Blades of the Guardians (2026)

Yuen Woo-ping has about one plot’s worth of patience in Blades of the Guardians and roughly five plots crammed inside it. Bounty hunters, rival clans, a jilted groom, old army comrades, a fugitive revolutionary and a family mystery all fight for room, and plenty of them get a name, a glare and nothing else. None of it matters once the swords come out. Wu Jing plays Dao Ma, a weary bounty hunter in the late Sui dynasty escorting the empire’s most wanted man across the desert, and he’s a rock. Sun Yizhou’s Zhishilang, a revolutionary who can’t handle a rough ride and climbs into a rival hunter’s carriage, is a great comic touch. Yu Shi’s Shu, that hunter, steals scenes. A duel in an oil field is a knockout. Jet Li turns up as Governor Chang. It made $215.4 million worldwide on a reported $100 to $123 million. A 7.7 because the action is world class even when the story is a traffic jam. $474.83 says you swing a broom like a sword tonight and clip the light fixture.

What works: Yuen Woo-ping’s fight choreography is inventive and enormous, and Wu Jing anchors it with a tough, tired charm.

What doesn’t: Too many characters and subplots crowd the story, so most of the ensemble stays thin, and the score is heavy-handed.

Who it’s for: Wuxia fans and anyone who wants big, old-school sword fights on the biggest screen they can find.