Sakra (film)

Sakra
Theatrical release poster
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese天龍八部之喬峯傳
Simplified Chinese天龙八部之乔峰传
Transcriptions
Directed byDonnie Yen[n 1]
Screenplay by
  • Sheng Lingzhi
  • Zhu Wei
  • He Ben
  • Chen Li
  • Shen Lejing
  • Xu Yifan
Based onDemi-Gods and Semi-Devils
by Jin Yong
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyChan Chi-ying
Edited byLi Ka-wing
Music byChoi Chul-ho
Production
companies
Distributed byMandarin Motion Pictures
Release dates
  • January 16, 2023 (2023-01-16) (Malaysia, Singapore)
  • January 19, 2023 (2023-01-19) (Hong Kong, Macau)
  • January 20, 2023 (2023-01-20) (Taiwan)
  • January 25, 2023 (2023-01-25) (South Korea)
Running time
130 minutes
Countries
  • Hong Kong
  • China
Languages
  • Cantonese
  • Mandarin
BudgetCN¥150 million
Box officeUS$3,582,391[3][4][5]

Sakra (transl. Sakra; 天龍八部之喬峯傳; lit. 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils: The Legend of Qiao Feng') is a 2023 wuxia film starring and directed by Donnie Yen in his first film as director since Protégé de la Rose Noire (2004). The film is a co-production between Hong Kong and China, and Yen co-produced the film with Wong Jing. Co-starring Chen Yuqi and Cya Liu, the film is adapted from the wuxia novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils by Jin Yong, and was released in OTT platforms in China during the 2023 Lunar New Year. It was the top Lunar New Year film across the three biggest streaming platforms in China – IQiyi, Tencent and Youku – with streaming revenues exceeding the film's budget within 10 days of release.[6] It was also released in theatres in Malaysia and Singapore on 16 January 2023 where it ranked as one of the top Chinese films at the box office in 2023.[7][8]

Synopsis

As a baby, Khitan-born Qiao Feng lost his parents and was raised by a couple from the Song Empire, which was at war with the Khitan-led Liao Empire. He grows up to become a formidable and righteous martial artist, eventually becoming the chief of the Beggar Clan, one of the largest martial arts clans in the wulin (martial artists' community). However, he falls from grace after his Khitan heritage is revealed, and also after he is wrongly accused of committing murders.

During this time, Qiao Feng meets and falls in love with Azhu, who stands by him even though the wulin has mostly turned against him. He takes her to Heroes Gathering Manor to seek help from the physician Xue Muhua after she is accidentally injured. At the manor, he is surrounded and confronted by several martial artists, including some old friends and acquaintances, who now consider him a threat to the wulin. Forced to sever ties with them, he then fights and kills many of them. Towards the end, a wounded Qiao Feng is saved by a mysterious man.

Azhu, after being healed by Xue Muhua, escapes from the manor and reunites with Qiao Feng, who has confirmed his Khitan origin and now goes by the name "Xiao Feng". Believing that "Leading Big Brother", who was responsible for his parents' deaths, is behind the murders, Xiao Feng sets out with Azhu to uncover "Leading Big Brother"'s identity. At one point, Xiao Feng mistakenly thinks that "Leading Big Brother" is the Dali prince Duan Zhengchun and mortally wounds him. However, the Duan Zhengchun he wounded turns out to be Azhu in disguise. Before dying, she reveals that she had just discovered that Duan Zhengchun is her long-lost father, and she hopes that her death will appease Xiao Feng. Xiao Feng deeply regrets his actions but it is too late. While mourning Azhu, he learns that Duan Zhengchun is not "Leading Big Brother".

Qiao Feng, accompanied by Azhu's sister Azi, gets into a fight with Murong Fu and defeats him. He takes Azhu's remains to the countryside and buries her as his wife, after which he and Azi ride towards Liao soldiers. In the mid-credits scenes, Murong Fu is revived by his father, Murong Bo. Xiao Yuanshan, Xiao Feng's father, is also revealed to have survived all these years, and is the one behind the murders his son is accused of.

