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This review may contain spoilers
Went a little below expectations...
I had high expectations since I waited years for this and because the prequel starring Neo Hou is one of my favorites among all the adaptations. Long story short, I went into it thinking, 'I'm used to them changing Wu Xie and Zhang Qilin, so let me just enjoy the ride.' So, I watched it with a totally clean slate, full of love and excitement.
I honestly LOVE that we finally got this sequel! Even though the plot shifted a bit from where The Lost Tomb 2 left us hanging, I managed to pick up the pieces after a few episodes and just happily enjoyed it. That said, my ultimate standout scene has to be in Episode 18. It is hands-down the most gay-ish skinship we have ever gotten between WX & ZQL across all the story adaptations so far. I practically died of sheer joy during the entire fleeting duration the camera was focused on them for that scene. Also, I love that WX finally called out WPZ. Don't get me wrong, I love the Iron Triangle and I'm used to him, but his behavior has been low-key bothering me for a while, so I'm so glad they finally highlighted and addressed it.
The things I dislike are mostly the underwhelming production and story execution. I feel like they could have done a better job with the plot twists and special effects, but it just didn't happen. As always, I'm used to the jumpy storytelling of The Lost Tomb series, but something about this one just didn't sit right with me. The middle part felt a bit too dragged out, while the ending felt rushed. This is probably my second least favorite installment, right after The Lost Tomb 1 starring Li Yifeng.
Story - 8.0, As I said, it felt both dragged out and rushed—they really could have done a better job to make it work!
Acting/Cast - 9.5, I've never had an issue with the WX and ZQL character changes, but they felt a little distant in this series. I felt like they weren't as close, but the skinship made up for that. In terms of acting, Bai Shu did his best, and I LOVE that he has expressions that look exactly like Neo Hou—he looked like him countless times as well! Zhao Dong Ze, on the other hand, reminded me of Arata Mackenyu and Suho of EXO, so I was satisfied watching him the entire time too. Their acting itself felt a little different, but it was still passable!"
Music - 9.0, Like I always say in my reviews, 'We can never go wrong with music' (at least, not often lol). It has a decent set of music that fits the scenes perfectly and never bothered me. I gave it a 9.0 simply because I'm not a big fan of suspenseful, creepy music, as I usually prefer ballads and pop. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the musical accompaniment in this series.
Rewatch Value - 7.5, I likely won't rewatch this unless I commit to a full marathon of The Lost Tomb franchise once the entire story is finally adapted. Until then? Nope, I won't be hitting play again. But hey! The series is still pretty decent.
Overall - 8.5, I really wanted to give this a higher rating, but the most important factors for me are the plot and production, and I felt like they lacked a lot in those areas. Nonetheless, this is a decent adaptation; it's probably not the best, but it's certainly not the worst either.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
I honestly LOVE that we finally got this sequel! Even though the plot shifted a bit from where The Lost Tomb 2 left us hanging, I managed to pick up the pieces after a few episodes and just happily enjoyed it. That said, my ultimate standout scene has to be in Episode 18. It is hands-down the most gay-ish skinship we have ever gotten between WX & ZQL across all the story adaptations so far. I practically died of sheer joy during the entire fleeting duration the camera was focused on them for that scene. Also, I love that WX finally called out WPZ. Don't get me wrong, I love the Iron Triangle and I'm used to him, but his behavior has been low-key bothering me for a while, so I'm so glad they finally highlighted and addressed it.
The things I dislike are mostly the underwhelming production and story execution. I feel like they could have done a better job with the plot twists and special effects, but it just didn't happen. As always, I'm used to the jumpy storytelling of The Lost Tomb series, but something about this one just didn't sit right with me. The middle part felt a bit too dragged out, while the ending felt rushed. This is probably my second least favorite installment, right after The Lost Tomb 1 starring Li Yifeng.
Story - 8.0, As I said, it felt both dragged out and rushed—they really could have done a better job to make it work!
Acting/Cast - 9.5, I've never had an issue with the WX and ZQL character changes, but they felt a little distant in this series. I felt like they weren't as close, but the skinship made up for that. In terms of acting, Bai Shu did his best, and I LOVE that he has expressions that look exactly like Neo Hou—he looked like him countless times as well! Zhao Dong Ze, on the other hand, reminded me of Arata Mackenyu and Suho of EXO, so I was satisfied watching him the entire time too. Their acting itself felt a little different, but it was still passable!"
Music - 9.0, Like I always say in my reviews, 'We can never go wrong with music' (at least, not often lol). It has a decent set of music that fits the scenes perfectly and never bothered me. I gave it a 9.0 simply because I'm not a big fan of suspenseful, creepy music, as I usually prefer ballads and pop. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the musical accompaniment in this series.
Rewatch Value - 7.5, I likely won't rewatch this unless I commit to a full marathon of The Lost Tomb franchise once the entire story is finally adapted. Until then? Nope, I won't be hitting play again. But hey! The series is still pretty decent.
Overall - 8.5, I really wanted to give this a higher rating, but the most important factors for me are the plot and production, and I felt like they lacked a lot in those areas. Nonetheless, this is a decent adaptation; it's probably not the best, but it's certainly not the worst either.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
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