It's the Super Wuxia-man!
Descendant of the Sun is a 1983 fantasy-superhero movie directed by Chor Yuen and released by Shaw Brothers, starring Derek Yee, Cherie Chung (in her first major onscreen role) and Ku Kuan-chung.
Set in the Ming Dynasty, Derek Yee plays Shue Sang, a man with a hidden past - as a baby, he was found in a cave by an old, childless woodcutter and subsequently adopted. As he grew into adulthood, he realize he have powers greater than any mortal men, starting with an incident where as a child he single-handedly stopped a runaway wood cart with his bare hands. As a young adult, returning to the cave where he was found as a baby, he discover the truth behind his lineage that he's in actual fact a magic solar baby sent Earthbound by a benevolent god, prior to the destruction of his homeworld, a realm in heaven full of immortals, by an evil entity called the "Demon Spawn". With an upcoming eclipse allowing the Demon Spawn's awakening, Shue Sang must face his destiny as a superhero.
And nope, this movie totally isn't a knockoff of Superman: The Movie and Superman II, released just 5 years before this movie. It's NOT a knockoff at all.
Do not confuse this with Descendants of the Sun.
Descendants of the Tropes:
- Bloodless Carnage: Numerous people gets exploded in the film, mostly in the hands of Mo Ying, but without any blood or gore. It's obvious that cheap Styrofoam mannequins are used to portray their deaths.
- Dark Is Evil: Black is the preferred colour choice for all the villains in the film, including the Regent and his servants, as well as the Demon Spawn Mo Ying. Contrast Light Is Good below.
- Disc-One Final Boss: The Regent dominates the plot for most of the film's first half... until Shue Sang reveals his treachery and he's forced to scram. He then unseals the prison dimension where Mo Ying is kept in, and the latter quickly becomes the Big Bad for the latter half.
- Total Eclipse of the Plot: The awakening of Mo Ying the Demon takes place on an eclipse, which kicks off the final battle - appropriately enough, Shue Sang lose most of his powers when an eclipse happens as well, throwing him into a more perilious situation for the finale. In fact, the impending eclipse is mentioned by the Regent numerous times earlier in the film.
- Evil Chancellor: The film's main human Big Bad, the Regent, is a vizier and advisor to the Princess who is secretly running a cult and enforcing his dictatorship on the citizens.
- Expy: One that the movie isn't particularly blunt about. Shue Sang is a very obvious Captain Ersatz to Clark Kent, while Mo Ying the Demon is based on General Zod.
- Happily Adopted: Shue Sang is well aware that his father, the woodcutter, found him in a cave. He doesn't mind a bit.
- I Have Your Wife: When the Regent reveals his true evil self to the Princess, he then kidnaps her for a ritual to awaken the Demon Spawn, allowing Mo Ying to enter the human world, and Shue Sang must battle his dreaded enemy to save her.
- High-Altitude Battle: The opening battle between Shue Sang's parents and netherworld invaders, and then there's the final battle where Shue Sang and Mo Ying takes their fights to the heavens.
- In a Single Bound: Shue Sang and Mo Ying, being superhumans, and considering they're based off Superman and General Zod.
- Inspiration Nod: More than once in the film, John Williams' score from Superman: The Movie can be heard, especially during the fight scenes. Because if you're going to lift your plot wholesale from the Superman movie, might as well steal some of the soundtrack as well, yes?
- Invincible Hero: Shue Sang in the first half of the film. His enemies are the Regent's mercenaries, which are all humans and doesn't stand even the slightest chance when they tried fighting Shue Sang. The hero here only starts showing weakness when fighting Mo Ying, a Demon from the same kingdom he was born.
- Kryptonite Factor: For Shue Sang? The lack of sunlight. An impending eclipse that can drain his powers while fueling the strength of the Big Bad, Mo Ying, is played up as a major plot point for the finale.
- Light Is Good: Played straight with the hero, Shue Sang, a superhuman whose power is fueled by the sun, and wears gold or white in his superpowered form.
- Ludicrous Gibs: Mo Ying kills several people, mostly Red Shirts, by exploding them. And in the end of the film, Shue Sang pulverizes Mo Ying in this manner, an appropriate Karmic Death.
- A Minor Kidroduction: Shue Sang is a baby in the opening scene. For most of the first act, he's a seven-year-old boy living with his woodcutter father, and roughly fifteen minutes into the film after an Age Cut, he's portrayed by Derek Yee for the remainder of the runtime.
- Muggle Foster Parents: Shue Sang, a magic solar baby sent Earthbound by a benevolent god who gets adopted by an old childless woodcutter.
- New Powers as the Plot Demands: Shue Sang seem to have a random grab-bag of assorted powers that pops up whenever he needs it. In the final battle against Mo Ying, Shue Sang gains the power of shooting lasers, to counter his opponent's energy beams.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: It's even worse than the source material. At least Superman, in his Clark Kent persona, wears glasses with his civilain clothes. Shue Sang on the other hand doesn't even bother to change what's on his face, instead merely switching his civilian clothes to an ornate golden robe, and somehow nobody - not even the princess - could tell them apart.
- The Power of the Sun: True to his origin and birth, Shue Sang gains his power through exposure to sunlight, allowing his flight and strength abilities. He can still use these powers at night, though to a somewhat limited degree, and he only really shows weakness when the eclipse happens, for some reason.
- Power Palms: The energy ki blasts fired by Mo Ying throughout the movie comes from his palms. Shue Sang displays this ability in the final battle as well, to counter his villainous counterpart's powers.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: The Evil Counterpart of Shue Sang, "Evil Baby" Mo Ying, was sealed in an alternate dimension accessed through a crystal portal.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: One of the many powers Shue Sang has upon reaching adulthood is his ability to speak with animals, as demonstrated when he communicates with the Princess' canaries and easily commands them to fly around the palace upon being released before flying back to his grasp.
- Superman Substitute: Whoo boy, where do we begin? The hero's origin being a magic solar baby from a faraway planet? Check. Sent to Earth by a benevolent god after his home planet's destruction? Check. Adopted by an old childless carpenter? Check. Powers of flight, energy beams, super-strength and the like? Check. A painfully fake disguise where nobody recognizes him just because he had a switch of costume? Check. The villain being an Evil Counterpart from his home planet, which is an Expy of General Zod? Double check.
- Super-Strong Child: During Shue Sang's childhood scene, he single-handedly stops an out-of-control cart rumbling towards his father with his bare hands.
- Universally Beloved Leader: The Princess, towards her subjects and servants. When she gets kidnapped by the Regent, the citizens goes ballistic and tries to rush into the palace to save her.
