Saga of the Phoenix

Most of us have picked up enough Greek mythology from high school and Ray Harryhausen movies to guess our way through a pop quiz. The guy who chopped off Medusa’s head? Perseus. The hot babe in a clamshell? Aphrodite. The half-man half-fish holding a trident? Ummmm….Aquaman? We may not be perfect but trying to tackle Asian fantasy films is on a whole ‘nother level! Saga of the Phoenix, a Hong Kong-Japanese co-production based on a popular manga (and sequel to the previous Peacock King), introduces so many characters and pseudo-religious mumbo jumbo in the first half hour it feels like a crash course in Eastern mysticism. But once that prerequisite is out of the way, the movie relaxes into a breezy fish-out-of-water comedy full of stop-motion creatures and hand-drawn special effects.

Gloria Yip plays Ashura the Hell Virgin (sounds like a great Tinder name), promising to turn over a new leaf if she’s allowed seven days in the human world. Tagging along to keep her in line is Peacock (Hiroshi Abe), Tricky Ghost ,her pet demon spawn, and three hot nuns. But the Devil’s Concubine sends up her minions to steal Ashura’s “qi” and unleash hell on Earth. Meanwhile, Lucky Fruit (Yuen Biao) spends almost the entire film stuck inside a block of ice in hell. Is that even possible?

As a follow-up to Peacock King, Ngai Choi Lam’s film is a pretty drastic departure from the original’s horror-centric leanings. But as a charmingly outlandish bit of HK mid-‘80s fantasy, its right on target. Once all that narrative chaos is out of the way, the film actually plays out like an episode of Three’s Company, with Ashura and Peacock shacking up with a pair of well-meaning humans who introduce them to the modern world. That leaves Tricky Ghost, brought to life via puppetry and stop-motion, to fulfill the Mr. Furley role as the obnoxious houseguest with an insatiable appetite and poison gas farts. The final showdown veers back into the horror-action arena with some impressive practical monster effects and a blinding array of Streetfighter-style spells and fireballs. It’s nonsense, but the fun variety, bursting with handmade spectacle and enthusiasm that modern fantasy rarely bothers to replicate.

88 Films packages this one up in a pleasantly plump cardboard-style case with slipcover, postcard and a collector’s booklet featuring essential writing on the history of the Hong Kong film industry’s cinematic collaborations with Japan. The new Blu-ray 2K restoration is supported by some choice extras including an audio commentary, alternate Japanese footage, video essay on Golden Harvest’s co-productions, image gallery and trailer.

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