YAO'S YOUNG WARRIORS is your usual historical martial arts film with one twist: it was made in mainland China rather than Hong Kong. Unfortunately it's not one of the better genre films to come from that country, lacking in the kind of slick action choreography that makes similar Hong Kong pictures so enthralling and exciting. At least modern Chinese historical action movies have the budget to do their subject justice.
The plot is straightforward and reminded me a little of SAVING GENERAL YANG. A top Sung warrior holds out against invading Chin forces until his wife is kidnapped, at which point his courageous offspring spring into action in an attempt to rescue her. Mucho action follows, but none of it is very memorable; the fights seem slow and overly staged and the gaudy, cheap-looking costumes are distracting. At times I felt like I was watching a pantomime rather than a real film. The bad dubbing doesn't help much either.
The plot is straightforward and reminded me a little of SAVING GENERAL YANG. A top Sung warrior holds out against invading Chin forces until his wife is kidnapped, at which point his courageous offspring spring into action in an attempt to rescue her. Mucho action follows, but none of it is very memorable; the fights seem slow and overly staged and the gaudy, cheap-looking costumes are distracting. At times I felt like I was watching a pantomime rather than a real film. The bad dubbing doesn't help much either.
