Invincible Swordsman Review: A Cycle of Vengeance

Yiwei Luo’s Invincible Swordsman is a run-of-the-mill, wuxia-style adaptation of a story we’ve already seen countless times.

And was it a good idea to give this project to rookie filmmaker Luo who, depending on the source, might have directed two, one or no movies prior to this one?

Well, having watched Invincible Swordsman, I must say those questions were all-too valid, and unfortunately, quite prophetic. Yiwei Luo’s film is as mediocre as they come; painfully dull but at the same time inoffensive. There’s nothing technically wrong with Invincible Swordsman (apart from some appalling greenscreen work), but there’s nothing technically right with it either. Still, considering the popularity and fame of its source material, that’s the biggest crime it could’ve committed. At least if it had been horrendously bad, it would’ve been more memorable.

Nobody will blame the audience if they start feeling lost the moment Invincible Swordsman begins. The movie thrusts the viewer right into the action, using offscreen narration to try (and fail) to make sense of the images it’s presenting. Narratively, Invincible Swordsman isn’t particularly complex; the problem is in the way Louis Cha’s script tells its story, with the movie even resorting to using onscreen captions with the characters’ names, in an effort to make the viewer feel less confused. But instead of clearing things up, the narration, the titles, the dialogue and the fast editing make it all worse, especially if the audience knows little to nothing about the original story or the wuxia genre.

In any case, our protagonist is Linghu Chong (Tim Huang), a skilled swordsman who, after being banished from the Mount Hua Sect of martial artists, becomes the learner of Fengqing Yang (the legendary Sammo Hung), one of the most powerful beings in the land. Thanks to him, young Chong becomes even more powerful, but despite his considerable abilities, all he wants to do is make music, drink wine, and chill in the mountaintops.

Unfortunately, he’s rapidly dragged into a war between the aforementioned sect and the “demonic” Sun Moon Cult, secretly led by Invincible East (Yuqi Zhang), who’s usurped the role of leader from a man, and uses her “rope powers” to take care of anyone who might be interested in killing her. Nevertheless, she ends up falling in love with Chong, which is doubly awkward considering said warrior’s allegiance to Ren Yingying (Xuan Lu), the daughter of the former leader of the cult, Ren Woxing (Terence Yin Chi-wai), who’s now kept prisoner by East in a dungeon somewhere.

And so, Invincible Swordsman ends up telling the story of an appropriately invincible hero who must go against all his instincts and protect his former colleagues at the sect, and try to end a potentially bloody conflict. That’s all well and good, but the narrative is so haphazardly written, and the characters all so basic and paper-thin, that it’s hard for the viewer to care about anything that happens onscreen. Moreover, the movie seems more interested in showing cool fights and awesome powers than in developing character relationships (such as the so-called romance between Chong and Invincible East), which makes the end product feel superficial and tedious.

The fights themselves, at least, are all right. There’s nothing revolutionary in Invincible Swordsman, and viewers familiarised with the wuxia genre will particularly notice some of the bouts could’ve been directed with more flair and skill. But the choreographies are varied and fantastical enough, and the powers used by the characters, such as Invincible East’s ropes, result in some interesting kills. Now, Invincible Swordsman isn’t a particularly bloody or gory movie, but for some reason, it does include a very explicit beheading that comes out of nowhere and feels incredibly out of place (despite the fact that the victim keeps talking for a while after literally losing his head).

In the end, if Invincible Swordsman doesn’t really work, it’s because it feels too samey. The dialogue is frequently over-the-top and dramatic, which is fine for this kind of story, but if everyone laughs maniacally and spouts epic-sounding lines all the time without respite, it ends up saturating the viewer. And although the fights are well-choreographed, the powers visually arresting and some performances suitably entertaining, none of that compensates for the flat characters, unnecessarily convoluted storytelling, and frankly embarrassing greenscreen work. Invincible Swordsman isn’t a horrible failure, but considering the classic story on which it’s based, it certainly should have been miles better.

Invincible Swordsman will be released on digital platforms on August 19, 2025.

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