The synopsis for "Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe" (aka "Jiu ceng yao ta") does make this sort of feel like a mixture between the traditional Asian martial arts movie mixed up with a hefty doze of "Tomb Raider" or "Indiana Jones". And this is also what the movie turned out to be, to some extend...Visually then "Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe" was indeed a nice treat for the eyes to behold on the screen. Lots of great things, details in the scenes, props, costumes, etc. to look at. But the story just failed to have all that shine and luster that the visuals had.The story turned out to be a confusing scramble of an attempt of writing a coherent storyline, and it just lacked that all-important red thread that ties it all together. And on that account, the movie just became something of a visual presentation of various effects and Visuals, more than it was a story-based and story-driven movie. Which ended up being a hindrance for the movie.Now, whether this was the fault of director Chuan Lu or the fault of writers Chuan Lu, Bobby Roth and Nick Roth, I can only guess of course. But I am prone to lean towards the writers.The characters in the movie were well enough details and chiseled out on the screen, but they just were run over by the confusion of the entire movie, which overshadowed everything. And it should also be noted that they had indeed managed to get together a good ensemble of acting talents to star in the movie, just a shame that they had virtually no script or storyline to work with.There are far better forays into the adventure genre, even in Asian cinema, and as such, then "Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe" is hardly the type of movie that you will watch more than a single time.

OK...real rating is about 6.7-7.2. But the ratings here are notoriously and this film is better than that. So I am balancing the ratings. The critics reviews were actually fairly favorable compared to viewers. Some people trashed it (read other comments) saying this film is inferior to Transformers in depth and rips off Indiana Jones, Godzilla, etc. First, I'm not sure what this film and Indiana Jones have much in comment. Not much except for an archaeological dig at the start. No Indy film dealt with monsters. Second, it has little to do with Godzilla other than old bones which suggest dinosaurs but there are no dinosaurs (or I though dragons at the start). And I have not seen another movie with red or blue bats. In fact, the scenes in the caves and mountains resembled more Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit. I'm expecting Smaug to appear somewhere.So what does it really rip off? Not much but probably the general Hollywood investigative conspiracy-type film where a government bureaucracy, in this case Bureau 749 is much like Area 51, Roswell or Project Bluebook. But no one got that. The other film is remotely resembles is actually Tremors where you have a group of people out in the desert surrounded by creatures. A bit different. We see mysterious characters like Mr Wang, the Professor and Bureau 749. Not sure which Hollywood film produces those types. But most people naturally stereotype, if it's Chinese, it must be copying some western film since Chinese are unoriginal. So old prejudices can affect how a film is rated. One interesting thing about some recent Chinese films is the depiction of old-style communism. Films today are generally but loosely scrutinized by the government. It seems to depict the old communist lifestyle as "glorious" but that is a bit tongue-in-cheek since the main character Hu Bayi is overworked at the beginning. More the opening of the film is a social commentary on hard labor as a virtue of the 60s communism in China. One almost senses a labor camp where the government tries to cover up an accident. Otherwise, it's really a interesting cross between a science fiction and a love story. The depth of the plot unwinds and is confusing halfway through. But that is because the main character Hu Bayi himself is confused. He doesn't know he's part of something greater until it's quite late. And we never really find out why the Professor and his daughter were on the archaeological dig until the end. It's a far more complex plot than Transformers. Really! For the person who thinks Transformers, a film made for kids (mostly young boys), is more sophisticated.The opening scenes which are comparable to some as an Indiana Jones film, but I think any movie that deals with caves (a huge genre that started with Journey to the Center of the World) is fun and riveting. The library scenes are also mysterious and fascinating. One issue is that awkward introduction and explanation of the ghostly tribe. It didn't go down smoothly. And again, the complexity of the plot is hard for many to follow. Hence, some criticism is natural.Regardless, the product really is a one-of-a-kind production that is entertaining but perhaps too deep in plot for many viewers who just want monsters or a simple action plot. So some say, it's great for action. But it gets bogged down with the plot (or the love story). But many Chinese action films do involve a love story somewhere. And gorgeous sets and cinematography. In that sense, this film does achieve all three. And it's well acted, all the leading roles were well done. And it does have great CGI (monsters were great!) which is rare outside Hollywood (and some French films). Overall, this film far more complex than Godzilla or Transformers. I'm not sure how that comparison was made. Probably a bit too esoteric for an action-craving audience. Definitely worth renting.

'CHRONICLES OF THE GHOSTLY TRIBE': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)A Chinese fantasy action flick; about researchers, that discover ancient creatures, in the mountains near the Mongolian Border (in 1979). The story also takes place in modern day New York City (when the monsters reappear). The movie was directed by Chuan Lu, who also co-wrote the script (with Bobby and Nick Roth). It stars Mark Chao, Yao Chen, Rhydian Vaughan and Wang Qingxiang. The film is cheesy, and sometimes hard to follow, but it's still a lot of fun (especially if you like creature features).The story begins at the 1979 Mongolian Border; where the fossils of monstrous creatures have been found. A research team has been assigned to head into the mountains, to investigate the findings. They're lead by a professor (Qingxiang), his daughter (Chen) and an adventurer, named Hu Bayi (Chao). After the team is attacked, by various different beasts, Bayi is the only survivor. The film then flashes forward, to present day New York City, where Bayi now works as a librarian (studying demonology). He's called back into action, when he hears about more monster attacks (in Northern China). The film has some fantastic visual effects (the creatures look amazing)! I had trouble keeping up with the subtitles sometimes, and also the story, but I still really enjoyed the movie. I love monster flicks, and this one is definitely a fun one. I couldn't have cared less about the human characters, or any of their drama, but I loved watching the creatures; and the amazing special effects!Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/lcZBQp0HBZg

So...I watched 60 Minutes last night about the Chinese market for big budget movies. This movie popped up for a 10 second example of "monster" movies finally being made in and available to the Chinese public. While the visual aspect of this movie is up there with any big budget American film of this time, the story is unbelievably bad (really bad). It is obvious that millions were spent on this film but they could not seem to be able to spend $500 on a script. I do believe it is worth watching for the CGI eye candy and the acting isn't half bad, but WOW, they still have a way to go as far as story goes. This is like Transformers 4 on steroids with a worse story (if that is possible).It will be interesting to see how this Chinese/US cinema relationship takes us. Hopefully this us just the start of something a bit (much?) better.I also have to admit that I liked the use of minimal blood and no bad language and still have an entertaining movie. This shows you don't have to have heads chopped off and the F bomb every 30 seconds to entertain people. This is one aspect of the new Chinese "blockbuster" style movies that I do like.