Na Zha (1974) User Reviews

Likeable, if goofy, effort

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 16 December 2021]

This one seems to be downrated but I quite enjoyed it. One of Chang Cheh's lower budgeted FX adventures alongside THE FANTASTIC MAGIC BABY. It's a good vehicle for a youthful Alexander Fu Sheng to show his stuff, and his character starts off as the usual goofy fool before undergoing a magical transform that sees him posited as a Monkey-style hero, battling tyranny in the Heavenly Palace and here on Earth, too. A rather small scale story that nonetheless has a lot of action, particularly towards the climax, and dated but fun moments of Fu Sheng battling magic serpents and the like. Chiang Tao, Fung Hark-on and even Eric Tsang all make appearances in this one.

quite boring with a few fun effects

[daustin · 3/10 · 8 May 2003]

Na Cha stars Fu Sheng as the prodigal son of a wealthy local official. When obnoxious sea dragons take on human form and cause trouble on the land, he realizes that the common people need help and takes up his mantle as their protector, fighting the dragons and their flunkies with the aid of supernatural powers.

I was really disappointed with this movie. Fu Sheng character was lame and annoying. Initially he plays an obnoxious, naive idiot. Once his eyes are opened, he pretty much loses all personality. I still have yet to see a movie that adequately explains Fu Sheng's popularity. There are a few good moments - the giant dragon puppets, the flying firey foot wheels, and the wacky "emerging from the sea" shots. Otherwise there is very little involvement in the plot, the characters are dull, and the whole movie never really goes anywhere.

Chang Cheh. I love ya but this one ain't stellar.

Na Cha the not so great...

[poe426 · 8/10 · 2 February 2013]

While it's far from a bad film, NA CHA THE GREAT isn't exactly a great film, either. The notion of gods interfering in the affairs of Mankind isn't anything new, but, in most instances, the Cinematic treatment of this trespass relies too heavily on (often questionable) special effects; whether by necessity or by dint of astute filmmaking, Chang Cheh DOESN'T bet the bank on fx: he uses a more down-to-earth approach to the supernatural that's often commendable. Still, there ARE a few sequences that would've benefited from SOME type of fx (makeup or masks, say); the sequence where the water demons emerge from the sea, for instance. The dragon was nice (if stylized) (twice) and some of the flying sequences were interesting (if dated). Not Chang Cheh's best, but not a bad film, all told.