The Sorcerer and the White Snake

Name: The Sorcerer and the White Snake
Genre: Action, Fantasy
Released: February 8, 2013
Duration: 100 min
Rating: 41

2013

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 7 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Ratings

See All

6.5

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6.5	Your Score
6.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Movie Details & Credits

Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: February 8, 2013 | PG-13

Summary: In this fantasy film from action director Ching Siu-Tung, Jet Li stars as a sorcerer who fights for the life of a young herbalist who has fallen in love with a thousand-year-old White Snake disguised as a woman.

Director: Siu-Tung Ching

Genre(s): Action, Fantasy

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 100 min

See All Details and Credits

Watch Now

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Deborah Young

Feb 5, 2013

A visually lavish epic fantasy that happily marries the latest advances in CGI and action techniques with ancient Chinese fable and a Buddhist atmosphere. Read full review

Mark Jenkins

Feb 8, 2013

This China/Hong Kong co-production flips the formula: The fantastic images are solid, but the action is less substantial. Read full review

McClatchy-Tribune News Service Roger Moore

Feb 5, 2013

A mad, laugh-out-loud mashup of “The Little Mermaid,” “Harry Potter,” assorted vampire tales, “Pan’s Labyrinth,” the disaster epic “2012” and oh – “Pokemon” – just to impose the cinematic precedents on display here, Sorcerer is a Chinese twist on the reliable sword and sorcery genre which caused Hollywood to impose “Clash of the Titans” and “Immortals” on the undeserving. Read full review

Justin Chang

Feb 5, 2013

Overblown saga of shape-shifting demons, butt-kicking clerics and the perils of interspecies romance occasionally dazzles but finally frazzles with its relentless visual assault, embedding Jet Li and his capable castmates in one screensaver-ready fantasy backdrop after another. Read full review

Kenji Fujishima

Feb 6, 2013

The film looks so glossy, plasticized, and unreal that all you end up thinking about is special effects. Read full review

The Playlist Oliver Lyttelton

Feb 7, 2013

Perhaps hardcore Jet Li fans will be able to get some joy out of it, but we'd suspect that even they will struggle with this one. Read full review

Simon Abrams

Feb 6, 2013

Visually unspectacular and emotionally stillborn, The Sorcerer and the White Snake fails as both a fantasy and a romance. Read full review

SEE ALL 7 REVIEWS

Write a Review

User Reviews

BeeSting

May 4, 2013

A good movie, it had some issues here and there like any movies. However, most audience might not quite understand the underlining concepts behind the movie. Tons of Buddhist concept and fables in it...the main Theme of the movie is actually based on one of the Buddhist(Theravada) conceptsA good movie, it had some issues here and there like any movies. However, most audience might not quite understand the underlining concepts behind the movie. Tons of Buddhist concept and fables in it...the main Theme of the movie is actually based on one of the Buddhist(Theravada) concepts in regards to the Serpent King. It was kind of funny with one of the review suggesting that this movie was a combo of all the other Hollywood movies such as Harry Potter, etc, etc when in actually these Buddhist or Chinese stories have existed for well over 3000 years...I think it's the other way around these Hollywood movies are a combo of the Asian stories and fables. The other ignorant reviews from people of western origins is the fact that they compare these Asian heroes as typical humans...that's like comparing Superman to Jane. The point here is these Super heroes are like Superman...or the Asian version of the Superhumans...… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Kai82

Sep 27, 2021

First of all shame on me for not knowing the source material before watching this. It is based on a Chinese legend known as „Legend of the white Snake“ or „Madame white Snake“ which is quite popular in China. They changed the story to be fair in some major parts. Why I start my review withFirst of all shame on me for not knowing the source material before watching this. It is based on a Chinese legend known as „Legend of the white Snake“ or „Madame white Snake“ which is quite popular in China. They changed the story to be fair in some major parts. Why I start my review with this? Because my expectations will lead to one of my major complains and I consider this a least a bit unfair. It was an entertaining experience but had a downer ending that left a bad feeling and even regret for me. The source material had a far better ending that I would love to see. Also Jet Li is the bad guy here for me or “lawful stupid” which is pretty unique as he was the good guy or had a least a solid moral compass in nearly all of his movies I knew. Even the movie acknowledge this as the Fahai from the source is a far worse being. Both of these points weaken the experience for this otherwise great movie. It is a martial arts movie with elements of star crossed lovers and asks philosophical questions. Story: It is an amalgamation of stories. There is the Buddhist monk Fahai who travels around the land to get rid of demons with his assistant (or novice / trainee?) Neng Ren. There is the physician Xu Xian who is collecting herbs in the mountains when he has a strange meeting with two woman. There is the snake demon Susu with her friend Qingqing who have a meeting with a physician that changes them. Those are the set ups for the protagonists. Their meetings, developments and decisions will drive the story of the movie. It starts strong but gets weaker towards the (downer) ending. I can see myself praising the movie otherwise so it is not a failure. You can see this because I can go a lot harder down on this movie. Cast: Jet Li as Fahai is a strange case. A good solid performance but for the first time ever I want to see a character played by Jet Li get defeated. I did not root for him, want him to see the errors of his inflexible ways and lose. Did not think this was even a possibility before this movie (This is not a joke). There is Eva Huang as Sesu aka White Snake. Great performance and she delivers the full range of the role. Raymond Lam as Xu Xian is also good and shows the good hearten and a bit naive (tiny bit) character with ease. Charlene Choi as Green Snake aka Qingqing is a strong support and a strength. Wen Zhang as Neng Ren is probably the character with the most interesting progression. The support actors do a good job here. Except I disliked Jet Li’s character I see no misstep and even that I cant blame on him to be fair. Same goes for director Ching Siu-Tung. He made a good movie and the things I do not like I cant blame on him. Maybe the writers could had used the source material better but even here I am not sure what was there idea and what producer or studio interference (This is where the term “Development Hell” mostly came from so I am a bit cautious). I say here the script and aspects of the story fail for me in a way that prevents a good rating. Other than that the special effects looked pretty good back then for me by genre and budget standards. The costumes and sets were excellent. Overall this is a good movie that I will never give a better rating because of the downer ending and changes to the source material that has a better story. But it is also well made so that a negative rating seems unfair. A 5/10 is valid here.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Thegodfatherson

Feb 19, 2013

For the most part T.S.A.T.W.S works but, the blowing Kung fu violence was too much. The white snake part was "meh" and some of the sting spice in the film was doubtly good. But the film is long and people are tired to watch dudes beat up people in Kung fu, so I think it needed a twist. TheFor the most part T.S.A.T.W.S works but, the blowing Kung fu violence was too much. The white snake part was "meh" and some of the sting spice in the film was doubtly good. But the film is long and people are tired to watch dudes beat up people in Kung fu, so I think it needed a twist. The action scenes were long but the film had doubtly good sting spice to it. 4/10 for the action and the stingy bit.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SEE ALL 3 REVIEWS