If there's one thing I cannot tolerate in a movie, it's being a multi-part series without any notice that it is such. The viewer sits through a very long two hours of this film, only to be dropped into a cliff-hanger. Grrrrr.
Word is the first and second part were filmed at the same time, so one would hope the second part is released soon so that we can see the resolve. Until then, this gets a mediocre 5 stars for pulling this stunt.
The filming and acting are good. The plot is intentionally confusing. The evil aliens are ridiculously powerful. There is no explanation where the "magical powers" come from (I guess the viewer just takes it for granted that back in ancient China magic exists, or something. Yeah that's it.)
This was a "difficult to sit through" movie, because it's almost continual non-stop action with only minimal story. We learn from the start that alien prisoners are being stored in human bodies and want to break free. And that's pretty much the line of the entire movie.
Add to that yet another convoluted twisted-upon-itself time travel flick, and we have a recipe for "when is this going to end and where is it going?".
Cinematically, directorially this is well done. The sets and special effects are spectacular. Welcome to the age of CGI. But when I found myself checking the time halfway through the movie, I knew this was an ongoing train wreck taking 2 hours to happen. And that's exactly what it was: unexplained and absurdist plot that abruptly ends in "FIRST OF TWO PARTS! SURPRISE!"
Bleh. Suggestion: Wait until part 2 comes out, IF part 2 comes out.