FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL
Peter Pau and Zhao Tianyu’s “Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal” is nothing short of a mesmerizing and surreal romance epic. It’s a marvel for the eyes, and the ears, and provides one of the most engrossing tales of good versus evil I’ve seen in a long time. “Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal” has a meaty narrative that requires a lot of back tracking and flashbacks, but thankfully the sharp writing prevents the narrative from falling apart by the second half. I was worried I was losing track of the story but the movie would always come full circle and really explain a lot of the twists, leaving no loose ends.
That’s surprising considering “Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal” is filled with exposition and colorful characters, all of whom are battling for a sacred dark crystal that was stolen from Hell. Zhong Kiu manages to barely escape hell after stealing the crystal, and now demons are infiltrating Earth under the guise of beautiful women to take it back. One of them is Snow Girl, a Snow Demon who fell in love with Zhong Kiu years ago. Zhong has no idea she’s a demon, as she cast herself out of his life long ago when she learned he was a demon hunter. Zhong evens the playing field in his quest to strike down demons when he himself manages to become a demonic hybrid that grants him super powers.
But he can only use it in moderation lest his soul be consumed by darkness. Much of the romance between Zhong Kiu and Snow Girl is compelling with the tale of star crossed lovers interrupting the battle for humanity and the planet. Pau and Tianyu’s vision is fully realized with amazing CGI and wonderful battles, not to mention vivid landscapes that depict hell and heaven alike. Much of the narrative involves Zhong trying to get over his love for Snow Girl when she re-enters his life, and the pair thinking back to their taboo love affair. When a war is waged, it’s up to the two to decide where their allegiances lie. And it’s not easy, considering Snow Girl is very devoted to her demonic sisters, while Zhong has a loyal little sister on Earth that watches over him at every turn.
I’m not usually a fan of surreal fantasy epics such as “Snow Girl…,” but the harrowing story rich characterization really helped me enjoy every moment until the big twist in the finale where Zhong realizes that the war he’s fighting may not be completely as black and white as he always assumed. Despite being heavily steeped in Christian mythology, “Snow Girl…” implements the symbology, and mythical characters for bold and exciting action and wicked villains, all of whom have something to gain by acquiring the Dark Crystal once more. There are some mesmerizing scenes here including a massive battle involving the demon lord, and a beautiful scene on an ocean involving the embracing of both lovers. Pau and Tianyu realize a wonderful epic with a brilliant love story that I was sucked in to until the very end; this is a complex and very unique fantasy import and one that deserves a huge audience.