I Am a Superstar (2022)

Surprising Gem

You know to be honest I didn’t think I’d like this series but for some reason the title had me hooked right from the start and wasn’t I surprised. Let’s face it this is not your normal run of the mill drama but it’s definitely engaging and the plot has a depth that in some parts was seriously disturbing. Now this may seem a strange thing to say about a series that I enjoyed but the diverse twists and turns are what kept me enthralled. It’s the darker aspects of the story that could have been taken from the lives of so many talented artists that didn’t manage to find their way through the quagmire that is fame and inevitably they fell victim to the course their lives had taken and the choices they had made. Thankfully it’s not all doom and gloom and some episodes were so farcical that I had to laugh at what was happening. At face value this story might have been nothing more than a crazy ride but the quality of the acting, particularly from the ML Wei Da Xun and the sensitivity he brought to the part made it so much more than what it might have been. Is this a drama for everyone? Probably not but the deeper elements touched on so many areas such as reincarnation, drug use and the importance of staying true to oneself despite what life throws your way kept me thoroughly engaged. All in all it was a pleasant surprise but be prepared the ending is quirky, swift and very unorthodox. Pretty much like the start really. Anyway I hope you enjoy it too.

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SUPERTRASH. (I'll try not to spoil too much)

I only watched this because of Xin Zhi Lei. My wife and I adore her. The producers of SUPERSTAR, unfortunately, seemed blissfully unaware that her best roles are where she plays strong women.

Here, in this train wreck, she plays a lonely hotel owner. A hotel where we never see her do any work. A hotel with no staff. And here's the best part: you'll never see ONE guest. And the writers didn't even bother to have her say, "Business is slow these days." Nope, nothing. You're just supposed to overlook this because LAZY.

The show is rated 13 and over, but a pathetic relentless flaw like this makes it really 10 and under. And that's an insult to many 10 year olds. And it's not just this mistake.

Our lead male -- Zhang Yi -- is treated like garbage by her. Yet this doesn't make her strong in the viewers eyes but instead a complete jerk. So she sits in her 'hotel' hoping this okay guy will fall in love with her, which is ridiculous because Xin Zhi Lei is one of the prettiest actresses on the planet. Her character should be fighting off constant advances from men (and women) but instead sits in her home cooking and sighing... waiting for her white knight.

Meanwhile our lead is presented with a real romantic prospect, a charming young lady who is head over heals for him. The audience loves her but she might as well be invisible to Yi who really remains only interested in Xin Zhi Lei because it says so in the script. And this fine young actor's worst scenes are with Xin Zhi Lei because neither can figure out why their characters would be interested in the other. It's THAT bad, trust me.

In Episode 1 we learn funny aliens from space have decided to rescue our hero and make him live a virtual life re-do. We don't really know why, though. Like if the aliens wanted to study mankind -- why a simulation? Why not just look down and observe with the tech they already have? And why not use alien 'tech' to manipulate the real players in real situations instead of nuking the dramatic tension with a simulation?!?

These aliens insist our hero achieve great fame to escape the simulation, but why do two aliens from across the galaxy care if this suicidal kid becomes famous in a simulation? And these aliens don't quite give us a way to know how close he's getting to his goal AND WORSE disappear from the story almost altogether.

So really, at the end of the day, this giant piece of trash is just an excuse to have some of the cast singing songs. Which could have been achieved with a simpler and far better premise. This isn't just the worst C-dramas I've ever seen -- this is one of the worst TV shows I've ever seen period. And I started seriously watching TV in 1974.

Sure, I could say the lead was doing a great job. Or that most of the cast is pretty good. But what's the point in a story that makes absolutely no sense. I wasn't feeling bad for our hero. I was instead numbed by the idiocy of the story.

Don't get me wrong. I can enjoy and was actually looking forward to light-hearted bubblegum. For that I recommend MAKE A WISH, also on iQiYi.

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