Alex Reviews "Blades of the Guardians (2026)"

When the leader of the Mojia in China’s Western region hires a bounty hunter to escort a fugitive to Chang’an, it seems that the entirety of the empire is out to prevent both his task and collect his head.

When the legendary stunt director of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon decides to make a film, it is guaranteed to be full of action. Blades of the Guardians might be the thesis statement for that argument. Yuen Woo-Ping does not disappoint as this film hits a sprint only a few minutes in to the narrative and only brakes for necessary plot development. If it were only the action, I’d still love it, but Blades of the Guardians puts the spectacle in spectacular. The imagery of both beautiful locations and wasteland desert interwoven with the use of color and gradient make many scenes feel like a moving oil painting.

Jin Wu (Meg 2: The Trench) portrays Dao Ma, the aforementioned bounty hunter, and all I can say is that I need this man’s entire catalogue immediately. The impressive range he expresses is so natural that the fiction disappears at times. His ability to crush comedic timing, heartfelt drama, and unquestionable master martial artist within two hours of a movie that feels like forty minutes is astounding! Despite not speaking the language (subtitled), his performance makes me believe that I only needed to see him to know exactly how I should feel. I would pay an exorbitant amount of money to watch a film in the same style as Wu and Hiroyuki Sanada.

Wu’s performance was not an isolated bright spot. Jet Li, Nicholas Tse, and Tony Ka Fai Leung were also phenomenal in their parts. With Jet Li, it is almost a given as his massive weight in cinema is well deserved. Tse executes a layered performance that feels like it could erupt at any moment. Leung is absolutely the embodiment of honor and dedication as Chief Mo. It was no small task to be the anchor for Blades of the Guardians, but he and the story sync so perfectly that, similar to Wu’s performance, language became unnecessary.

Actors who have had experience tend to learn to adapt well to material, but younger actors require natural gifts to catch up at times. Blades of the Guardians has three separate actors under 30 who were so good, I’m wondering how long before CiSha, Lijun Chen, and Yosh Yu become the next big stars to cross over globally. Not only did each of them play their part with skill, but they went toe to toe with the heavyweights of the cast with ease. None of them would surprise me if they followed in the footsteps of Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Michelle Yeoh, or Chow Yun-Fat as great Asian actors to become known actors throughout the world.

You might be thinking, “But what about the action?!?” and let me tell you Blades of the Guardians is shockingly great at that. Not shocking because I expected less. My hopes were sky high, and every fight or action sequence took my expectations, laughed, and ran circles around it.

Blades of the Guardians is one of the most fun experiences I have had watching an action film in a very long time but labelling it as such feels short of representation. It is funny, touching, emotional, and incredibly energetic. I look forward to being able to own Blades of the Guardians after going to see it in the most premium format available February 17, 2026. Xiè xiè nǐ.