The comedy-fantasy-adventure epic A Legend is set in both present day and back in time during the Western Han dynasty. In the present, archaeologist Professor Fang (Jackie Chan, Police Story, Ride On, The Karate Kid, Rush Hour, Drunken Master) is working on an excavation site along with students Wang Jing (Lay Zhang, No More Bets, Kung Fu Yoga) and Xinran (Peng Xiaoran, Sky Hunter). At the site, they discovered a rare Hunnic jade pendant along with the frozen/preserved remains of a Han warhorse, and are trying to figure out why these two things were together. They also suspect that a legendary, undiscovered Shaman sanctuary may be nearby. And with the help of good friend Lei Zhen (Li Chen, Bureau 749), they set out to find this.
Ever since finding the jade pendant, Professor Fang and Wang have been having similar dreams, in which they are generals in the Han Army. The Central Plains and Hexi region have been repeatedly invaded by the Huns, and Generals Zhao Zhan (a de-aged Jackie Chan) and Huajun (Lay Zhang in dual role) are sent to survey the enemy situation and look for good stallions. They come across Xiongnu princess Mengyun (Gülnezer Bextiyar, Fangs of Fortune, Got a Crush on You), who is on the run from ruthless Hun leader Huduna (Aarif Lee, Wolf Pack), who wants to make her his bride. Through the shared dreams, we follow the events of the past as this epic battle plays out between the Hun and Han armies, princess Mengyun’s quest to get revenge for what happened to her family, and the blossoming love that forms between Mengyun and Zhao Zhan. Meanwhile, in the present, echoes of the past threaten the Professor and his team, while a more comical unrequited love story plays out between Xinran and Wang Jing.
A Legend is the third appearance of Chan’s archeologist character, following The Myth (2005) and Kung Fu Yoga (2017). I was not aware of this until I started writing up this review, but didn’t find it necessary to have seen those other movies in order to fully enjoy this third adventure. The film comes from Chan’s longtime collaborator Stanley Tong (Kung Fu Yoga, Vanguard, The Myth)—who returns to write and direct—and is filled with lots of action and humor.
Much of the story plays out in the past as we follow the epic battle between these two armies. A lot of the action takes place on horseback, whether it’s swordfights, arrows, or kicks and punches. All of the action is fast-paced, well choreographed and exciting. At times it can get a bit over-the-top, such as Zhao Zhan’s horse kicking and head butting enemies during a fight, but this is done in a fun way that doesn’t come off as cheesy, fake or too ridiculous. The battlefield scenes are quite impressive both in scale and in the beauty of the composition, making use of wide, sweeping shots to capture all of the action and the colorful setting. My one complaint about this portion of the film is the CGI de-aging of Jackie Chan, which sometimes looks terrible—I didn’t even initially realize it was actually Chan playing the role of Zhao Zhan, despite the professor noting how much the solider in his dreams looked like himself. I’m not really sure why they felt the need to go this CGI route as makeup would probably have been sufficient—Chan does not really look that old to begin with. Either way, the fighting style was what one would expect from Chan, blending in humor along with the quick-paced, exciting action.
The storyline in the present was a bit weaker. The action doesn’t really kick in until the final 30 minutes, and then it felt a bit shocking to see this seemingly meek professor turn into an action star (though maybe this would have been evident if I had seen those 2 previous films). What I did really enjoy in the present storyline was this fun rom-com like unrequited love story between Xinran and Wang Jing, and the comical things Xinran does to try to get Wang’s attention. Wang Jing is so consumed by his work that he is oblivious to the fact that Xinran is in love with him and throwing herself at him. Even the professor realizes what’s going on. This becomes an ongoing source of comic-relief and laughs whenever the film cuts back to the present.
Well Go USA has released A Legend on Blu-ray, DVD and digital format. Normally in my reviews, I would comment on the audio and video presentation of the release, but since I watched this film via a watermarked screener, I’m not sure how it compares to the final quality of the consumer product. I am someone who will always choose an English track over the original language track when it is available—I’d rather enjoy the visuals than concentrate on reading the bottom of the screen. While the physical release includes an English Dub option, and it appears that the iTunes version may as well, my screener only offered the original Mandarin track. That said, I found the subtitles to be well-written and easy to follow. It does not appear that the physical or digital release includes any bonus material, besides the English Dub and the film’s trailer.
What’s Included:
-
Digital specs may vary by platform/retailer.
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.35:1
- Audio: Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English, French
Film: (2:09:21)
Extras:
-
Physical release lists English Dub and a Trailer.
The English audio may also be available on the digital, check the specs on the digital retailer.
Final Thoughts:
A Legend is a very enjoyable comedy-fantasy-adventure epic that is set both in the past as well as the present. Star Jackie Chan re-teams with longtime collaborator writer/director Stanley Tong to give viewers another fun action-packed film that showcases all of Chan’s talents and skills. Chan plays dual roles in the film, though the CGI de-aging for one of these characters looks a bit off at times—I wish they had just stuck with make-up effects. That said, it’s a beautiful looking film with some sweeping and epic battle sequences, some exciting fast-paced fights and action, as well as some fun rom-com like moments in the present. This film is definitely worth checking out for Jackie Chan fans.
A Legend Blu-ray
35% Off $29.98 $19.49 (as of January 16, 2025 14:44 GMT -05:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
A Legend DVD
35% Off $24.98 $16.29 (as of January 16, 2025 14:44 GMT -05:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
