If you ever wanted a mash-up of “Mad Max” and “Ready Player One,” look no further than Zhao Ji’s animated steampunk adventure. In the screenwriter Muchuan’s adaptation of the Ming dynasty novel “Investiture of the Gods,” Li Yunxiang (Yang Tianxiang) is a motorbike racer competing for water in postapocalyptic Donghai City. Ruled by the ruthless De clan, this glistening metropolis suffers from massive economic inequality wrought by a 3,000-year war between humans and gods. But Li can change the city’s plight: He’s the reincarnation of the fiery warrior god Nezha. Adorned in a fire-truck-red metallic suit and accompanied by a soundtrack of crunching guitar licks, Li works to harness his newfound abilities before the De clan can kill him and everyone he loves.

Source: New York Times May 14, 2021 15:00 UTC