Mojin: The Worm Valley (2018)

Mojin: The Worm Valley is the kind of old-school, pulpy adventure that commits—wholeheartedly—to wonder, danger, and forward momentum, dropping you into a myth-soaked world where every tunnel promises a new nightmare and a new thrill. Director Xing Fei keeps the pace brisk and the imagery big, leaning into creature-feature spectacle and eerie folklore atmosphere so the film feels like a fever-dream expedition you can’t quite look away from. The camaraderie of Hu Bayi, Shirley Yang, and their crew gives the chaos a human anchor, while the franchise mythology adds a treasure-hunt allure that makes the journey feel larger than a single mission. Fair warning: it’s intense and creature-heavy with some nasty violence, and newcomers may not catch every lore detail—but if you want a diverting, high-energy fantasy romp, this one delivers.

Mojin: The Worm Valley is clearly trying to be a pulpy, creature-packed tomb-raiding rollercoaster, and when it leans into monsters, traps, and grimy jungle-cave atmosphere, it can be enjoyably trashy in the best late-night way. The problem is the story keeps stopping to dump mythology and rules on you, and even then it’s oddly confusing, like the plot exists mainly to shuttle the characters to the next effects sequence. A lot of the big moments feel familiar if you’ve seen better adventure franchises, so don’t expect originality or tight pacing. If you’re here for coherent lore and character depth, you’ll likely be irritated; if you just want relentless creature chaos, gore-leaning action, and don’t mind a “video game levels” vibe, it’ll do the job.