On top of that, she summons an army of mutant worms, which are hilarious rather than frightening in the slightest. The climactic sequence takes place in a remarkably phony subterranean chamber outfitted with ancient clockwork contraptions, so cartoon gears end up flying all over the place as the Snake Empress attacks her unwelcome guests with CGI tendrils.

The computer-generated effects are an egregious eyesore. Some of the moves are fun, but the film doesn’t earn any suspension of disbelief, so the physics-defying wire-fu comes off as cheesy instead of thrilling. The framing device in which Wu Xie relates his story to a novelist seems quite extraneous, as do several flashbacks intended to flesh out his backstory – do we really need to see his father in the hospital corridor waiting for Wu Xie to be born? The action sequences are choreographed by Tony Leung Siu-hung of Ip Man fame and Jack Tu, the winner of a reality TV show search for Jackie Chan’s disciple. The premise of a protagonist who discovers his family’s history and actively wants to be a part of that legacy has potential, but director Daniel Lee fails to convey the sense that Wu Xie is part of anything special at all. It’s also highly derivative – there’s no doubt that the English title is intended to invoke the Tomb Raider franchise.

It’s laden with the unintentional goofiness, unconvincing visual effects and general incoherence with which recent flashy Chinese fantasy blockbusters have become associated. This reviewer is always up for a fun adventurer archaeologist tale, but Time Raiders is entirely too difficult to enjoy at all. Time Raiders was a box office success in China, despite the fact that a TV show telling the same story already exists, a testament to the appeal of the source material. Time Raiders is based on the immensely popular novel series Daomu Biji ( Grave Robbers Chronicles), written by Xu Lei and first published online. Untold other-worldly dangers, chief of which being the Snake Empress herself, lie in wait for our heroes. This rival group has been sent by the mad scientist Hendrix (Corbellini), obsessed with the secret to immortality. A gang of mercenaries led by A-Ning (Ma) is also out to find the Snake Empress’ tomb. The enigmatic and apparently immortal Zhang Qiling (Jing) joins the team, and Wu Xie finds himself drawn to this steely stranger. Wu Xie embarks on an expedition in search of the fabled tomb of the Snake Empress (Sherawat), a sorceress who has been lying dormant for millennia. He’s eager to carry on the family business, despite his third uncle Wu Sanxing (Wang) insisting that it’s too dangerous. Wu Xie (Lu Han) is the proprietor of an antique store and was born into a long line of grave robbers. Chinese filmgoers seem to have developed a fascination with tales of intrepid archaeologists, with another fantasy adventure flick arriving to cater to them.

盗墓笔记 by Lei Xu