It's evident from the very beginning that this movie intends to be not just epic, but cosmic. You don't need to be familiar with Taoism or Chinese mythology to grasp that Investiture of the Gods is in a long Chinese pop-culture tradition of reworking foundational stories of the gods: in this case, Jiang Ziya, who rises to become their king, but was seemingly a mortal first, and even banished from the heavenly court for some time. The film succeeds in conveying a sense of majesty, especially in the depictions of heaven, which combine a sort of astrophysical violence with digital-inspired vector graphics. The animation is in a particularly Chinese style, I think, distinguished by its speed (sometimes it's hard to follow the motion of characters) and video-game like aesthetics in the action sequences. But it's even more difficult to follow the story line - it seems the creators wanted to work in a lot of different materials without giving much background. By the end, the film is especially hard to follow. Despite that, both kiddos really enjoyed it, even if it was a bit scary, including for Sienna (turning 9 in a few months)
24 Reviews
Visually stunning but choppy story
briancham19943 April 2021
This film is the follow-up to 2019's acclaimed Ne Zha, though the link is not clear until the very end and the connection is more thematic. This film also draws on Chinese mythology with surprisingly good animation and energetic action sequences. The designs, colours and lighting are quite masterful with lots of stunning scenes like the dead souls or the (literal) stairway to heaven. I would say it's on the level of Kubo and the Two Strings, wherein any frame could be a stunning desktop wallpaper. The animation of the characters (as in, the expression and movement) is more action-oriented and less comical than that of Ne Zha. The story concerns the titular Jiang Ziya who is trying to solve the mystery of the Nine Tailed Fox and end his banishment. While engaging, it suffers from a lot of choppiness and jarring transitions - many of the flashbacks intrude quite suddenly, a lot of things are not explained and some scene transitions happen without warning (like the one spanning ten years!).
A Bit Confusing
westsideschl1 May 2021
I gave Ne Zha, the prequel to this, more stars, but the storyline at times was a bit confusing & lacked a clear explanation on some of the main characters from gods to mortals & other creatures (i..e. Roles & relations to one another). In other series I've seen about the nine tailed fox it has been portrayed as good; disappointed in its portrayal here.
Otherwise storytelling was intelligent, sardonic, humorous, poignant. English voicing, often shaky in Asian films, was quite modern Western & culturally appropriate. Above all, the animation quality was good lacking only in individualized detail, e.g. In animals/humans the hair, skin subtleties were missing as well as detail in background objects.
Otherwise storytelling was intelligent, sardonic, humorous, poignant. English voicing, often shaky in Asian films, was quite modern Western & culturally appropriate. Above all, the animation quality was good lacking only in individualized detail, e.g. In animals/humans the hair, skin subtleties were missing as well as detail in background objects.
Not the Ne zha sequel we wanted
darshan-0718018 February 2021
Legend of Deification Jiang Ziya is the sequel (prequel story wise) to the excellent Ne zha film. However, this movie isn't made by the same team and it really shows. The editing is pitiful and amateurish. The story is serviceable only. Go watch Ne zha instead of this if you want to see what great Chinese animation movie can be
Worst ever of the Chinese Amination adventure!
MovieIQTest6 February 2021
I think the Chinese cartoon makers have indulged themselves into the same stinking armpit of over-the-top formulaic creations. Their recent productions were all alike in this pathetic form: Weird characters designs, horrible exaggerated and pretentious voices to mimic those cartoon characters, mess-up to ridicule the Chinese historical or the legendary figures in Chinese myths. Their only achievement is successfully driving the majority Chinese younger generations to become more shallow and more easier to be manipulated by twisting all the facts and/or legends into a more farce like mess, and in the meantime, cash in from the box office like Mulan, Na Zha(Cha), Wu Kong, The Monkey King or whatever. They were all disgusting cartoon animation trash, there's no beauty in them at all.
