“Blade Of Kings” (also known as “The Twins Effect II”) is a bizarre Chinese fantasy flick. It’s officially a sequel to “The Twins Effect” (also known as “Vampire Effect”) as both are vehicles for Hong Kong pop duo Twins (Charlene Choi, Gillian Chung) but in terms of story, they have nothing in common.

In a weird mythical land where men are treated as second-class citizens, there is a prophecy that a peasant boy will wield a magical sword and lead the fight for gender equality (it gets stranger). A group of heroes search for the sword and must do battle against an evil ruler that can change people’s sex.

I’ve never heard of the duo Twins and they never sing in this film so I’ve got no idea if they are any good as musicians. The two girls were okay but nothing special. I imagine a lot of people outside Hong Kong will have watched this movie because it also features Donnie Yen (“Iron Monkey”, “Ip Man”) and Jackie Chan (“Police Story”). Sadly, the two are barely in it (Chan only appears in one scene) but their fight is easily the highlight of the movie. The two did also have a fight in “Shanghai Knights”, which is a little better so maybe watch that movie instead if you want to see the two together. This film also stars Jackie Chan’s son, Jaycee Chan. He lacks the charisma of his father and we never see him do any martial arts.

“Blade Of Kings” has a ridiculous plot that weaves together conventional fantasy clichés with some baffling elements. I was really disappointed that we did not get to see more of Donnie Yen and Jackie Chan. The special effects are pretty lousy but some of the fight sequences are okay. This movie is very colourful and cheery but it’s so weird and confusing.