I really liked the first MOJIN film, so I went to a Chinese cinema to see the second one in 3D, but the story and execution were not as good as in the first one. This time the adventurers go to the mystical province of Yunan, looking for a talisman that is protected by armies of large monsters (lizards, scorpions, a killer crab etc), but things end up too melodramatic, although the CGI effects are actually well done.
13 Reviews
Action / adventure-- and that's it
Snootz28 October 2021
If you're looking for action / adventure, this movie has it. Don't go in expecting much more. The plot is thin, the storyline consists of run run hide run some more stab run shoot a bow and never run out of arrows run run run hide run hide run more jump... well, that's the story.
The ending is especially disappointing as it just hangs the audience in mid air and leaves them there, as if we're supposed to magically know what the director is thinking. Is this a cliff hanger to a third movie? Did they succeed or fail in their quest? The writers never clue the audience in on what's going on.
The CGI in this was superb. The sets, the monsters, etc, are all up to snuff-- as one would expect in any 2018 movie worth its salt. However the characters are 2-D, the plot resolution non-existent, the movie ultimately disappointing. I'm being generous in giving it a mediocre 5 stars... and that's based on CGI alone (as well as some pleasant music in a few places).
There's just no excuse for sloppy, lazy writing. If ya don't have a good script, don't make the movie.
The ending is especially disappointing as it just hangs the audience in mid air and leaves them there, as if we're supposed to magically know what the director is thinking. Is this a cliff hanger to a third movie? Did they succeed or fail in their quest? The writers never clue the audience in on what's going on.
The CGI in this was superb. The sets, the monsters, etc, are all up to snuff-- as one would expect in any 2018 movie worth its salt. However the characters are 2-D, the plot resolution non-existent, the movie ultimately disappointing. I'm being generous in giving it a mediocre 5 stars... and that's based on CGI alone (as well as some pleasant music in a few places).
There's just no excuse for sloppy, lazy writing. If ya don't have a good script, don't make the movie.
MOJIN'S 2ND GREAT CGI ADVENTURE
babyjaguar8 January 2019
Mojin: The Worm Valley is great for those viewing audiences whom loved Hollywood 's 80s Raiders of the Lost Ark to 1990s Jurassic Park/ Tomb Raider films. Yes, there is a lot of CGI effects, but it's to be expected with this genre and quality of entertainment.
This film is a follow-up sequel to the successful 2015 Mojin: The Lost Legend. Yes, this follow-up doesn't top the first film, but it still delivers a great adventure. This film like the first one is based on Zhang Muye's best-selling book series, Ghost Blows Out the Light.
Its director Fei Xing uses CGI action sequences with inventive creatures that reveled Ray Harryhausen's Jason and Agronauts films. The CGI works rather well, with a good musical score.
The cast includes Xai Heng as Hu Bayi, Gu Xuan as Shirley Yang and Cheng Taishen as Professor Sun as they chased to Tomb of Emperor Xian. It was probably better to see this film in 3D and to view the first Mojin film prior to seeing this follow-up.
This film is a follow-up sequel to the successful 2015 Mojin: The Lost Legend. Yes, this follow-up doesn't top the first film, but it still delivers a great adventure. This film like the first one is based on Zhang Muye's best-selling book series, Ghost Blows Out the Light.
Its director Fei Xing uses CGI action sequences with inventive creatures that reveled Ray Harryhausen's Jason and Agronauts films. The CGI works rather well, with a good musical score.
The cast includes Xai Heng as Hu Bayi, Gu Xuan as Shirley Yang and Cheng Taishen as Professor Sun as they chased to Tomb of Emperor Xian. It was probably better to see this film in 3D and to view the first Mojin film prior to seeing this follow-up.
Even the Chinese audience was mocking this
iteracom9 January 2019
Save yourself, your time and your money. This movie was so incredibly awful, I was compelled to write this review, and I never write reviews. There is 0 character development so when something goes badly for a character, no one cares. Scenes that are meant to draw any feelings of compassion and forced and way too drawn out, same with fight scenes. we're being chased oh no! let's run , then hide, then run, then hide, then let's attack one at a time and be thrown back one at at time, then run again.
I was literally going to walk out, until I started watching this movie as a comedy at how bad it was, that alone let me sit through it. The actors do seem to make an effort, but the script and directing was so terrible, there was no saving it. Upon leaving the theatre, the other 7 people in the audience with me (all chinese) were all laughing at what a piece of garbage this movie was.
I was literally going to walk out, until I started watching this movie as a comedy at how bad it was, that alone let me sit through it. The actors do seem to make an effort, but the script and directing was so terrible, there was no saving it. Upon leaving the theatre, the other 7 people in the audience with me (all chinese) were all laughing at what a piece of garbage this movie was.
