Descendant of the Sun – Vinegar Syndrome Archive (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1983
Director: Chor Yuen
Writers: The Shaw Brothers Creative Group
Cast: Derek Tung-Sing Yee, Cherie Chung, Ku Kuan-Chung, Lung Tien-Hsiang, Yang Chi-Ching, Wong Lik, Ai Fei

Release Date: December 2nd, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 92 Minutes 13 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Cantonese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $49.98

"Shek Sang has quite a dilemma. Born inside a glowing rock and discovered by a meager carpenter who raised him, he became aware of his otherworldly powers early on. When he defeats a pack of soldiers forcefully rounding up laborers, he finds a way into the Princess's compound to escape being hunted down. The Prince Regent, eager to realize his secret Intelligence Nation agenda of slaughtering any baby he deems unintelligent, is plotting to kill his niece, the Princess, in his quest for power and a nation of pure intelligence. Now, aware of the evil danger threatening the Princess, yet unable to divulge to her his true identity, Shek Sang plays the role of a lowly houseboy and bird-trainer for her parrot. As the Prince Regent discovers an equally powerful Evil Baby with which to challenge Shek Sang, and the Princess falls in love with his alter ego, a reckoning is looming." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release’s transfer, "Newly scanned and restored in 2K from its 35mm original camera negative."

Descendant of the Sun comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 32.1 GB

Feature: 25.3 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, and image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction. That said, some of the special-effects-heavy moments are not as strong as the bulk of this transfer.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese with removable English subtitles. Dialogue comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise this audio track sounds excellent.

Extras: 

Extras for this release include an interview with action director Yuen Bun on Hong Kong stuntwork titled The Master of Action (19 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), a video essay by film historian Samm Deighan titled Shaw Brothers Fantasy in the 1980s (16 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Asian cinema historian Frank Djeng, reversible cover art, a bottom-loading VHS-inspired slipcase, a double-sided poster, and a 40-page perfect-bound book with an essay titled It’s a Mallard, It’s a Crane, It’s SB-Man! written by John Charles, an essay titled Descendant of the Sun: A Kaleidoscopically Colorful Wuxia Fantasy written by Tom Cunliffe, and an essay titled Descendant of the “Huh?”: Hammer, Chor Yuen, and Weird Wuxia written by Keith Allison.

Summary:

Chor Yuen directed Descendant of the Sun. He is known for Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan, Killer Clans, The Magic Blade, Sentimental Swordsman, and Clans of Intrigue.

The heavenly realm sends a magic baby with superpowers to Earth after an evil demon destroys it.

Descendant of the Sun is a Shaw Brothers Wuxia film that liberally borrows from the Superman mythos. The narrative revolves around a heroic protagonist whose home (the heavenly realm) is destroyed, and as the last descendant, he’s sent to Earth as a baby and raised by a carpenter. While the protagonist's foes are mostly from the earthly realm, similar to Superman, he encounters a villain who had trapped herself and has freed herself. The protagonist is also a master of disguises, similar to Clark Kent and Superman, making it difficult for characters to distinguish between his alter egos.

The 1980s saw a shift in focus for the Shaw Brothers to adapt to the current market trends, and another area of change was an influx of new talent headlining their films. Derek Tung-Sing Yee (Buddha’s Palm) is cast in the role of the hero Shek Sang, and he delivers a strong performance that excels when it comes to the physicality of the role. His character has immeasurable power, can float through the air, and uses his hands and feet to fight instead of weapons.

Cherie Chung (An Autumn's Tale) is cast in the role of a princess whose uncle is trying to kill her and assume the throne. Unfortunately, her character is mostly ceremonial, and she’s given little to do outside of a few speeches. A performance of note is Ku Kuan-Chung (Opium and the Kung-Fu Master), who portrays evil baby Mo Ying, a formidable foe for Shek Sang, who shoots lasers out of his palms that make people explode. That said, the performances are best described as serviceable.

While the Superman similarities do lead to a lot of predictability, this is not a deal breaker since Descendant of the Sun is more concerned with spectacle than exposition. The action set pieces are overflowing with moments that defy logic and gravity. When it comes to their execution, unfortunately they are not as polished as Shaw Brothers Wuxia from the 1960s and 70s. That said, the production design is solid, and it does a superb job creating believable fantasy landscapes. Descendant of the Sun’s score features a music cue that sounds like the main cue for John Williams’s score for Superman. Ultimately, Descendant of the Sun is a fun time waster that leaves no lasting impression.

Descendant of the Sun gets an excellent release from Vinegar Syndrome Archive that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras. Recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer