Na Cha the Great (1974)
Na Cha stars Fu Sheng as the prodigal son of a wealthy local official. When obnoxious sea dragons take on human form and cause trouble on the land, he realizes that the common people need help and takes up his mantle as their protector, fighting the dragons and their flunkies with the aid of supernatural powers.
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While it's far from a bad film, NA CHA THE GREAT isn't exactly a great film, either. The notion of gods interfering in the affairs of Mankind isn't anything new, but, in most instances, the Cinematic treatment of this trespass relies too heavily on (often questionable) special effects; whether by necessity or by dint of astute filmmaking, Chang Cheh DOESN'T bet the bank on fx: he uses a more down-to-earth approach to the supernatural that's often commendable. Still, there ARE a few sequences that would've benefited from SOME type of fx (makeup or masks, say); the sequence where the water demons emerge from the sea, for instance. The dragon was nice (if stylized) (twice) and some of the flying sequences were interesting (if dated). Not Chang Cheh's best, but not a bad film, all told.
Na Cha stars Fu Sheng as the prodigal son of a wealthy local official. When obnoxious sea dragons take on human form and cause trouble on the land, he realizes that the common people need help and takes up his mantle as their protector, fighting the dragons and their flunkies with the aid of supernatural powers.I was really disappointed with this movie. Fu Sheng character was lame and annoying. Initially he plays an obnoxious, naive idiot. Once his eyes are opened, he pretty much loses all personality. I still have yet to see a movie that adequately explains Fu Sheng's popularity. There are a few good moments - the giant dragon puppets, the flying firey foot wheels, and the wacky "emerging from the sea" shots. Otherwise there is very little involvement in the plot, the characters are dull, and the whole movie never really goes anywhere. Chang Cheh. I love ya but this one ain't stellar.