"Like a drifter I was born to walk alone": The Sorcerer and the White Snake Trailer

By Steven Lloyd Wilson | Trailers | December 10, 2012 | Comments ()

Evidence in The Expendables aside, it looks like Jet Li might be trying to turn the corner into thoughtful middle age in his roles, after an entire career of the old ultra-violence. The Sorcerer and the White Snake has a feeling reminiscent of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, except with the addition of more enormous snakes with the heads of women.

Action director Ching Siu-Tung helms this fantasy film based on an old Chinese legend about an herbalist who falls in love with a thousand-year-old White Snake disguised as a woman. Jet Li stars as a sorcerer who discovers her true identity and battles to save the man’s soul.

At first I assumed that the “thousand year old White Snake” was a metaphor for Sean Connery’s penis, and then I watched the trailer and once she asked me for three-fiddy, I realized that she was actually a beast from the paleolithic.

Here’s the trailer:

A lot of individuals on the Internet are saying that the CGI looks lame and cheap, but as another individual on the Internet, I think it looks just fine. I can understand where they’re coming from; the CGI is definitely of a fantastic mold, rather than aiming for strict photorealism. But that reminds me of del Toro’s films, or the various imaginings of Gaiman. It also reminds me of video games, which I do not find to be a detrimental comparison. So as one person on the Internet, let me say that the other people on the Internet are wrong.

The film was released at film festivals in 2011, but is getting a VOD and limited theater release in early 2013.

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BierceAmbrose

Wait, Whitesnake are immortal Chinese hair-demons?

It all makes sense now.

Fabius_Maximus

Oh, Nagas. I thought they were an Indian myth, though.

Mrcreosote

I'd like to give this an enthusiastic thumbs up. Doomed romances with snake women, vindictive monks, and endless sniping battles? It's Christmastime at the Creosote household.

Maguita NYC

The tale might be interesting to watch if the trailer was not cut so oddly... It looks very cheap, and not artistic in any awesome del Toro magnificence (bite your tongue Mr. Lloyd Wilson!)

And I am a fan of the genre. Was raised on Bruce Lee movies and Chinese folklore. Hope a better trailer will soon be introduced for this looks like a cheaper "Last Airbender" catastrophe, but without the delicious Dev Patel.

Luke Anthony Matthews

This looks totally cray cray, but i'm weirdly intrigued.

Pepper

It's based on a Chinese folk tale, with two snake demons who kick all sorts of ass, a wimpy husband and a vindictive monk. Fun read, but the actual movie disappointed. 1993's Green Snake with Maggie Cheung was funnier and sexier.

logan

I gotta say that awesome title lured me into an article I normally would have said Meh to and went on. Well done Steven Lloyd, well done.

zeke_the_pig

Mmm, Whitesnake reference on a Monday. I am sated.

e jerry powell

I thought last Monday's Whitesnake reference was a bit more appealing.

Fabius_Maximus

Nobody should reference Whitesnake.

Stranger

Looks weird. I hate all that Crouching Tiger fantasy crap. At least the Matrix attempted to make sense of why they could piss all over the laws of physics - and even I got tired of it by the third movie. Jet Li is great but I like him better in more grounded material with American influence.

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"Like a drifter I was born to walk alone": The Sorcerer and the White Snake Trailer