On December 16, 2025, 88 Films is releasing a Blu-ray (Region A/B) for Saga of the Phoenix (aka The Peacock King 2), a 1990 action-fantasy from director Nam Nai Choi (The Story of Ricky, The Peacock King) and co-director Lau Shut Yue (New Tales of the Flying Fox).
In a world where the boundaries between mysticism and mortality blur, Saga of the Phoenix tells the story of a young novice nun, Peacock (Gloria Yip), whose journey of spiritual devotion is suddenly disrupted when dark forces rise to threaten the land. After accidentally unleashing a malevolent demon during a ritual gone wrong, Peacock finds herself swept into an adventure far beyond the monastery walls. She joins forces with Master Peacock (Yuen Biao), a monk of great skill and wisdom, as well as a ragtag group of eccentric allies, including the quirky Taoist priest Ji Gong (Hiroshi Mikami), whose unorthodox methods often provide comic relief amid the chaos. Together, they must battle supernatural creatures, fend off bizarre assassins, and decipher the prophecy that foretells the world’s salvation or destruction.
As the journey unfolds, the group traverses landscapes filled with enchantment and terror–confronting living statues, sinister apparitions, and sorcery that tests the limits of their courage and faith. At its heart, the film blends slapstick humor with high-flying martial arts choreography, dazzling practical effects, and a touch of spiritual allegory.
Balancing action, comedy, and supernatural spectacle, Saga of the Phoenix delivers a fantastical tale where the fight against evil becomes a test of loyalty, resilience, and inner strength. A spirited mix of horror, fantasy, and martial arts cinema, it continues the legacy of Hong Kong’s imaginative genre filmmaking, standing as both a quirky comedy and a dazzling action adventure.
The film features an ensemble cast that includes Yuen Biao (Dreadnaught), Gloria Yip Wan Yi (The Peacock King), Rachel Lee Lai-Chun (Pom Pom and Hot Hot), Katsu Shintaro (Incident at Blood Pass), Abe Hiroshi (Legend of the Demon Cat), Natori Yuko (Carmen 1945), Ngai Suet (The Shootout) and Lawrence Lau Sek-Yin (Bullet in the Head).
Features:
- Limited edition rigid slip case with new artwork by Kungfubob O’Brien
- Limited edition 40 page perfect bound book
- Limited edition premium artcard
- Brand new 2k restoration from the original negative
- Remastered original Cantonese monaural soundtrack
- Newly translated english subtitles
- Audio commentary by Frank Djeng (NY Asian FilmFestival) and F.J. Desanto
- Alternate Japanese footage
- Image gallery
- Original trailer
This title will soon be available at The Goodie Emporium, a U.S.-based online store that currently has many Import Shaw Brothers/Golden Harvest/martial arts DVD/Blu-ray movies in-stock – with New titles being added regularly!
No.
Hell yes.
For my taste, this is one of the worse Hong Kong movies I’ve ever seen. Maybe my criticism of it is due in part to expecting more of it because I enjoyed Peacock Prince so much. I’m not suggesting Peacock Prince was Oscar (or even Hong Kong Film Award) worthy, but I’ve always enjoyed it, it was different from the other Hong Kong movies I was watching around that time, enjoyably so. Saga of the Phoenix should’ve just been included as bonus material with the Peacock Prince blu-ray, in my opinion.
“Awful in every sense of the word, if there’s a movie to avoid in Biao’s entire filmography, then it’s Saga of the Phoenix.” -Paul Bramhall
Come on, 88! You have done some fantastic work, but this is not what people want to pay a lot of money for!
Hmmm, now I remember where I wrote that damning comment. & here I was wondering why 88 Films hadn’t reached out to me to ask if I’d be interested to write a feature for this release. 😀
it is what people want and i’m one of them and its my kind of film dum stubid and weird and i’m glad its getting a blu-ray release because it would go well with the other lam nai choi films like the cat, the story of ricky and the seventh curse.