It Was A Night Of Fun And Adventure At ‘The Warriors Gate’ Screening

Yesterday a few of our Cape Town and Johannesburg readers were treated to an early screening of The Warriors Gate. Thanks to Times Media Films, we hosted a press screening at Ster-Kinekor venues in N1 City Mall and Cresta Shopping Centre. “Is it fun? Is it worth watching? Was it good?” These are a few of the questions answered by our film critics – you, the viewers.

It was a night of laughter and fun for most people who attended the early screening of The Warriors Gate, a Chinese-French action-adventure-fantasy film starring Dave Bautista. Our guests were treated to some popcorn, cooldrink and adventure – what other ingredients do you need for a 90-inspired fantasy-fu film?

It’s always great watching a film like this with an awesome audience, hearing and seeing people react to what’s happening on screen make it a really fun experience. And The Warriors Gate was no different. It was easy to gather from the laughs and chuckles that the audience was having a good time.

Regardless of their thoughts on the movie, viewers can easily admit that it was a fun evening out.

“I truely enjoyed it. Was a movie that has many laughs and perfect fight scenes.” – Mohammed Sarlie

“The movie was entertaining. Had some humour, great dance moves and kept my attention. I will recommend it to teenage boys that are into gaming. The popcorn was the freshest I ever had.” – Heleen Niere

“I enjoyed the experience. I laughed a lot during the movie.” – Gerald Herold

“Loved every minute of the movie. The leading characters were awesome. Liked the funny bits too and the music rocked.” – Leonora Abrahams

“Movie – Fantastic and enjoyed it thoroughly / Team – Visual and extremely friendly” – Razia Allie

“The storyline is definitely ideal for a teen audience but I still did enjoy it and appreciated the graphics and action. Good acting and the closing scene … is great!” – Liza Smith

“It is not the type of movie that I normally watch, but I will definitely [take] my two boys to go see it. I think they will thoroughly enjoy it as they are fully into gaming and warriors.” – Caren Visser

“I enjoyed the lighthearted nature of the film, but there were too many superhero/coming-of-age/comic tropes in there. The acting was fairly poor, helped by some iffy dialogue. The cinematography was fantastic though, that place is incredibly beautiful. Overall I feel the premise was okay but let down but some very cheesy decisions as regards characters and script. I did enjoy parts of the film, but there were many cringeworthy moments.” – Bruce Jackson

“The movie was very much sub-par with poor acting, no solid storyline, no correct flow, no climax. It’s possibly the worst movie since Ghost Rider 2, that I’ve watched.” – David Klaasen

“A very cheesy, yet fun, fantasy romp reminiscent of the 90’s movies from my childhood.” – Deville Louw

“…an enjoyable, humorous movie.” – Kevin Mare

“The movie was great and I thoroughly enjoyed it.” – Jason Van Wyk

“The movie was really pretty cool. I am definitely not one for the whole adventure/sci-fi/gaming vibe but surprisingly, I enjoyed it. It was gripping, funny and sentimental – which is not what your usual adventure film offers.” – Duschanka Hitzeroth

“The film provided a decent night out. I enjoyed the unexpected amount of humour the film offered – for me this was its saving grace. This is because the film did not offer any mature content or story line. It also did not offer a noteworthy perspective on current trends or ‘hot topics’ in contemporary society, nor did it offer a novel reflection of the human condition. There was nothing new about the telling of the escapades of a teenage boy. As such I was left trying to find something relatable or a hook to keep my attention, thankfully humour is always relatable.” – Che Kelly

“I enjoyed it, especially the butterfly conversation. Now that was classic!” – Nadia Swartbooi

“Better than I expected it to be. Very old school feel to the way the story played out. Adults are definitely not the target audience for this one though.” – Mat & PJ

“I enjoyed it. It was funny. We don’t usually watch movies like that but it was entertaining.” – Yahzeel Jacobs

“I laughed a lot throughout the movie, some of the lines were really funny and the fighting scenes were cool. The graphics were fine until the giant man – that was so fake. Overall, I enjoy the movie and so did my friend.” – Moira Lynne

“Warrior Gate was surprisingly entertaining. It had a pleasant amount of comedy and the characters were likeable too. The music could have been better, mostly for scenes set in the real world though. Overall not a bad film.” – Neilan Adams

“I was surprised, as I enjoyed it much more than I expected too. The comedic twist kept the movie on the lighter side. I also enjoyed the opening scene. All in all, not bad.” – Kegan van der Berg

“Honestly, it wasn’t for me, especially coming off the back from the King Arthur preview. I did not enjoy it, even the trailer of the movie was not impressive.” – Chad Joshhua

“The movie was okay. The action and the comedy weren’t really that great, but it was okay. It’s always good to watch something new and different.” – Skulile Skenjana

“Target audience is clearly young adults. A whimsical love story with a “nerd gets the girl” theme. Lighthearted and enjoyable but not groundbreaking.” – Zach Groenewald

“The movie definitely was cheesy but it was funny. The locations they filmed in were amazing. Wonderful night.” – Laura

“I so enjoyed The Warriors Gate because it was a perfect mix of fantasy, action, adventure and comedy. I loved the whole storyline and the amazing scenery made me want to book a plane ticket there. I would definitely recommend The Warriors Gate!” – Carryn Paikin

Thanks to everyone who attended and made the screening a special night of fun. The film opens in cinemas today, 12th May.

A teenager was transported to China in a magical way for a mission to accomplish by saving the princess from danger. He transforms himself into a Kung Fu warrior to battle the evil villains by converting his video game skills.

Directed by Matthias Hoene, from a script by Luc Besson (who also serves as the film’s producer), The Warriors Gate stars Mark Chao, Ni Ni, Uriah Shelton, Dave Bautista, Sienna Guillory and Dakota Daulby.