A dumb movie in the name and category of fantasy
yumfook7 February 2023
Other than the CGI that I can give credit to, the acting was so childish and their "heroic" actions were so dumb. All they know is to say "run" when they wake the monsters. Facing the monsters, they got the brilliant mind to use a regular rope to stop the monsters. When they were running away from the giant crocodiles, one of them used a bow and arrows to fight back. When they were facing any challenges, the team would unconsciously stand together in a straight line for the camera shot. Watching this movie made me feel like it was made for seven years old kids. Strongly suggest MPA film ratings should create a new category called NC-7: No One 7 and above admitted. Clearly children. Adults are not admitted.
Disappointing to say the least...
paul_haakonsen25 July 2021
I enjoyed the 2016 "Mojin: The Lost Legend", so of course I sat down to watch the 2018 movie "Mojin: Valley of the Worms" here in 2021 when I was presented with the opportunity to do so.
However, I must say that this 2018 movie is a step back for the franchise. Whereas the 2016 movie was driven by a proper story and felt like a thrilling adventure, this 2018 movie is just an empty shall of a movie presented by pretty CGI visuals.
The storyline in "Yun nan chong gu" (aka "Mojin: Valley of the Worms") felt like it was written on a short flight somewhere. There was little contents to the storyline, except for a constant outrunning and battling CGI creatures. So if you sit down to watch "Mojin: Valley of the Worms" hoping you're in for a thrilling adventure, you might want to skip on this movie.
As for the characters in the movie, well they felt like cardboard cut-outs really, as they did little more than either try to outrun or fight CGI creatures. So you are not in for a whole lot of character development or interactions here.
Director Xing Fei just didn't really manage to deliver a movie that felt up to par with the 2016 movie in any ways. Sure, "Mojin: Valley of the Worms" was watchable, but this is essentially just a movie where you lean back in the chair, turn off your brain, munch on the popcorn and just enjoy the pretty CGI effects.
"Mojin: Valley of the Worms" was a disappointment, and it is hardly a movie that I will ever watch again, as there was just too little contents to the storyline to support more than a single viewing.
My rating of the 2018 movie "Mojin: Valley of the Worms" lands on a very lukewarm and mediocre five out of ten stars.
However, I must say that this 2018 movie is a step back for the franchise. Whereas the 2016 movie was driven by a proper story and felt like a thrilling adventure, this 2018 movie is just an empty shall of a movie presented by pretty CGI visuals.
The storyline in "Yun nan chong gu" (aka "Mojin: Valley of the Worms") felt like it was written on a short flight somewhere. There was little contents to the storyline, except for a constant outrunning and battling CGI creatures. So if you sit down to watch "Mojin: Valley of the Worms" hoping you're in for a thrilling adventure, you might want to skip on this movie.
As for the characters in the movie, well they felt like cardboard cut-outs really, as they did little more than either try to outrun or fight CGI creatures. So you are not in for a whole lot of character development or interactions here.
Director Xing Fei just didn't really manage to deliver a movie that felt up to par with the 2016 movie in any ways. Sure, "Mojin: Valley of the Worms" was watchable, but this is essentially just a movie where you lean back in the chair, turn off your brain, munch on the popcorn and just enjoy the pretty CGI effects.
"Mojin: Valley of the Worms" was a disappointment, and it is hardly a movie that I will ever watch again, as there was just too little contents to the storyline to support more than a single viewing.
My rating of the 2018 movie "Mojin: Valley of the Worms" lands on a very lukewarm and mediocre five out of ten stars.
A story so bad...
jonfmac5 November 2022
It must have been written by political hacks. Not a single conversation made sense. There was no conceptual logic or story. No beginning, middle, or end. It was like listening to a powerful speech by a political figure... Strong emotions and expressed feelings that didn't make a lick of sense. The cgi and music was ok. I suspect that they were done first for another project and whatever fell onto the floor someone decided to do a make work project to bilk people out of their hard earned money. The actors couldn't have had any idea about what the storyline was about but did their best spewing the nonsense from the script, if there even was one. Absolute garbage. I pity the "political" ingenue that think this was high art.
Don't look at it's eyes.
nogodnomasters10 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Hu Bayi (Hang Cai) is the Indian Jones of Chinese films. But alas, he has the mark of an ancient curse which means he won't live past 40. In order to remove the curse, he needs the Dragon Bone Celestial Tome which only has 8 lines and the Mu Chen Orb who's location is described in the Tome. With the help of a crazy blind man, they get help to find the location. Hu Bayi doesn't go alone but has a small entourage which includes Shirley Yang (Xuan Gu) who is China's Katniss with the three-point stance and never-ending quiver.
They must battle all kinds of creatures along the way. I felt like this was a journey to the center of the Earth type of film with something around every corner. I thought they missed their calling when they didn't include a dead man along the way with a fedora and a whip. The film was mostly PG except for the few F-words at the beginning. They did manage to muster a kiss, a rarity for Chinese films. Shirley wore a cross and I don't know if it was personal or something she wore for the film. The Chinese women strip down to go swimming showing off their boxer briefs.
I enjoyed it.