Cast

Further information: List of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils characters

Production

Principal photography for the film started on 27 July 2022 and concluded in October 2022. In April 2022, the film was registered as a "web-distributed film" in China National Radio and Television Administration.[9] In May 2022, the first concept poster was released during the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. The production crew was also announced, including Donnie Yen as the director, producer and lead cast.[10] In July 2022, Cya Liu indicated that she would join the cast during the interview with Oriental Daily News.[11] In August 2022, Grace Wong posted a photo on social media, showing herself wearing a Sakra T-shirt at Hengdian World Studios.[12] In September 2022, a behind-the-scene video clip showing Donnie Yen and Chen Yuqi was released.[13] In October 2022, the film ended filming, and moved on to post-production.[14][7]

Release

In December 2022, it was announced that the film was scheduled for release in theatres in Malaysia on 16 January 2023.[8]

Sakra did well in its theatrical release in Southeast Asia, grossing a total of Singapore Dollar 955,000 in Singapore, the fifth highest grossing Asian film in 2023 [4][15] as well as close to Malaysia Ringgit 6 million, the sixth highest grossing Asian film in Malaysia for 2023.[16]

In Mainland China, it was one of the most streamed movies in 2023 alongside Avatar: The Way of Water and received the award for outstanding streaming movie at the Golden Swan festival held in Macau on 16 December 2023 in recognition of the film's strong streaming revenue.[17]

Reception

Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 70% based on 20 reviews.[18] Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com gave the film three stars and called it "a surprisingly well-realized star vehicle and adaptation."[19]

Notes

  1. ^ Donnie Yen served as the main director for the film, while Kam Ka-wai and Cheng Wai-man are the co-directors.

References

  1. ^ "厦门出品影片亮相戛纳 有望明年和国内观众见面". 厦门网 (in Chinese). 厦门日报. 2022-05-20.
  2. ^ a b "天龍八部之喬峰傳 1月16號GSC全馬上映". Facebook. GSCinemas. 2022-12-02.
  3. ^ "Sakra". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Asian films still draw Singapore audiences to theaters". The Straits Times. 2023-05-24.
  5. ^ "Malaysia Box Office 2023 results". China Press Malaysia. 2024-01-11.
  6. ^ "投资1.5亿《天龙八部之乔峰传》不到十天已回本 是时候打造中国流媒体电影生意了". 每日经济新闻 (in Chinese). 2023-01-31.
  7. ^ a b "Tokyo: Donnie Yen on Stepping Behind the Camera for His Martial Arts Passion Project 'Sakra'". The Hollywood Reporter. 2022-10-24.
  8. ^ a b "甄子丹、惠英红、吴樾《乔峰传》发新海报，或转"网大"线上播出". MSN. 红星新闻. 2022-12-04. Archived from the original on 2023-03-09. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  9. ^ "2022年4月全国重点网络影视剧拍摄备案情况". 公众号平台 (in Chinese). 最高人民检察院影视中心. 2022-06-14. 网络电影 序号108 天龙八部之乔峰传 古代 武打
  10. ^ Patrick Brzeski (2022-05-17). "Cannes: Donnie Yen to Star in Chinese Tentpole 'Sakra'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2022-08-09. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
  11. ^ "劉雅瑟入行18年經歷墮落迷失 自封最窮影后". Oriental Daily News (in Chinese). 2022-07-22. Archived from the original on 2022-08-09. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
  12. ^ "女主角敲定「最美趙敏」陳鈺琪 王君馨拍《喬峰傳》指甄子丹要求高". Exmoo News (in Chinese). No. 2431. 2022-08-04. Archived from the original on 2022-08-09. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
  13. ^ "Donnie Yen attracts brickbats after using stretcher to carry co-star during shoot". Malay Mail. 2022-09-20.
  14. ^ "「天龍八部之喬峰」無事撮影終了〜". twitter (in Japanese). Kenji Tanigaki. 2022-10-04.
  15. ^ "新加坡2023年10大票房". 早报 (in Chinese). 2023-12-24.
  16. ^ "Malaysia Box Office 2023 results". China Press Malaysia. 2024-01-11.
  17. ^ "《天龙八部之乔峰传》荣获腾讯视频金鹅荣誉年度优秀点播电影". Yule.com.cn (in Chinese). 2023-12-16.
  18. ^ "Sakra". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  19. ^ Abrams, Simon (April 14, 2023). "Sakra". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.