Unfortunately, it also conjures the more obnoxious side of that type of cinema - trivial plotting, awkward flashbacks for back-story, and gawky humor - resulting in a bloated and stilted descent into the caverns of fantastical excess. Adorned with vivacious special effects and a supernatural spirit, the director's latest feature, Mojin: The Lost Legend, filters the mannerisms of a distinctly Western blockbuster adventure into a Chinese-language production, recalling the likes of The Mummy and Tomb Raider franchises in its mythical character-building and excavation for a long lost, magical relic. Chinese director Wuershan, whose creativity was responsible for the visually dazzling but otherwise lackluster Painted Skin: The Resurrection, obviously understands the appeal. It's such a straightforward and worn-out premise, but there's something effortlessly intriguing about watching a group of professional treasure-seekers break into an ancient, mysterious place with unpredictable obstacles awaiting them.

I mojin the lost legend