Are you suffering from Masters of the Universe withdrawal? Do you find that the cheaply animated fairy-tale ripoffs of today lack a certain handmade quality? Then Thrilling Bloody Sword might be for you. Made in 1981 in Taiwan, this sword-and-sorcery fantasy epic was nearly impossible to see for nearly 40 years, its rarity only fueling its legend. Then, in the early 2020s, rips from the only surviving 35mm print began to circulate online, aided by a (now-out-of-print) Blu-ray from Gold Ninja Video. The images were faded, and the subtitles were fragmented, but one thing was clear: This movie was absolutely bonkers.
Now, a new 4K restoration of Thrilling Bloody Sword has swooped down from a magic mountaintop to throw some smoke bombs and lure in viewers with its exuberant colors and zany plot. After seeing the world premiere of the new restoration — which was sourced from the film’s negative and world premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival — I can confidently say that this feels like a whole new movie, and it’s a revelation for fans of fantasy films from Asia and beyond.