Just another common nothing excite cartoon movie
mailtaskservice1 November 2021
And i have a fox spirit tatoo
sabulduk25 February 2021
not for everyone, but some will love it dearly like me.
demank7 October 2020
This is not a story driven movie, so for those who go to the cinema expecting a complex and well crafted plot, they might be disappointed. In fact, the story is rather simple for such a deep lore and grand setting. But this is a character driven movie, and there is only one character that matters here, the title character: all the rest are there as devices to emphasis his arc. Some will argue it's a bad choice to make a movie in such way, and indeed, maybe commercially it might be. But for those like me who enjoys slower paced movie with a strong focus, this movie managed to grab my attention every second. I feel for the main character, I feel his emotions, I understand his motivations. Well done over all, not to mention It's masterfully and magnificently animated!
In the immortal words of Krusty the Clown, what the heck was that???
swiftnimblefoot15 February 2021
I couldn't spoil this movie if I wanted to, since I still have no bloody idea what the heck it was even about.
It looks beautiful, yes, sure, great animation, amazing effects, cool battle scenes. But never once do we get any explanation for this "three worlds", who these gods are, what has the Nine Tailed Fox lady done to warrant her execution, why is she bound to some girl... Why are there weird demon creatures, gods and humans all inhabiting this world, yet everyone is afraid of the girl because she has fox ears? We seen a girl with bunny ears a minute ago. I guess that isn't a problem?
I get the message is that justice must prevail and our hero basically powers up super saiyan mode to solve every problem like a deus ex machina (literally)... But why and how this happened, who this guy even was? Who knows.
This movie feels like I should have taken some classes in chinese mythology and read a lot of books just to understand what it was supposed to be about, as the movie seemingly assumes we all know this stuff. Imagine if you were thrown into Star Wars but nobody ever explained who Jedi knights were, what the Empire is, that Darth Vader used to be a Jedi who betrayed his master? It would feel like that.
a great potrait despite everything else
rennechon17 January 2021
Maybe it's because I'm Chinese, I actually like this movie (actually, lots of Chinese doesn't). I guess you can enjoy it much better when you don't see this as a typical movie, but as an extension of the existing, very old legends of Jiang Zi Ya.
I don't know if there are other similar cultures, but in China's loose, complicated fusion of mythology, the gods can be roughly divided into two groups - the ones that are high and mighty, which we build large temples to worship because we want to stay on their good side, and the lesser gods who we invite to our homes to guard and protect. The former is neither malice nor benevolent, while the latter cares deeply for us mortals because most of them started out as mortals themselves (historical figures with written acounts). Jiang Zi Ya is one of the lesser gods. He is also believed to be the head of all gods. Why the contradiction you ask? I can only suspect it's because he's on our side, he doesn't mind if we are small and insignificant and full of flaws. You don't need to learn any script or religious ritual to call upon him, you can be completely ordinary and he still cares. And most importantly, lesser gods can have limits, it's acceptable that they aren't perfect. In fact we prefer it this way because once they begin to see the "bigger picture" or the "greater good", it can only mean massive bloodshed among mortals.
Anyway, that's the Jiang Zi Ya I grew up knowing. And this movie portrays it successfully. To write about the struggle of a powerful god is difficult, and this movie has only done a mediocre job. But I'm perfectly happy to see my beloved god readapted on the big screen.
Unqualified story tellers' failed attempt at an all time legend
speed31066 October 2020
When the story telling is bad, no amount of culture background is going to save it. Background is just that, it's background, it sits in the back. You still need what's in the front to carry your load. Mandarin is my native language, I have seen better cartoons than this ... *movie* ...
The setting was too grand, the amount of substantial topics the story was trying to cover were too many. The movie makers of the story were too ambitious, they touched on so many things on so many levels all the while ignored their own limited understanding of the philosophies behind them. The ideologies were so confused and many parts of the story were logically challenged in terms of its own premises ...
The end product was a grotesquely thrown together short stories of weak characters with no emotional strings viewers can grab on to. The names of the main characters can literally be replaced by a random set of names and it would not have made a difference. You can praise the visuals all you want, but I paid money to watch a story of legendary characters in an epic tale, instead I got a generic Hollywood wanna be that I will forget the instance I finish typing this review.
The setting was too grand, the amount of substantial topics the story was trying to cover were too many. The movie makers of the story were too ambitious, they touched on so many things on so many levels all the while ignored their own limited understanding of the philosophies behind them. The ideologies were so confused and many parts of the story were logically challenged in terms of its own premises ...
