The second time, only to establish its proper role in the epilogue. The first time, it is essential to developing the story and our understanding of why these men will fight so hard to protect it.
The plot does involve a magical object, but there are only two scenes with associated special-effects, which were as nicely done as any Hollywood CGI. We even spend a little time with Lai Qi's 3 loyal soldiers and their families, getting to understand what they've been doing and what is important to them. Every major character is developed in this story except for the young monk, and you'll understand why at the end. These are heroes who have skills far beyond the ordinary, and the fighting effects merely convey that without rubbing it in or going over the-top. The springboard/wire-fighting is kept to a minimum and is subtly crafted. Though this is a "heroic epic" telling of the Golden Age of China, director Ping He does an outstanding job of blending depth of character with period- and action-realism within only 115 minutes.
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