''Magic Temple'' is a 1996 Filipino

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, ani ...

directed by the acclaimed director

Peque Gallaga Maurice Ruiz de Luzuriaga Gallaga (August 25, 1943 – May 7, 2020), better known as Peque Gallaga, was a multi-awarded Filipino film-maker. His most significant achievement in film was '' Oro, Plata, Mata'', which he directed after winning a sc ...

and his directing partner Lore Reyes. Released by

Star Cinema ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. (doing business as Star Cinema or ABS-CBN Films) is a Filipino film studio and film and television production company and film distributor headquartered in Quezon City. It is one of the major film studios in t ...

. It was written by Peque Gallaga, Lore Reyes and

Erik Matti Erik Matti (born December 21, 1970) is a Filipino filmmaker. He is known for directing '' On the Job'' (2013), ''Honor Thy Father'' (2015), '' Seklusyon'' (2016), '' BuyBust'' (2018), and '' On the Job: The Missing 8'' (2021). Matti co-found ...

. It is notable for winning all of the 14 nominations including the Best Film at the

1996 Metro Manila Film Festival The 22nd Metro Manila Film Festival was held in 1996. Amy Austria and Jomari Yllana won top honors in the 1996 Metro Manila Film Festival for winning the Best Actress and Best Actor Award respectively. Star Cinema's Magic Temple walked away most ...

Plot

The magical world of "Samadhi", threatened by the evil forces of Ravenal. Sifu sends out three teenage boys to journey on the Magic Temple. Jubal, Sambag and Omar, each with their own unique power, battles the threat to the world of "Samadhi" and along the way faces many extraordinary things. The boys are sure to face a huge battle ahead of them but with the help of magical creatures they met along their journey, evil is eliminated and they learn the true value of camaraderie and believing in themselves to face any problem.

Cast

*Jason Salcedo as Jubal *Junell Hernando as Sambag *

Marc Solis ''Ang TV'' ( en, The TV) was a youth-oriented comedy variety show in the Philippines. The show's format was inspired by its predecessor ''Kaluskos Musmos'', (a popular Philippine kiddie gag show in the 1970s) and its foreign counterpart ''The ...

as Omar *Erwin Meregildo as Wewin * Anna Larrucea as Yasmin *Jun Urbano as Sifu *

Jackie Lou Blanco Jacqueline Lourdes Blanco-Davao (born February 11, 1964) is a Filipina actress and aerobic instructor. During the 1980s and the 1990s, she appeared in different film genres including ''Hihintayin Kita sa Langit'', (1991), ''Si Aida, Si Lorna, o ...

as Ravenal *

Gina Pareño Gina Pareño (; born Geraldine Acthley; October 20, 1947) is a Filipina actress. Early life Pareño was born to a German American father and a Filipina mother. Career She started her career in the 1960s as an extra in several films and then lat ...

as Telang Bayawak *Aljon Jimenez as Rexor *Cholo Escaño as Sisig *Koko Trinidad as Grand Master *Sydney Sacdalan as Shaolin Child *Chubi del Rosario as Gamay *Mae-Ann Adonis as Rexor's mother *Alvin Froy Alemania as Young Sambag *Tess Dumpit as Jubal's mother * Kristopher Peralta as young Rexor *

Carlo Aquino Carlo Jose Liwanag Aquino (born 3 September 1985) is a Filipino actor and musician known for being the lead singer of the band Kollide and formerly of JCS with John Prats and Stefano Mori. Aquino achieved critical recognition for his performan ...

as young Jubal

Trivia

*The names of the three main characters has national symbolism in it. Jubal is an Igorot, a tribe from Luzon; Sambag is a Visayan word for

Tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabacea ...

from the Visayas and Omar is a name found among the Muslim tribes of Mindanao. The names, therefore, accounts for the Philippines major islands.

Recognitions

Awards and nominations

Special awards

Remake

A remake of the film was announced in December 2018 to be produced by

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...

and Cre8 Productions. Mikhail Red will direct the project.

References

External links

* * {{MMFF Star Cinema films 1996 films Tagalog-language films Philippine fantasy adventure films 1990s fantasy adventure films Films directed by Peque Gallaga Films directed by Lore Reyes