Mojin: Mysterious Treasure (2020)

Horrible sets / CGI, can't believe this was a 2020 film (feels like a 1980s one)

Mojin: Mysterious treasure is set in the present day, but has numerous flashbacks to the Republican Era raiding of the Xiangxi Tomb where we first meet Shirley's ancestor, the great Zhe Gu Shao. Even though he's dead in the present day, his scenes are STILL the best in this laughably boring movie, because (1) he is COOL and none of the present day generation has half his charisma and (2) the effects and production values are just low.

If you compare the biggest, baddest creature - the 6 winged Giant Centipede, all the scenes featuring it are completely unconvincing from a sets and creature effects standpoint. The fight choreography is terrible and even the physicality required for tomb raiding are not evident in this movie. If you have watched the Candle In the Tomb: The Wrath of Time series, the one with Vengo Gao, you'll be SHOCKED at how much scarier, more exciting and dangerous that centipede fight was. AND it was convincing and believable, instead of the mess they made of it in this movie. So much promise, such terrible execution.

There are also various illogical, bad script decisions. Why does someone have to yell loudly while jumping to or from danger? Why does Hu Ba Yi get the upper hand only to give it back to Villainous Joe who is intent on killing everyone on Hu Ba Yi's team? Like he does it 3 times, as if he forgot the first 2 times he was betrayed. What do they call making the same mistake again expecting a different outcome? Oh Hu Ba Yi levels of idiotic decision making. And he's supposed to he the "Deliverer", the smart one who can get the rest out of the tomb ....

Maybe I've watched too many Candle In The Tomb series and movies, because this one was plain boring. Which is sad because the books clearly have great content, this movie just failed to capitalize on it or execute it well.

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