The end product was a grotesquely thrown together short stories of weak characters with no emotional strings viewers can grab on to. The names of the main characters can literally be replaced by a random set of names and it would not have made a difference. You can praise the visuals all you want, but I paid money to watch a story of legendary characters in an epic tale, instead I got a generic Hollywood wanna be that I will forget the instance I finish typing this review.
Stunning
rickytingruiqiao11 October 2020
Beautiful art and graphics imbued with Chinese culture. Theme is philosophical and a long time ethical question. Character development is awesome and the story is very touching.
You would understand many of the aspects better if you know about Chinese culture and history. The story is based on a 16th century novel called The Investiture of the Gods (Feng Shen Bang), which is set in the era of the decline of the Shang dynasty (1600-1046 BC) and the rise of the Zhou dynasty (1046-256 BC). It intertwines numerous elements of Chinese mythology, including deities, immortals and spirits.
Wait for higher management to solve the corruption of your manager
kisskindkid23 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Well, it's definitely for adult but I don't get the final message, are they telling us to wait for "shifu of shifu of shifu" (boss of boss of boss) to help solve the problem? Is it satire? Either, i feel nothing but insulted. Bad story teller and nice but meaningless visual effects. We can endure unfairness and unhappy ending but not fake hope and political claptrap.
Great Storytelling Accompanied by Top Notch Animation
christopherl-5278420 October 2020
This is China's attempt to set up a film universe like what Disney's done with Marvel. Last year we were introduced to Nezha, a popular character inspired by the 16th century Chinese classic novel "Feng Shen Yan Yi" (loosely translated as Investiture of the Gods). This year a quasi sequel to Nezha is brought to us in the form of another important character from the Investiture of the Gods universe - Jiang Ziya. Based on a real historical figure who helped overthrow the mad emperor of the Shang dynasty (King Zhou), Jiang Ziya is fictionalized here, yet true to the novel, as a deity-in-the-making who's already gifted with supernatural abilities and magical skills to help him rid the world of demonic beings.
Jiang Ziya is an intelligent take on the fictional tale from the Feng Shen fantastical universe. The movie remains somewhat loyal to the Feng Shen story in that it sets Jiang Ziya up as a divine celestial god from Heaven who was sent down to the mortal realm here on Earth to capture an evil fox spirit, Nine Tail, who possessed a young innocent but allegedly extremely beautiful maiden named Su Daji on the day she was heading off to become King Zhou's consort. Nine Tail and Daji shared an unbreakable bond (bound together by an ankle bracelet) since that fateful day as this pair of fox and human spirits became intertwined and destined to be together for eternity.
This film follows Jiang Ziya's journey to capture Nine Tail all the while attempting to release Daji from her unfortunate fate. Along the way, viewers are treated to beautiful rendering of colorful depictions of ancient China and cutesy character designs with top notch animations featuring fast paced kung fu fighting.
The storyline features elements and plots from the novel with added bonuses like the adorably cute heavenly fawn that acts like a puppy called Four Alike (whose Chinese name, "Si Bu Xiang", actually means the exact opposite - "Four Not Alike"). As in the novel, after the fall of the Shang dynasty, here too King Zhou is deified as a deity who manages the marriage affairs of mortals. And like the novel, the promise of deification to the nine tailed fox spirit for successfully completing her mission to seduce and overthrow King Zhou was not fulfilled as promised, thereby causing Nine Tail a lot of resentments and a desire for vengeance on the perpetrator.
I really enjoyed this film and that's maybe because I'm a big fan of "Investiture of the Gods". I find this much more enjoyable than last year's Nezha. I can't wait for it to release in 4k so that I can watch it again and certainly looking forward to next year's entry in this glorified Fengshen Cinematic Universe, "ErLang Shen" (God with Three Eyes). Until then, we still have the the live action version of this epic tale to look forward to (Director Wuershan's "Fengshen Trilogy")
Jiang Ziya is an intelligent take on the fictional tale from the Feng Shen fantastical universe. The movie remains somewhat loyal to the Feng Shen story in that it sets Jiang Ziya up as a divine celestial god from Heaven who was sent down to the mortal realm here on Earth to capture an evil fox spirit, Nine Tail, who possessed a young innocent but allegedly extremely beautiful maiden named Su Daji on the day she was heading off to become King Zhou's consort. Nine Tail and Daji shared an unbreakable bond (bound together by an ankle bracelet) since that fateful day as this pair of fox and human spirits became intertwined and destined to be together for eternity.
