Review | Warriors of Future movie review: Louis Koo’s sci-fi passion project sets new standards for Hong Kong special effects, but is too generic to stand out internationally

Starring Louis Koo and Lau Ching-wan, this big-budget sci-fi has impressive visuals and a strong cast, but lacks an engaging narrative and relatable characters

Its story of Hong Kong under siege is one we’ve seen before, and on a grander scale, in Hollywood movies. With no fresh ideas, Warriors fails to stand out

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Louis Koo in a still from Warriors of Future (category IIB), directed by Ng Yuen-fai and co-starring Lau Ching-wan and Carina Lau. The ambitious, big-budget sci-fi adventure sets new standards for Hong Kong special effects filmmaking.

Published: 7:15am, 22 Aug 2022Updated: 12:00pm, 22 Aug 2022

3/5 stars

A hugely ambitious and expensive production that has spent so many years in production as to have become a legend of sorts in the Hong Kong film industry, this passion project of Louis Koo Tin-lok – the popular actor turned movie mogul – finally arrives to show us the future.

Or at least that’s the intention.

Special effects aficionados can probably breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing the wall-to-wall dystopian visual details – which occasionally merge with Hong Kong landmarks – in Warriors of Future, the directing debut of visual effects veteran Ng Yuen-fai.

Genuine science fiction fans are entitled to feel a tad underwhelmed by the utterly generic screenplay of Lau Ho-leung (director of Caught in Time) and Mak Tin-shu (co-writer of Trivisa and Detective vs Sleuths), however.

While undoubtedly informed by avid Star Wars fan Koo’s affinity for old-school sci-fi action adventure stories, this mega-budget blockbuster’s lack of fresh ideas will see it struggle to break out internationally the way other notable Asian fantasy films – like Battle Royale, Kung Fu Hustle or Train to Busan – have previously.