The Duke of Mount Deer (2001)

Dicky Cheung in a period drama? What could be better?

This remake of a chinese classic is stunning in its originality and modern take on well loved characters. The story itself has been a long favourite of mine for many years, and to be honest, Wei Xiao Bao will never be the same again after you watch him portrayed by Dicky Cheung.

STORY:
A new take on an old story, filled with a few new twists that keep us oldies interested, but loyal enough to avoid offending our delicate sensibilities. Filled with deep political plots, thrilling fight scenes, as well as endearing interpersonal interaction; this drama will have you on the edge of your seat, laughing, and/or crying all at once. It will make you hold your breath, or try to catch your breath as you crack up like a maniac, and make you cry your eyes out. All in all, it has everything a good story should have.

ACTORS:
I can't begin to describe how brilliant the actors in this drama are. Every.single.one is a GEM in chinese television (except Ekin Cheng).
Never have the wives of Wei Xiao Bao been endowned with more vivacious and believable personalities before this series.
Whereas previous series have often focused on developing only one or two of the wives, this version gives each girl a wonderfully rich personality and a chance to show it off.
The actors themselves, too many to list, are all exquisitely skilled in portraying their roles and bring life to a story that has been done to death.

MUSIC:
Dicky Cheung is less known for his singing than his acting, but nobody ever said that he was bad. His opening and ending tracks for this drama are catchy and memorable, though admittedly, typically modern.

REWATCH VALUE:
Honestly, there are some moments you just have to relive. After you watch it, you'll know what I mean.

OVERALL:
It's old-school period drama at its best, with Dicky Cheung leading the cast with his amazing acting skills.
One of my all time favourites, and sure to be a favourite of many many more.

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I prefer the '84 version over this version but...

I really prefer the '84 version over this version because it felt kinda fake like I could totally tell those were computer generated effects lol. It was scarier than the '84 version and less funny imo but it's still a great adaptation and definitely worth watching (minus the bad CGI).

Story: I absolutely loved this story. One of Jin Yong's best works to me. It's basically about a guy who wanders around and gets like a bunch of girls because of his cleverness and humor. He eventually becomes best friends with the king. The villain in this drama was really scary. Great story: a mix of humor, romance, suspense, and history. This drama stayed true to the novel.

Acting/Cast: DICKY CHEUNG'S ACTING SKILLS ARE ON FLEEK. It was great, I love him so much!! He rocks every role in wuxia dramas I just love his acting. The emperor is good too. And not to mention there's ATHENA CHU AND RUBY LIN. Can we just take a moment to rethink this? Ruby Lin, at the peak of her youth, is so pretty and she's cheerful in the drama. She's the princess while Athena Chu is the beautiful girl that Dicky Cheung goes all heart eyes over. There's so much chemistry between everyone and literally they're so attractive (all of them) and versatile.

Music: It's so catchy oh my ahah

Rewatch Value: Hmmm,...... Maybe, but there are more Dicky Cheung wuxia dramas when he was younger though (during his TVB days).

Overall: 1000000000/10 honestly. I just loved Dicky Cheung, wuxia, and Athena Chu like what could beat this?

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