A handsome late 1970s 'martial world' story from director Chor Yuen, this has all you could want from a Shaw Brothers outing: wonderfully elaborate and colourful set design, a huge cast of established stars, plentiful action, plot twists aplenty and some truly inventive and creative set-piece sequences. This one feels like a dry run for THE FIVE VENOMS, as rival clan leaders set about reclaiming a magical spider device which is a real 'weapon of mass destruction' when called into action. Yueh Hua and Lily Li are the nominal stars and Lo Lieh and Chan Shen the nominal villains, but the real stand-out is Ching Li, playing a female fighter who gets caught up in the complex plotting and ends up ensnared in a web bigger than that wielded by the bad guys. Clever stuff indeed.

Not the best Chu Yuan I've ever seen, but quite fun. The sets and costumes are great - the acting is fine but nobody is outstanding. Personal favorite - the Centipeded leader and his excellent metal centipede shield weapon.

Basic Plot - Lo Lieh, a member of the 5 Venom Clan plots to regain their powerful ancient artifact, the 5 Venom Spider (a tarantula that emits elephant roars, and a sound approximating the noise that every Bond villain's lair makes when the self-destruct switch is activated). Assorted heroes and renegade Venom Clan members must work together against Lo Lieh and several 3's Company-esque misunderstandings.

Not as good as Chu Yuan's masterpieces starring Ti Lung, but worth a watch.