They must battle all kinds of creatures along the way. I felt like this was a journey to the center of the Earth type of film with something around every corner. I thought they missed their calling when they didn't include a dead man along the way with a fedora and a whip. The film was mostly PG except for the few F-words at the beginning. They did manage to muster a kiss, a rarity for Chinese films. Shirley wore a cross and I don't know if it was personal or something she wore for the film. The Chinese women strip down to go swimming showing off their boxer briefs.
I enjoyed it.
What a terrible devolution from the first film
siderite14 February 2023
Xun long jue (2015) was the first film from this series and, with all of its faults, it was entertaining and even enjoyable. Not so this film, which is a sequel in name of characters only. The actors are different, the dynamic of the group is different, the special effects and magical imaginary animals are the only attractive thing about the movie. The rest is all completely awful: the characterization, the acting, the dialogue, the editing, the plot, the story, the motivation of the characters, the ending. There is no explanation on who anybody is and how they got there or why the world seems to be our current one, but be inhabited by magical animals residing in areas managed by particular clans.
And none of it makes any sense to the point where it gets absolutely ridiculous. For example: they leave on rafts on a quiet river or lake, then the water starts to move faster and faster until it gets to a huge waterfall. The heroes survive that, only to be surrounded by some lizards so they have to jump (heroically) on a slope filled with rocks on which they all hit themselves repeatedly to no actual consequence. Here they go slightly up on a tree trunk over a precipice and reach a floating island. Now read that again, carefully: they drop huge distances twice from the level of a lake and they reach an island floating at great heights over a large valley. Even Avatar's Pandora makes more sense.
The general feel of the movie is that of a really bad video game. They just move from stage to stage, without any concern on how the stages are connected , why they are in this order and why the hero didn't take a more convenient road to get to something lying on the shore of a peaceful lake, but the graphics are great. Some characters die - mostly pointless deaths - and you can't possibly feel anything because no one made the effort to make the audience care for anyone involved.
Bottom line: this has absolutely no real connection with the first film. There is no reason to watch it at all. It is barely a film and as such, a terrible film.
And none of it makes any sense to the point where it gets absolutely ridiculous. For example: they leave on rafts on a quiet river or lake, then the water starts to move faster and faster until it gets to a huge waterfall. The heroes survive that, only to be surrounded by some lizards so they have to jump (heroically) on a slope filled with rocks on which they all hit themselves repeatedly to no actual consequence. Here they go slightly up on a tree trunk over a precipice and reach a floating island. Now read that again, carefully: they drop huge distances twice from the level of a lake and they reach an island floating at great heights over a large valley. Even Avatar's Pandora makes more sense.
The general feel of the movie is that of a really bad video game. They just move from stage to stage, without any concern on how the stages are connected , why they are in this order and why the hero didn't take a more convenient road to get to something lying on the shore of a peaceful lake, but the graphics are great. Some characters die - mostly pointless deaths - and you can't possibly feel anything because no one made the effort to make the audience care for anyone involved.
Bottom line: this has absolutely no real connection with the first film. There is no reason to watch it at all. It is barely a film and as such, a terrible film.
Great CGI, but Candle in the Tomb: The Worm Valley tv series is way better
strictlytea4 April 2022
I bought this movie after seeing Mojin: The Lost Legend; which I thought was great Being a fan of Chen Kun, so I thought I watch this movie to see if it is any good and worth the price that I payed for. So I watched it and I thought it was good. But then I watched Candle in the Tomb: The Worm Valley; which is a tv show with 16 episodes and that particular show is way better than this movie and there is difference between the tv show and the movie, So I won't spoil it.
not so good
gianmarcoronconi3 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Film that wants to be a blockbuster for families where cursed young people go to look for a magical artifact that can help them break the curse. The film itself entertains even if it is full of plot holes and too confusing, much of what happens is left to pure chance and seems to have no correlation, perhaps however it is wrong to watch it alone and to understand it you must necessarily watch the other films of this saga, because as a lonely film the situation is senseless, too many things seem to be left to chance and without any correlation, even the deaths are a bit strange as the first is meaningless and completely useless and the second as long as useful is almost senseless and victim of a coincidence too forced to ignore it.
Fun romp not worth negative reviews
christineballone14 December 2023
So I saw all the reviews, a lot of negativity. At least acknowledge the effort made to create this fantasy world! The acting was nice, sometimes a bit overtop but I didn't mind, it's a different mentality and culture like so many more in this world! There are so many beautiful scenes and landscapes and the there's no lack of action that's for sure! I really don't care sometimes if the storyline is weak because I just want to be entertained and not educated! All the people are beautiful and most are good hearted, a dream for the real world. I found it also inspiring regarding not to give up in the face of horrible danger. I loved the death scene of Linglong , even though she was mortally wounded she had the energy to deliver a speech up to when she died, which happens frequently in movies. I was moved.
I think this film is worth watching, didn't see the series but did see the first one.
I think this film is worth watching, didn't see the series but did see the first one.
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