Gorgeously designed, hectically paced, and insanely plotted, this fantasy lampoon (loosely based on Jin Yong's classic novel "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils") ranks as a genuine treat for the initiated and a bewildering experience for everyone else. The central storyline charts the on-going magical duel between outcast San Sect members Li Chou-shui (Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia) and Mo Han-wen (Gong Li), with the latter's apparent omnipotence compromised by her lesbian cravings for Chou-shui's meek twin sister, Chong-hoi (also Lin). Meanwhile, Sing Suk Sect leader Ting Chun-chou (Norman Tsui Siu-keung) is consolidating his power by annihilating all rivals in anticipation of taking over in the aftermath of Mo and Li's increasingly destructive confrontations. Putting a damper on his plans is ambitious underling Purple (Sharla Cheung Man), who has snatched both the scroll containing the all-powerful Yi-ken sutra and a Shaolin monk (Frankie Lam Man-lung) to decode it for her.

Director Andy Chin Wing-keung gives the satirical screenplay just the right degree of over-the-top velocity, turning this into an engagingly berserk live-action cartoon (with visuals and sound effects to match). The fact that he had three top leading ladies of the time at his disposal certainly didn't hurt either (though none looped their own lines). Sharla Cheung gets another chance to hone the persona she utilized in her many previous period efforts: the sly and sexy opportunist whose amoral exterior conceals a soft heart. Mainland icon Gong Li supplies the perpetually crestfallen Mo with equal shares of anger and wounded pride, making her the perfect victim for Chou-shui's petty humiliations and an apt comic foil. As the Li twins, Brigitte Lin gets to pull out all the stops, basking in the immoral excesses of Chou-shui's impenitent evil with a wonderfully hammy performance, and endowing the saintly Chong-hoi with the requisite amount of exaggerated innocence. The cryptic English subtitles make the proceedings rather difficult to take in on one viewing, but the satire and wildly colorful special effects are easily appreciated. Liu Kai-chi and James Pak Chin-shek (THE HEROIC TRIO) also appear.