Still from the action film "City under Siege" [Photo: M1905.com]

"City under Siege", the first Chinese monster film featuring giant, mutated orc-like creatures, will hit the big screen nationwide on August 6, M1905.com reports.

Directed by Benny Chan, the monster flick stars Aaron Kwok, Shu Qi, Collin Chou, Wu Jing, and Zhang Jingchu, with art director William Chang behind the costume and makeup designs.

This is the first time a Chinese film has used the mutant theme, and also the first time a storyline has revolved around a biochemical crisis and urban disaster.

In the film, Aaron Kwok plays a careless man who makes a living performing at a vaudeville theater. While he is performing in Malaysia, he and some of his associates travel into the remote mountains in search of treasure. During their trek they absorb a biochemical gas left behind by the Japanese army during WWII.

Director Chan said the makeup team of the film is from Thailand. They once worked on such Hollywood films as "The Hulk" and "The Lord of the Rings".