White Haired Witch

Released by: Well Go USA
Released on: March 10th, 2015
Directed by: Jacob Cheung Chi Leung
Cast: Fan Bingbing, Huang Xiaoming, Vincent Zhao
Year: 2014
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The Movie:

Well Go USA continues to release some interesting martial arts pictures here with their latest released, the 2014 film The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom, shortened here simply to White Haired Witch for its Blu-Ray release in the States.

The film-directed by Jacob Cheung Chi Leung-is a mixture of Wuxia cinema, fantasy and classic swordplay tropes, which comes together with an absolutely gorgeous visual style, stylish set design and excellent costuming. The story itself is based upon a sprawling and epic Chinese novel, detailing the exploits of a young martial artist by the name of Zhuo Yihang-played with charisma, ease and charm by Huang Xiaoming-who is no sooner placed as head of the Wudang clan, before he is framed for murder and set against ruthless and corrupt government officials.

Yihang is assisted in his adventure by a rebellion, led by the mysterious Jade Raksha (Fan Bingbing), with the results being perhaps typical of this sort of epic and romantic war story, yet bolstered by a stunning cinematic style and atmosphere. Indeed, the staging of each scene is a wonder to behold, whether it's the frenetic action sequences, colorful nature shots or intimate moments with the film's characters. The camera moves and swirls about the action almost as a character unto itself, which is admittedly an acquired taste for some, but which undeniably sets up a mood for what's going on here with White Haired Witch.

The plot is a bit difficult to follow at times, perhaps due to the influx of side characters which make their presence known without any real depth or gravitas attributed to their side stories, and there really isn't anything new here for fans of the genre to savor. Still, White Haired Witch is undeniably beautiful to watch, and is made even more lovely thanks to a fabulous musical score, which works wonderfully alongside Lin Guohua's fresh cinematography. The strings swirl and swell just at the appropriate times, and create the proper dramatic tension during the larger scaled action scenes.

White Haired Witch may not be the best wuxia film out there, but it's a fine place for beginners to start who are seeking out modern examples of the genre before venturing back to the earliest roots of fantastic and magical martial arts films.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Well Go USA's Blu Ray of White Haired Witchis presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, and looks beautiful with stunning clarity. There's no visible instances of pixelation or damage to the image, while the 5.1 DTS high definition audio track booms and crashes with no drop outs. The English subtitles to the Mandarin Chinese audio track appears error-free, and don't disappear from the screen too quickly to readers to notice.

Extra content includes the film's original trailer, as well as a making of featurette which details the film's background and behind the scenes work with enough attention to give the viewer a bit of extra knowledge after watching the film. It really can't be understated how bright and beautiful White Haired Witch looks: this is one wonderful film to watch.

The Final Word:

So, is White Haired Witch a case of style over substance? Perhaps, but it's some set of style, that's for sure. The film works on a proper level, even for those who are unfamiliar with the source material, and at the very least presents a nice background to feature to enjoy on a superficial level.

Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!