I'd heard alot about this movie, so I took a chance and bought the dvd. I'm glad I did. It's a martial arts film, with great special effects, and a great plotline. It's not a case of 2 dimensional characters, good guy vs bad guy. All the characters have depth to them. The fight scenes were good, well enhanced by the special effects, the only thing is, I wish there was a little more attention on the fight choreography, because sometimes the special effects, overwhelm the actual fist to fist fighting. But overall, great story, not a cheesy predictable story. Great fight scenes. Great special effects. I've already watched it twice and i've only had it 2 days.

In it's original form the Stormriders (Feng yun xiong ba tian xia) is a visual treat for fight lovers, and is touchingly romantic ta'boot. While the martial arts are not of the calibre of your average Jackie Chan flick, the special effects are generally well done, with only a few lapses exposing the computer generated scenery. You might want to keep your finger on the pause button to read some of the subtitles as they generally go by fast. (An error has the English subtitles marked as "Chn" but it is the second one on the menu.) The dubbed international version is unintentionally funny at times, as it changes some of the meanings.Based on a "graphic novel" the story line has been changed a bit, so judge it on it's own merits. Aaron Kwok and Ekin Cheng are easy on the eye as is the romantic lead, Kristy Yeung. Shu Qi is there for comic relief as she seems to be in most of her films.Give the full screen 90 minute "international version" a wide berth as it cuts the heart and soul from the film in a brutal and baffling manner, and was wholly un-necessary as the running time in the HK version is only 128 minutes.It can be difficult to find the original letter-box version as the market has been flooded with poorly reproduced ripped copies, but legitimate copies can be found with reputable dealers.The lavish Hong Kong DVD version has an un-narrated show about the special effects, and a making of special which isn't too difficult to understand (given that it has no subtitles.) Notes on the Characters, a Poster Gallery, trailers and Actors bios (in English) are a real treat. (The making of special on the international version is not the same one on the Hong Kong version.)Try to find the Hong Kong version and resist the temptation to view the mangled international version on cable, and you won't be sorry!

Unlike Hollywood films which use special effects which look out of place this film actually has entire sets which are computer generated and special effects which are needed to create the comic book illustrations and work extremely well when showing the power of the main characters. Both of the main actors play out their roles perfectly and really become the characters. After watching this film I am now ordering the Duel and a man named hero also directed by Andrew Lau

The DVD case uses the phrase "Final Fantasy" twice, and they're not kidding - moody photogenic youths with perfect windswept hair, a tragic love triangle, outrageous swords, and even a character called Cloud. The starting and closing credits are cut-scenes as well.It's all good though. The film looks gorgeous, has some beautiful set pieces and is very entertaining. Enjoy the trip, this is for people who enjoyed Zu Warriors.A couple of points points - you'll have to be a bit tolerant of Canto-pop if you watch the extended version. Also, fight fans be warned, this is about special effects not choreography, so if you're looking for some fancy moves get a Jet Li movie instead.