This film follows Jiang Ziya's journey to capture Nine Tail all the while attempting to release Daji from her unfortunate fate. Along the way, viewers are treated to beautiful rendering of colorful depictions of ancient China and cutesy character designs with top notch animations featuring fast paced kung fu fighting.
The storyline features elements and plots from the novel with added bonuses like the adorably cute heavenly fawn that acts like a puppy called Four Alike (whose Chinese name, "Si Bu Xiang", actually means the exact opposite - "Four Not Alike"). As in the novel, after the fall of the Shang dynasty, here too King Zhou is deified as a deity who manages the marriage affairs of mortals. And like the novel, the promise of deification to the nine tailed fox spirit for successfully completing her mission to seduce and overthrow King Zhou was not fulfilled as promised, thereby causing Nine Tail a lot of resentments and a desire for vengeance on the perpetrator.
I really enjoyed this film and that's maybe because I'm a big fan of "Investiture of the Gods". I find this much more enjoyable than last year's Nezha. I can't wait for it to release in 4k so that I can watch it again and certainly looking forward to next year's entry in this glorified Fengshen Cinematic Universe, "ErLang Shen" (God with Three Eyes). Until then, we still have the the live action version of this epic tale to look forward to (Director Wuershan's "Fengshen Trilogy")
Better than Ne zha
kariverson21 April 2021
Don't believe the negative reviews. Most are spoiled by Hollywood. We don't need blatant exposition dialogues and to be spoon fed every detail of the back story.
This one is better than Ne zha, more mature, more character driven. Definitely wouldn't think it's a kids movie. One of the most moving movies I've watched for a while. Left me kind of sad though, despite the comedic mid-credits scene. I wouldn't watch it to be uplifted.
Absolutely worth the watch and doesn't deserve a smaller score than Ne zha whatsoever.
This one is better than Ne zha, more mature, more character driven. Definitely wouldn't think it's a kids movie. One of the most moving movies I've watched for a while. Left me kind of sad though, despite the comedic mid-credits scene. I wouldn't watch it to be uplifted.
Absolutely worth the watch and doesn't deserve a smaller score than Ne zha whatsoever.
similar to Ne Zha
qqml11 January 2021
just beautiful in every way!
romina-stancu7 September 2021
A wild Turkey turned even wilder after Ne Zha
AntiFakeReviews13 February 2021
And used the same format of Ne Zha to draft all the similar cartoon figures with ugly patch-up designs, horrible voice over and jump-around over-the-top crazy CGI effects. Such overly used programming formula is exactly like Disney's late cartoons, all with the same facial figures, facial expressions and exaggerated voice over. Only fed satisfactory to the XX generation and those who refuse to grow up and move out of their parents houses. A generation never washed a dish, never cleaned their rooms, only used their fingers to play video games, texting non-stop, selfie non-stop, WeChat each other day and night, smoking, partying and overdosed elsewhere, so arrogantly ignorant, despise their elders, never like to work, never employed...These are the majority viewers of these kind of cartoons that made them feel at home with no substance at all.
Haven't been so excited to enjoy a movie in a long time.
daisukereds16 April 2021
I was 24 minutes in, and I desperately started chanting "please don't be a disappointment!"
I've seen far too many Chinese movies (and of all types) to quickly get my hopes up for something that isn't what I expect it to be. And when someone reviewed this with a 5 and said that the "setting was too grand" and failed to deliver.. To that person I say : Buddy, you've never seen an actual terrible chinese movie, have you?
I would put this above Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon.
