Rise of the Legend

The blending of vast sets and digital effects is not quite seamless in Chow Hin Yeung's kung fu period extravaganza "Rise of the Legend," but it's close.

A stylish, rousing throwback epic, telling the fictionalized story of Wong as a young man, circa 1868.

Rise of the Legend's jumble of backstories, flashbacks, and betrayals can't hope to carry the same weight as its punches.

Chow and To don't tinker with the lore's DNA too much, but fortunately they have Peng to freshen it up, and even the specter of Li does little to detract from his emerging star power.

Too many flashbacks and repetitive fight scenes almost overpower Eddie Peng's fine performance.

Martial-arts movies don't have to be so simplistic and humorless.

Taiwanese heart-throb Peng is certainly well cast as the slicker and more hunky Wong -- his signature bad-boy smirk is always at the ready and his famous abs are, gasp, on full display in several scenes.

Despite the lack of innovation in the narrative, Chow has delivered a slick and polished production that holds the attention and satisfies far more convincingly than either of the writer and director's previous collaborations.