no recap. So, if you’re willing to catch up, watch the first one and then seek out the second in theaters, preferably in 4DX because it was a lot of fun. The creation of these movies may not be God-tier, but they do succeed in terms of fun and mystical.

4 stars