This movie takes a blank canvas and paints a world with beautiful lore of Gods, Spirits and Secrets, leaving the mystical to remain an unexplained mystery, yet doesn't alienate anyone. Somethings are better left unexplained, specially the magical kind. And the same goes for the cultural background of the story! This seems to be loosely based on an old Chinese novel.. but it's simple enough that someone with a ready mind can digest without issues. Might be easier for me since I've played too many stories and immersed myself in a large amount of video games.
The plot is very straightforward, and is not dumbed down by silliness (stupid characters, annoying plots, waste of time, etc.). It wants to tell you a story, and it doesn't deviate from it. Very refreshing and interesting. I LOVED IT, specially the way it ended. I'd give it a 10, but no movie is perfect (even though I can't really complain about anything with this one, not for what it is).
Apparently it's the 2nd installment of the "Fengshen Cinematic Universe" (sequel to 2019's Ne Zha, which I'll try to find now). But still, you can watch this as a stand alone (as I did) and enjoy it all the same.. be it for it's beautiful use of colors, CGI models and animations.
I would put this above Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon.
This movie takes a blank canvas and paints a world with beautiful lore of Gods, Spirits and Secrets, leaving the mystical to remain an unexplained mystery, yet doesn't alienate anyone. Somethings are better left unexplained, specially the magical kind. And the same goes for the cultural background of the story! This seems to be loosely based on an old Chinese novel.. but it's simple enough that someone with a ready mind can digest without issues. Might be easier for me since I've played too many stories and immersed myself in a large amount of video games.
The plot is very straightforward, and is not dumbed down by silliness (stupid characters, annoying plots, waste of time, etc.). It wants to tell you a story, and it doesn't deviate from it. Very refreshing and interesting. I LOVED IT, specially the way it ended. I'd give it a 10, but no movie is perfect (even though I can't really complain about anything with this one, not for what it is).
Apparently it's the 2nd installment of the "Fengshen Cinematic Universe" (sequel to 2019's Ne Zha, which I'll try to find now). But still, you can watch this as a stand alone (as I did) and enjoy it all the same.. be it for it's beautiful use of colors, CGI models and animations.
One epic scene after another
wesseldj-485814 May 2021
Everything is epic about this animation, or Donghua as the chinese say it, which roughly translates as "moving painting" and is the equivalent to the japanese Anime. Its grandeur comes from storyline, music, characterization, the message, and ofcourse the animation. It's a rollercoaster ride experience, with a message of piety and moral righteousness in grand proportions. Truly one epic scene after another from beginning to the very last end!
Simply Beautiful
kholoodyaseen23 April 2021
From the art to the concept, from the voice actors to the direction itself... the whole movie is a piece of art. Each scene is beautifully done, truly. There's no other words than I can use other than, stop reading and go watch it. You're missing out on a true gem....
PS: I would go for the original Chinese one, not the dubbed one. And don't tell me you can't read subs, it only takes a couple of mins if you ain't used to it yet.
DESERVES 7 STARS, AT LEAST, FOR THE AWE-INSPIRING ANIMATION
AnirudhGod29 June 2021
I really liked the tale of Jiang Ziya, who seeks to clear his name of illusions and rescue someone from the clutches of a demon. It's an interesting watch, as it showcases the nobility and kindness of the gods, who only want to protect people. For the first 50 minutes or so, our protagonists are on a quest, and nothing really of significance really happens. But once our protags reach Mount Youdu, the action kicks off spectacularly and the conflict escalates too. With the Nine-Tailed Fox coming to action to pose significant threat to Jiang Ziya. And from there, there's no stopping. The movie is contemplative, emotional, and action-packed, with not much room for comedy. Except the scenes with Four-alike. They're fun, and also the one scene with it will make you bawl your eyes out. I really liked the arc of Jiang Ziya defying the gods for not being able to save an innocent's life, and the totality of that narrative was interesting. And Nine-Tailed Fox's backstory was also sad. I totally dug the film. Loved it. The only flaw that I would point out that, the world of Jiang Ziya is too complex and sprawling that the pace of the film doesn't really give a break to process the world-building. Which resulted in the movie's mythos not really making coherent sense. I understand the context of the Chinese culture, but a little more accessibility would've given the movie a wider audience who could've truly appreciated the wonderful visuals and heartwarming story.
Beautiful screenplay
xiaohei-8011218 October 2020
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