Call of Heroes 3D Blu-ray (2016) [Region A Locked]

[HDM_fan]

Has anyone seen this? How's the movie? How's the 3D? Also has a Dolby ATMOS track.



Blu-ray.com's review (for the 2D version) makes it sound quite good.

[kono]

Don't know about the 3D, I do like this movie. It have great fight choreography and story. Easily recommended. Also, this movie is available on Netflix.

[Biss Skyler Bluray]

Originally Posted by HDM_fan

Has anyone seen this? How's the movie? How's the 3D? Also has a Dolby ATMOS track.



Blu-ray.com's review (for the 2D version) makes it sound quite good.

aside from the action scenes, the landscapes and crane shot which looked nice in 3d, the 3d conversion is inconsistent, the13thman said that it's one of the worst Chinese conversions he seen not too long ago, some shots looked sloppily converted.

[HDM_fan]

So @the13thman... not worth buying huh?

[the13thman]

Originally Posted by HDM_fan

So @the13thman... not worth buying huh?

I'm the wrong person to ask, because I buy every 3D movie I can find and I don't really regret buying any of them. The only thing I ever regret is the price I sometimes pay...

If you're going to watch the movie, you may as well watch it in 3D, just be warned that it's a sloppy conversion.

My initial thoughts are here: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...s#post13041334 (post #6532)

[HDM_fan]

Hmm, not worth it. I trust your judgment based on your other 3D reviews .

[Ky-Fi]

Just watched this last night in 3D, and really loved it.

I had the movie in 2D, and while the 3D wasn't eye-popping, it definitely made the movie much more enjoyable.

As far as the movie itself, it's a take on a fairly standard (and reliable) story that we've seen in a lot of westerns: a villain comes into a peaceful town and kills people, the honorable sheriff arrests him to stand trial (or execution). The villain is the son of a local warlord, who threaten to wipe out the whole town if his son isn't released. The sheriff doesn't want to let him go, but the townspeople are terrified and aren't sure.

Along with the villain and sheriff, you have the wandering lone stranger, and the warlord's chief officer--who used to be friends and trained under the same martial arts master, but now are on opposite sides.

To me, this is everything you want in a martial arts movie: a totally evil villain, noble heroes, some deeper moral quandaries, and GREAT fight scenes (choreographed by Sammo Hung.) Really excellent casting and performances, IMO, especially Sean Lau as the sheriff. The whole thing is really nicely filmed, too--it looks beautiful.

On my projector, it seemed to be mostly mild 3D, although there were a few mountain-and-valley shots that had spectacular depth and separation. I definitely thought the 3D enhanced the movie considerably.

I suppose I'm a bit biased because martial arts is one of my favorite film genres, but I give this one a big thumbs up.

[Joe D.]

I would recommend it if one enjoys these type films which are also part fantasy besides martial arts. The 3D was not bad at all.

[Ky-Fi]

I'm going to nitpick a bit, Joe.

There are actually no fantasy elements in this one. Other than the fact that the fight moves are a bit wire-assisted and exaggerated, as in most modern martial arts movies---but it's a fairly gritty, 1910's warlord-era setting, and no characters have magical abilities or supernatural powers.

[Blu-Ray 3D President]

One of my top 3 Asian 3D movies based on stories. I already have the other 2 -- 1 Hara Kiri and 2 Tai Chi Zero.

Time to grab this.

Without seeing it yet in 3D, I can safely assume it will be better than Hara Kiri in 3D effect. But will it be better than Tai Chi Zero? That will be hard as the latter has excellent 3D IMHO.

[HDM_fan]

Ended up buying, and enjoyed this .

[marchorner]

Hey Biss, Thanks for sharing your favorite 3D blu-rays in your signature. Had not heard about The Taking of Tiger Mountain or The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet. Looking forward to checking those out!

[DualEdge]

Bought my copy the other day (from DeepDiscount oddly) and hoping to get it this week!

[Blu-Ray 3D President]

I was pleasantly surprised by this per my viewing as compared from the reviews so far. My experience is opposite. it has a pristine 3D presentation and nice depth. Little to no pop-outs.

Not sure if it's a version difference from the others but this is mine's. Very happy with it and would recommend.

[DooK]

The story and acting was excellent. It's nothing new but for a periodic action movie that has Lau Ching-Wan, Liu Kai-Chi (RIP), and Philip Keung -- HK actors associated with contemporary movies -- was refreshing to see. Great acting from them, and good support by second lead actor Eddie Peng -- enjoyed his quirky character alot, both his funny scenes and when he went down in fight scenes.

However, the movie has flaws. BIG ones. My issues was Louis Koo, and the action scenes. Koo overacts in a way that feels like he took the same acting style of a character from a completely different movie and just went along with the vibe. Amusing and embarrassing to watch. Then you have the action scenes... There's nothing wrong with the actual action choreography, wonderfully staged by veteran HK action director Sammo Hung, but a majority of them are CGI-infested, and involve a bit too much wirework (not the flying way but movements that are wire-assisted) for my taste. Not a good sign. The action scenes that were authentic was spot on (Wu Jing vs Guardians, Sammy Hung's double tongfas in action) but otherwise it was pure laziness. CGI was minimal a decade ago (the 2000s) but has since increased. Film technology advances which in turn leads to real physicality from the performers no longer being prioritized. That's how the 2010s treated many HK action movies, and continues to do so nowadays.

Overall, I think the movie is above-average and still manages to entertain thanks to Benny Chan's direction, and the acting and onscreen charisma of Lau Ching-Wan.