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Parents' Guide to

Jiang Ziya

By Jennifer Green, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Violence, language in Chinese myth-based animation.

Movie NR 2020 110 minutes
Jiang Ziya Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 1 parent review

Gabe098
Gabe098 Adult
March 28, 2021
age 12+

I'm Questioning my Life

Jiang Ziya is both A phenomenal film with it's art style and it's storytelling And how it presents A powerful message that at the end will leave you Questioning your Life & who to really follow and believe.Jiang Ziya was amazing I believe that tianzun was pulling the strings behind it and that Jiang Ziya and the Nine tailed fox demon were just puppets to the games of the gods and really had no choice of free will if there was any to some degree.Even the Nine tailed fox through her harsh ends justify the means she was just a pawn of the gods, who had to just play along.Great Film.
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What's the Story?

The title character of JIANG ZIYA is an army commander who's called upon to execute the deadly Fox Demon in exchange for a heavenly position as leader of all the gods. But Fox Demon, known as Nine-Tailed (voiced by Sylvia Wong), has bound herself to the soul of an innocent young girl, meaning that killing her would end them both. Jiang Ziya (Zheng Xi) , unable to condemn the girl, spares the demon's life and is banished to the mortal realm. One day he meets a young girl named Jiu (Yang Ning) and realizes that she's the soul he saved. She's trying desperately to find her father. Jiang Ziya helps her on her journey, which leads them both back to the Fox Demon, giving Jiang Ziya one more chance to obey his initial order and kill Nine Tailed.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

Jiang Ziya is a complex, heavy film that won't be for everyone. The animation is undeniably impressive, and the Chinese mythology-based universe is intriguingly complex, with cosmic overtones. But while fascinating, the characters, storyline, and settings may be disorienting for those who don't have prior knowledge of the source myth. A prologue meant to situate viewers moves quickly and also presumes some familiarity. There are very few character-developing lighter scenes of the type which made predecessor Ne Zha fun, making this film also heavy on violence and action. Probably none of this matters to Jiang Ziya's target audience -- established fans of Chinese mythology and computer-animated fantasy -- but it could preclude the film from converting new followers.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the action and violence in Jiang Ziya. Does all movie violence have the same impact?

  • How does this movie compare to its predecessor, Ne Zha, or to other animated films from China that you've watched?

  • Were you already familiar with some/any of the movie's mythological characters and realms? Could you draw any connections to other legends or religious concepts you know about?

Movie Details

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