Zu Warriors From The Magic Mountain

No problems with sound or image quality on this Region 2 DVD from Hong Kong Legends. The 16:9 Anamorphic widescreen enhanced transfer is remarkably free of scratches and damage, considering the age and relative low budget of the film, and lets the bright, vivid colours shine through.

As is the norm on HKL DVDs, there is the choice of English dubbing and Cantonese audio, with English subtitles also available.

First extra on the DVD is a feature length commentary with Bey Logan and director Tsui Hark. Logan gives the who, what, where and when of the film's personnel, while Hark, responding to Logan's questions, supplies the detail on the making of Zu Warriors and his experiences in the Hong Kong and Hollywood industries.

Then there are interviews with Mang Hoi and Moon Lee, clocking in at 18 and 22 minutes respectively. Both talk about their careers in general and of Zu Warriors in particular, emphasising the demanding nature of the production. For Lee it was her first film, for Hoi one that meant a dual role of acting and assisting with the action direction.

The last major extra is nearly half an hour of additional footage used in the Western release of the film, under its Time Warriors guise. Other than two short scenes set in mythic China, the bulk of this footage consists of material set in the present day, which bookends the mythic story and presents it as being a dream. Adding little to one's understanding of the main film, this framing device is wholly negative in its impact. As such, it's worth watching once - and worth including for the sake of completeness - but that's all that can be said about it.

A selection of trailers complete another impressive package from Hong Kong Legends.