Legendary Amazons 杨门女将之军令如山 - Cecilia Cheung, Richie Ren, Cheng Pei Pei, Kathy Chow

Lots of us on this forum a big fans of the awesome Shao Nian Yang Jia Jiang (Young Warriors of the Young Clan) CTV series produced by Tangren back in 2006, starring Hu Ge as the ingenious Liu Lang, Peter Ho as Si Lang, Eddie Peng as the cutesy Qi Lang, Johnny Chen Long as Wu Lang and Yuan Hong as the memorable Yelu Xie. The series ends in sadness, with all the Yang brothers dead save for Liu Lang, the last Yang man standing after the tragic Jinshatan battle.

The story of the Young Warriors does not end with the death endings of the Yang men. Their mother, 7 wives and 2 younger sisters not only went on living, but put on the armour in place of their dead husbands/sons to become the legendary Yang Women Warriors.

This movie opens with the widows of the Yang now forming a formidable battalion. By this time, Princess Chai is also a widow with Yang Liu Lang dead (well, according to certain folklore/TV adaptations, Liu Lang was killed in battle by Si Lang's son with the Liao Princess, before he came to know of his real identity). Liu Lang's son with Princess Chai, Yang Zongbao is the last man standing in the Yang clan. He dies in battle tragically when the treacherous Imperial Tutor Pang refuses to send reinforcements to aid him. Yang Zongbao's widowed wife Mu Guiying leads the other widows of the Yang clan into battle to continue the legacy of their husbands and to preserve the life of Yang Zongbao's son, Yang Wenguang, the sole male descendant of the Yang family.

Legendary Hong Kong screen actress and wuxia leading lady extraordinaire Zheng Pei Pei is She Saihua, the matriarch of the Yang family – who famously outlived her husband, her sons and her grandson.
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We’ve got two very well-preserved screen divas of the 1970s and 1980s respectively - Liu Xiao Qing as Princess Chai and Kathy Chow as Fifth Wife. Gosh, it's unbelievable that Liu Xiao Qing is way into her 50s, and Kathy is already in her mid-40s.
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And then we have lead couple Cecilia Cheung and Richie Ren as Mu Gui Ying and Yang Zhong Bao
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This is the ultimate gal power movie in the wuxia genre. Though my problem with it lies with the English title - "Legendary Amazons" - CHEESY!!!!
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The producer is Jackie Chan, and this is a two-hour movie with lots going on, so don't expect much character development or any sort of development in the romance department. There's little going on with Cecilia and Richie...just not enough time for that.

And my Christmas treat from this movie is - Chen Zihan as Yang Ba Mei. Woooh! Sorry if I offend LYF fangirls - I'm actually in the minority who favoured Guo Fu over Xiao Longnu in ROCH06. It's just Chen Zihan's Guo Fu - best ever Guo Fu in all ROCH adaptations. I felt much more charmed by her, however evil or bratty she was, than all the other girls in ROCH06.

Unfortunately given the star-heavy power of the female cast here, it's difficult for Chen Zihan to shine through in this movie. Still, I'm grateful to see her in here, and she's done a wonderful job as Yang Ba Mei. Hope more to come on the big screen for the career of this talented actress.
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As for the men - Richie Ren and Xiao Mingyu - well, this is a gal power vehicle, so their characters are outshone by the women (as expected). I actually liked Richie Ren's understated portrayal of the loyal and courageous Yang Zongbao. But Xiao Mingyu as Yang Wenguang? OK, first thought that came to my mind - how did such a short average-looking guy with bad acting skills get such a role?!! Gosh, his first appearance (which was suppose to be the type of debut appearance that can create a bang - him riding a horse on an armour) actually made me instantly allergic to him. All the rousing music and camera angles can't disguise his literal short-fall in all aspects that screams NON-Yang warrior!

Chen Zihan looks good. Does she end up with Jiang Shangfeng, ex-head of the Gaibang who is revealed as a long-lost prince of Xixia? How close does this movie follow the Yang family amazons serial with Lisa Wang in the early 80s? In that movie all the ladies die in the end except She Taijun, 5th wife, 7th wife and Mu Guiying (and her children). Ba Mei dies rescuing her husband who was imprisoned by his brother.

Oh no, don't expect any development on the story of Yang Ba Mei. This movie falls way short of any character or substantial story development. I find it a pity that Chen Zihan's acting skills aren't stretched here. I'd say the only relationship with some sort of storyline is Yang Zongbao & Mu Guiying, and even then, it wasn't much of a story. You watch this movie for the super awesome fight choreography and amazing battle scenes.

This is a Jackie Chan production, so there you go.

OMG!!! Chen Zihan as Yang 8 Mei??? :eek: I've known about this movie for a long time but had zero interest in it...now I know CZH only has a small role, but still, I've adored her ever since I watched her as Princess Pingyang in DHTZ (and loved her as Guo Fu too) so I'm always excited to see her name appear in projects. :D

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Originally Posted by mango_cake

OMG!!! Chen Zihan as Yang 8 Mei??? :eek: I've known about this movie for a long time but had zero interest in it...now I know CZH only has a small role, but still, I've adored her ever since I watched her as Princess Pingyang in DHTZ (and loved her as Guo Fu too) so I'm always excited to see her name appear in projects. :D

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She did a great job as always, but this movie was so fast-paced and it's a Cecilia Cheung vehicle, so don't expect a really substantial role for her here. The fight & battle choreography were super-awesome.

Sorry for disagreeing but this is a pretty rubbish movie with impossible situations and escapes.

Watched it while I was bathing my dogs! Terrible movie!

I think the director got lost in what he wants to focus the story on. It tries to fit too many themes into such a short movie and ends up shoving its patriotism message and romantic loove messages at the audience rather than move us with story development.

It is a waste of cast and money due to the story, but the battle scenes and scenery look spectacular. I would much preferred if they cut Yang Zhong Bao's role down to a flashback role and concentrated on women leading an army.

I seriously hope the new Yang Family Warriors movie with Adam Cheng will be much better.

Oh, sorry did I raise too much expectations? I guess these days I'm just not in an intellectual mode and go for mindless entertainment at the cinemas after a hard day's work (work is very hard these days indeed). Likewise, I thoroughly enjoyed The Adventures of Tin Tin movie even though it was critically panned for its implausible situations and escapes, haha!

Similarly, Legendary Amazons was one wacky action ride which I just sat back and watched without thinking, heheh! I just went with the flow - there were plenty of goofy action and of course the implausible battle stunts which was enough to keep me entertained. The ending credits bloopers (typical of Jackie Chan's style) which showed the actresses dropping swords, slipping on ice, getting tangled in wires, etc, is a clear indication that it's the type of movie totally not to be taken seriously :D