Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force Chinese Film Review

Don’t let the roman numerals throw you off—you don’t really need to watch the Chinese action-fantasy “Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms” to enjoy “Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force,” the thrilling middle installment in a planned trilogy. You might feel disoriented if you do skip the previous movie, especially given the deep bench of both pro- and antagonists that carry over from part one. “Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force” should still not only be seen with a live audience—it’s even showing in 4DX here in New York City, with rumbling chairs, squirting water pistols, and hard-blasting wind machines, too—but on the biggest screen possible. 

Like “Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms,” “Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force” is a grand mythological counter-narrative, complete with three Marvel-like end credits scenes and dozens of super-powered beasts and monsters. All you really need to know is that there’s an evil king whose fox demon wife manipulates into coveting a magical scroll; a motley crew of outmatched rebels opposes him. There are also giants armed with magical weapons, like a fireball-spitting lute and a flying dragon-shaped sword, various magical spells with names like the “Black Moon Curse” and the “Deathworm Curse,” and a few battles waged by the forces of good and evil. I’m confident that you’ll not only get the gist of this movie but also enjoy what’s on offer.

Like “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” “Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force” serves as a turning point for its epic narrative. There’s also a fair bit of exposition throughout, so you don’t need to worry about when you should hit up the restrooms or concession stand. The characters’ stock nature, along with their conventional motives, will still likely make sense, given how hard the filmmakers work to not only label every on-screen character (and in a Papyrus font??) but also make their actions as clear as possible. 

Evil Shang dynasty King Yin Shou (Fei Xiang) wants the all-powerful Fengshen Bang scroll because he’s under the thumb of his energy-sapping queen Su Daji (Naran). Some of the king’s subjects remain loyal to him, including Commander Wen Zhong (Wu Hsing-kuo), who wants to take a break from fighting, but still does whatever Yin Shou asks of him. Ditto for Deng Chanyu (Nashi), whose late father fought on the king’s behalf. Deng Chanyu also develops feelings for her noble opponent, Ji Fa (Yu Shi), the Duke of the West. But can Chanyu be trusted and will Ji Fa be able to stop an army of giants and spellcasting wizards? Jia Fa’s outmatched at every turn, despite his best efforts and some help from the king’s undead son Yin Jiao (Chen Muchi), who’s been reborn as a three-headed (and three-torsoed) demi-god. It could make more sense, but it doesn’t really have to.

It’s also refreshing to see a glossy, effects-driven fantasy adventure that not only delivers a wealth of action-intensive set pieces and battle sequences, but also develops those crowd-pleasing set pieces so that they’re consistently impressive. The big action set pieces and chases all have a sense of dramatic proportion, strong pacing, and some well-rendered computer animation, so everything looks and is presented with poise and grandeur. That goes a long way in a movie where individual characters are never as important as their respective causes, even if they sometimes only represent themselves. 

Forward momentum, combined with a clearly-defined sense of purpose, make up for a lot in “Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force.” Case in point, Deng Chanyu and Ji Fa’s relationship gives some shape to the movie’s ungainly narrative without ever really being more than an essential plot device. Nashi steals almost all of her scenes, but she doesn’t have much chemistry with Yu Shi. That’s not a dealbreaker though given how disjointed this megaproduction’s nature as an adaptation of an episodic narrative with more tangents and digressions than you could fit into a five-season TV series. 

You still don’t have to be a fan of this type of movie to enjoy it, much like you don’t have to be invested in the intricacies of the first seven Harry Potter movies to enjoy “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” a satisfying wrap-up that ran farther and faster than its predecessor just by stacking one chase and action scene on top of the other. 

Would-be blockbusters always seem too big to fail, but very few actually pull off as much as this one does. Here, finally, is the movie that you likely wanted to see in the first place, replete with fantastic beasts, computer-generated spells, and other supernatural attractions. If you embrace this superior sequel for what it is, you’ll find a lot to like in “Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force.”

Simon Abrams

Simon Abrams is a native New Yorker and freelance film critic whose work has been featured in The New York TimesVanity FairThe Village Voice, and elsewhere.

Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force

Action
star rating star rating
145 minutes NR 2025

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