Aardvarkie
Namibia
What's not to like?
I really enjoyed this excellent production -yes, some of the other reviewers had some valid criticisms but these had little impact on the overall quality. Excellent cast, fascinating journey in first half, admittedly a little more repetitive in second half, but refreshingly free of std palace harem machinations, focusing more on the dynamics between the friends, and different people in the martial arts world. Strong plot mystery which holds its suspense till the end - not who's the baddy?, but what choices will ML make?Well-designed sets & costuming, also Good script (at least in English subs that I rely on). Only niggle is Wuxin receding too much in background towards the end. Maybe another season with him as main protagonist?
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More engaging than expected
The synopsis of this movie sounded rather unpromising by focusing on the real Tang Shenwei's achievements, and I expected a lot of pompous propaganda about how much better Chinese culture is than the rest of the world. (There is a bit of an untrustworthy enemy included, but not too heavy.Nevertheless, I took a chance on it and it was surprisingly engaging. Of course, the movie is probably totally fictionalised, as the only real bio info I could get didn't mention any of the exciting events. But throw in a good-looking foreign princess, unsympathetic bosses, and family tragedy and it ended up quite an easy watch. Not a groundbreaking work or wildly exciting, but nice characters and good acting from the ML (pity about the mustache in the later part of the movie). Decent subtitles, and a nice pacifist message. I watched it on CCTV6 China Official Movie Channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHCgvE7_4Ys
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Prince Seahorse, the Prince's Wedding Dress
0 people found this review helpful
A most enjoyable spoof of the genre
The previous review is so negative that I almost didn't watch it, but Deetsy must have still taken it far too seriously, despite cautioning you to take it "very, very unseriously". So bad, it's very very good!I think the movie was intended as a spoof (the vampire and the mummy? Dead giveaways!). Obviously low budget, but bad CGI doesn't do any harm when the intention is to point out the ridiculousness inherent in the wuxia genre (which I love, but the way, but it can become very stick-in-the-mud at times).
Once you see it that way - it is hilarious, the slapstick hiding subtle humour and double entendres delivered in such a deadpan way that you have to be on your toes to catch everything. I think the actors must have struggled to avoid corpsing in every scene.
Prince Seahorse pokes fun at the magic and martial arts of far more serious movies and subtly undermines gender stereotypes. The interaction between the ML and Mo Ya is full of innuendo and the ML having instant sex changes inverts the romance theme completely. The movie also riffs on modern tropes such as the television game show presenter giving the hyped-up run-down of the masters at the academy (the three male masters are all deliberately ridiculous) and old-fashioned electronic music when the master "heals" Mo Ya . Powers and spells are instantly transferred at the wave of a hand - hello?
I might watch it again just to check what I missed in the first round.
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complex parable under simple story
I enjoyed this for its simplicity - very few characters compared to similar wuxia movies, and no extravagant sets or CGI. But the story it tells cleverly leads you through something of a mystery, where the identities of the main characters only become clear to the end. It then emerges as a parable showing that the line between good and evil can be blurry, but at the same time very distinct, depending on the circumstances. The modest production enhanced the message. Also nice to see some less frequent faces.Was this review helpful to you?
Down--to-earth portrayal of folklore story
The two children at the start of the movie captured my interest and I continued to watch due to the down-to-earth production that had some very nice sets and costuming, without the extravagant embellishments of many other productions. Mostly unknown actors, some a bit wooden, but reasonable work and an engaging story centred on greed versus idealism. Real cinema aficionados will probably find this movie uninteresting, but I enjoyed it for not being pretentious and having few of the repetitive tropes in so many wuxias.Was this review helpful to you?
Brilliant - well, I think so
It took me some time to get to watch this, despite reading rave reviews elsewhere, partly due to doubts about the story-line and concern about a snot-and-tears drama with a tragic ending, which I dislike, and partly due to access (cannot afford multiple streaming subscriptions). But a family member finally signed me onto Netflix (thanks, sis!) and the wait was definitely worthwhile.It's more difficult to review something when you have enjoyed it as thoroughly as I have, than just venting about bad or irritating things, but there are a couple of reasons I found this excellent other than the other positive reviewers whose views I endorse - it manages to successfully blend, comedy, romance, the supernatural, and thriller aspects into a cohesive whole, without it being jarring. You can watch it superficially if you want, or it can get you thinking on various topics such as how the world has changed over history and what it must feel like to experience such change, and whether it makes you feel that everything is just on repeat, or whether you still experience change as fresh and new.
I like the way the 'not-normal-human' characters are fully-fledged people, with a range of emotions and growth during the series. For example - to those dissing the Reaper's acting - I felt the reserve sat well with the character and the emotions he displayed were well-conveyed. The way the ML and GR oscillate between staid old men and nervous teens was funny, illustrating how people can feel awkward and unsure of themselves no matter how old they are!
I will definitely rewatch in the not too distant future.
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Pedestrian propaganda
I thought I'd manage a few episodes at least, as I am really keen on learning more about China's history and culture. However, the droning voice of the presenter and exhortative language with random visuals quite put me off. Not recommended if you are genuinely interested in the country's history - it seems to contain only lots of empty rhetoric, and is quite pedantic and propagandistic, instead of the interesting description and detail of how Chinese civilisation started and developed that I expected. Probably aimed at a Chinese home audience, who know most of the history already, but would like to watch lots of panning sentimental shots and philosophising about the greatness of the land and its people. By no means a BBC level documentary, and not a speck of humour to be seen. Maybe they should have got Michael Palin to present it...Was this review helpful to you?
