These
puppets can kick the snot out of the Muppets and those annoying Spitting Image
tools. They have mad martial arts skills
and they are not even as dramatically wooden as a lot of flesh and blood
actors. Creations of the Huangs, Taiwan’s leading puppetry family, they are the
undeniable stars of Huang Wen Chang’s fantastical wuxia steampunk epic, Arti: the Adventure Begins (trailer here), which had its
North American premiere at the 2015 Fantasia International Film Festival in
Montreal.
Sometime
during the height of the Silk Road’s geopolitical importance, the wise Zhang
Meng invented a wooden mechanical robot known as ARTI-C. Unfortunately, his
promethean creation was used to stoke fear and paranoia. In a resulting riot,
Zhang was killed, but his son Zhang Mo and his daughter Zhang Tong survived to
preserve his legacy: ARTI-C.
However,
ARTI-C is powered by a dwindling reserve of a mystic energy called the Origin.
It is sort of like the “Force,” but more colorful and tangible. To keep ARTI-C in
proper fighting condition, they must find a way to recharge his Origin cell.
That quest will take them to the Nouveau Riche city of Loulan, which is currently
locked in a cold war with the Lop Tribe and the Dune-like sandworms that
apparently do their bidding. Unfortunately, when Zhang Tong is spirited away by
the Elvish Lop people, she quickly surmises the shadowy Loulan regent has badly
misrepresented the nature of the conflict to her gullible brother.
The
mind-blowing truth is some of the best cinematic martial arts produced this
year is performed by puppets. Some of their moves are just awesome. Yet, it is
important to remember the greater artistry they represent. There is nothing campy
about the figures Huang and his team bring to life on screen. Dispel any
thoughts of Gerry Anderson’s marionettes. Aside from the occasional comic
relief provided by Cheeky Ducky, the film’s only wholly animated character,
Huang’s characters are entirely serious and their wuxia business is pretty darned
spectacular and suitably tragic.
Granted,
the story is just sort of okay, but the sets and backdrops are richly detailed
and utterly lifelike. If ever a film with puppets deserved to win awards for
best costuming, it would be Arti,
hands down. This is incredible world building—literally built to scale.
