Fantasy is a tricky genre for Filipino films. Most of those which have been immortalized found traction, appreciation and longevity on the back of being based on popular comic books such as Darna and Captain Barbell, all written by famed Filipino fictionist Mars Ravelo. They could arguably be considered an exception, however, as outside of them, other attempts to produce films that tackle magic, superpowers and phantasmogria are just often mocked due to their tendency to make a caricature of the lead characters and also because of poor CGI or special effects.
“Magic Temple,” co-directed by the late Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes, did away with all of these and chuck any references to what makes a good fantasy film according to Hollywood standards, crafting instead a film of the surreal which poignantly melds values of trust, friendship and courage with effects and a production design that worked out quite well by maximizing the familiar, yet unique facets of Filipino culture, from the rural design, to the clothing, to language, music and folklore.
It tells the story of three boys Jubal, Sambag and Omar who each have their own powers. They are all trained by Sifu, an old, kind man so they can fight evil forces led by Ravenal, that threaten to destroy the balance in their world of Samadhi. Their journey to battling him introduces the viewers not only to the world of mythology and magic, but also to the universe of complex emotions that one especially feels during adolescence. There is young love, confusion and insecurity and the important lesson of finding power in rejecting toxic masculinity, all told in an enthralling oneiric way.
