As the old saying goes, “This is the sort of thing you’ll like, if you like this sort of thing.”

For me, at 2 ½ hours, it was a tough sit, but the Chinese fantasy period piece does have its pluses. Hundreds of handsomely costumed soldiers on horseback in epic battle scenes and a big-budget looking production design are among the reasons to keep watching.

As for the story? Let me quote:

“After killing the emperor, King Zhou reigns as a tyrant so brutal that he earns Heaven’s wrath. To save the mortal world, the gods intervene and invest in a champion brave enough to challenge the king—even if it may cost him everything.”

And

“After conspiring with a conniving fox demon to kill the emperor and seize power, King Zhou reigns as a tyrant so brutal that he incurs the wrath of Heaven. In a final attempt to save the mortal world from desperate peril, the gods decide to intervene and invest, etc.

It is not a slam on the lauded filmmaker Wuershan to say that this film is just not my thing in almost every way (I should say that I am not familiar with the source material, which counts legions of fans), but I haver plenty of friends who will totally nerd out o this. You just kinds have to know yourself.

Perhaps the trailer and photos will help you decide. Meantime, Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms is currently available on Blu-ray, digital and DVD.