Overview: Legend Of The Sacred Stone is a spectacular wuxia martial arts epic filled with occult secrets and sword play but told entirely with Taiwanese budaixi glove puppets!

This first-ever U.S. release presents the film in its original Taiwanese Hokkien language with English subtitles, accompanied by a robust set of bonus materials including a new interview with Huang and the PILI puppeteering team, an audio commentary by puppeteer and filmmaker Ben Wolf Page, and a visual essay by film historian Evan Chester.

A newly assembled Su Huan-Jen Character Spotlight traces the evolution of the iconic hero across nearly four decades of PILI storytelling, offering valuable context for newcomers and longtime fans alike.

A one-of-a-kind fusion of traditional artistry and genre filmmaking, Legend Of The Sacred Stone stands as a dazzling entry in both wuxia cinema and global puppet animation.

Blu-ray Verdict: As aforementioned, Legend Of The Sacred Stone (Sheng Shi Chuan Shuo) is a wildly imaginative wuxia fantasy directed by Chris Huang, blending high-flying martial arts spectacle with the centuries-old tradition of Taiwanese budaixi glove puppetry.

Based on the long-running and hugely popular PILI franchise (launched in 1984), the film transforms elaborate wuxia storytelling into a visually striking puppet-driven epic filled with swordplay, supernatural forces, and mythic conflict. Set in the martial world of Wulin, the story follows the noble warrior Su Huan-Jen and his allies as they battle the sinister Mo Kuei and his spectral assassins, The Unkind, to prevent them from seizing the all-powerful Sacred Stone.

Fusing the aesthetics of classic Shaw Brothers cinema with unexpected tonal and visual influences, Legend Of The Sacred Stone evokes everything from The 36th Chamber of Shaolin to Thunderbirds Are Go, Team America: World Police, and The Dark Crystal.

The result is a singular cinematic experience where intricately designed puppets engage in gravity-defying combat--leaping, spinning, and even riding flying swords--while navigating a world of hidden tombs, lakes of fire, and mystical energies. Equal parts operatic and surreal, the film balances intense action with moments of humor and theatricality, particularly through the bizarre and charismatic villains whose exaggerated personalities add a unique flavor to the narrative.

There is a long tradition of puppetry in China that most people outside of there never get to witness or appreciate. The puppeteers can do things with the puppets that are astounding compared to the more conventional puppetry of the West. This movie is based on a very popular Taiwanese TV show and is an extension of it.

The plot is very typical of other Wuxia films and really isn’t anything special. The characters are very wooden but that’s due to the style of puppets used. Mobile facial expressions are non-existent. But watching the amazing movements of the puppets during the action scenes makes up for this. The sets are very elaborate, more so than any live action wuxia.

At first the beautiful, fast-moving puppets distracted me with their skills. Excuse me, their masters skills. But after a few minutes it leaves you in awe, wondering what the hell is happening. With the story, the wonderful landscapes and the last two hours in general! Thus this is a rather unique film and I enjoyed it but it’s not something I would recommend to the average martial art movie viewer. [C.M.]

Bonus Features:
1st ever U.S. release
New video interview with director Chris Huang and members of the PILI puppeteering team. (In Taiwanese Hokkien with English subtitles)
New audio commentary by puppeteer & filmmaker Ben Wolf Page, Associate Editor of The Puppetry Journal for the Puppeteers of America
New visual essay by film historian Evan Chester
Two original trailers for the feature (with English subtitles)
--“Su Huan-Jen Character Spotlight” (1987-2024, 5 min.) – a newly-edited compilation for this release showing the evolution of the character of Su Huan-Jen over the course of nearly 40 years of PILI TV

Legend Of The Sacred Stone - Official Trailer

Official Purchase Link

www.deafcrocodile.com