Blu-ray Review: New Gods: Yang Jian

Blu-ray Reviews, Reviews, Top Story

Back in 2021, New Gods: Nezha Reborn arrived from China. The CGI animated film, attempted to update the tales of the Chinese Gods. The film dealt with Erlang (Wang Kai/Nicholas Andrew Louie) trapping his sister below a mountain. The film did well around the globe so we’re getting a sequel to see what happened to Erlang in the aftermath. The good news is that New Gods: Yang Jian doesn’t require you to see the first film to enjoy the new film. New Gods: Nezha Reborn exists in a world that’s a cross between Chinese legends, Steampunk and a blend of science fiction and fantasy.

Erlang Shen is now working as a bounty hunter with a crew on a floating ship including a person who can also transform into a dog. He seems out to forget about the incidents of the first film as he sinks into his new life tracking down and capturing people. His third eye has sealed up, He’s covered it over with a headband so people think he’s just got a normal forehead. While part of the film is in a sunny world, he has to head into a nasty dark and dripping neighborhood to track down a target. Eventually a mysterious woman arrives on the boat wanting Erlang to find a person for her. He doesn’t do missing person cases, but she says it’s a fugitive and he agrees. But there’s a lot to his new assignment.

New Gods: Yang Jian is a beautiful movie. It’s easy to get lost in the frame. The backgrounds in the movie are exquisite. The CGI looks almost real at certain points. Other times the landscapes look like they’re traditional Chinese art given motion. Quite a few times you think there’s a touch of an influence from Roger Dean’s Yes album covers. This is just a stunning film to watch with so many details on the screen. We’re seeing images through screens. The story keeps you engrossed as Erlang Shen races across these worlds looking for his missing subject. The fights take full advantage of the CGI. New Gods: Yang Jian will make you wish you had a third eye to take it all in.

The Video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The 1080p transfer shows off the details in the CGI. There’ so much texture. The Audio is 5.1 DTS-HD MA in both Mandarin and English. Either language works well for viewing. The movie is subtitled in English and Spanish.

DVD has the movie and bonus features.

Interview with Director Zhao Ji (15:38) has his him going into how they started developing the film in 2019 as the series progressed. He speaks about the studio’s new challenges with the technology and techniques used in the film.

Animating New Gods: Yang Jian with Zhao Ji (6:17) has them talk about reintroducing the characters and set them in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. He gets into creating the traditional Chinese wash techniques using CGI animation. We meet the art director at his work station. He gets into the facial features of the characters.

Original Cast Interview (16:24) has the actors discuss what they wanted their vocal performances to give the characters.

Arts and Culture Spotlight (13:04) is from a TV special that focused on the movie being released.

Art Gallery (3:58) is a montage of the character art and various vehicles.

Mini Poster from the movie release.

Shout! Factory and GKIDS present New Gods: Yang Jian. Directed by Zhao Ji. Screenplay by Mu Chuan. Starring Nicholas Andrew Louie, Christine Lin, Parry Shen, Luke Naphat Sath & Wang Kai. Running Time: 128 Minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: April 25, 2023.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.