Thrilling Bloody Sword is a movie that I didn’t know I needed in my life until I saw it. This masterpiece of Taiwanese cinema was previously only available through bootleg VHS tapes, but this was a 2K version created from the only known 35mm print known to exist. It was described as He-Man and the Master of the Universe and the Shaw Brothers dropped acid together which got me very interested because I still enjoy both of those things.
The story is a wild ride of the best kind. Some part of it made me think of the Ridley Scott classic Legend through the use of fairies and how the hero gets his equipment. The use of monsters reminded me of classic Tokusatsu. There are so many things in this that remind me of elements of things that I love already so it only makes sense that I would absolutely adore Thrilling Bloody Sword.
Thrilling Bloody Sword is a classic movie that many more people need to see because you’ll find something in it that you’ll enjoy, no matter who you are. The Chicago Cinema Society Film Archive and Gold Ninja Video are doing a fantastic thing by preserving this movie. I also believe I saw something about a limited Blu-Ray release which makes me incredibly happy. If you have a badge for the Chattanooga Film Festival this year and haven’t seen it yet I recommend seeing Thrilling Bloody Sword. I give Thrilling Bloody Sword 10 magical swords out of 10.