Hong Kong’s first full length computer-animated martial arts movie is, for the most part, a treat. The fantasy elements are played up for the kids and the humour is a little too contrived to really laugh at, but the martial arts spectacles are quite astonishing. The story concerns local hero Hung Lang, a kung fu supremo, who befriends a talking bird (of course) and is sent on a dangerous mission to secure the sacred DragonBlade from a mystical, cavernous underworld. He faces seemingly insurmountable peril along the way in a bid to eventually slain the Boar King, a giant half-pig tyrant. The characters are a little wet – particularly our soulless hero – but Karen Mok’s engaging sidekick Ying Ying forms a worthy substitute, and the delirious action sequences make the film compelling.

AKA:  DragonBlade: The Legend of Lang; Dragon Blade: The Beginning.