In 1998 the Hong Kong film business was in danger of disappearing, but out of nowhere came The Storm Riders, a special effects extravaganza based on a popular comic book and directed by Andrew Lau (Infernal Affairs). A massive hit across Asia, it single-handedly saved the Hong Kong film industry. Now, 12 years later, comes The Storm Warriors, based on the same Ma Wing-shing comic and with some of the same cast, but otherwise a standalone flick that is the closest cinema has ever come to putting Chinese martial arts comic books, with all of their surreal techniques and freaky superpowers, on the silver screen.

From the very first frame the choirs are wailing like a death metal concept album times infinity, and every shot is a blast-beat drum solo, every edit is a power chord and when the characters fight it's like two planets smashing into each another. Cloud (pop star gone supernova, Aaron Kwok) has been captured by Lord Godless (Simon Yam, playing an evil Japanese warlord) along with his master, Nameless (Kenny Ho, playing one of the original comic's most popular characters). Their armies are destroyed, their powers have been stripped and things look grim. Suddenly, Wind (Cheng) swoops to the rescue and the good guys take to the hills. Nameless informs Cloud and Wind that they're going to have to level up to defeat Lord Godless, and while he helps Cloud invent a new style of sword-fu, Wind is sent off to learn Evil Power from Lord Wicked.

With special effects layered so heavily they transform battles into dreamy, psychedelic abstractions, even the actors are digitally enhanced as Evil Power turns Wind into a brooding goth dreamboat that not even Twilight's Edward Cullen can rival. Swords are so powerful they cut the weather in half, ultimate weapons are made from the spinal columns of dead gods and everything ends on a note of rock opera tragedy. What other summer blockbuster concludes with the hero traumatized and wounded, raving "Why didn't you kill me?!?" A happy ending? Happy endings are for sissies.