Incredible eerie mental puzzle

For a movie that is a little older (2012) I was pleasantly surprised to find it one of the better thrillers i watched. I'm picky when it comes to genres i don't usually watch. Thrillers being one of those. But this one exceeded my expectations.

The build up starts out perfectly balanced between brooding images, eerie music and not a word spoken. It sets a good start for what you know is going to be a theme that is held very well throughout the movie.
The dark sets, eerie music and overall creepiness even in regular scene really jumps out and makes you feel uncomfortable just watching it. Which is exactly what a movie like this is supposed to do.

Although i think they could have cut back on the ghost scenes. As it makes a point early on that the main character is experiencing trauma/mental issues. But throwing these in at seemingly random times and in a way that becomes an awfully cliché horror scene diminishes the progress of the movie and doesn't really add anything other then it making things a bit more 'scary'. I mean: I get it, they're dead. Leave them dead. Don't show their red eyed corpses every other 5 minutes. Geez.

Apart from that, the script hides the clues well and makes for a good mental puzzle that keeps you guessing until the near end of the movie. With red herrings and misplaced clues to confuse you; every time you think you know what's what the movie takes another turn and you're left guessing all over again until finally all pieces fall into place with a nice albeit cliché plot twist in the end.

The female lead portrays her character very well. Although 90% of the time it's just one emotion: scared. It's still believable with the way she expresses how that fear comes to grip at her being. And incredible the way she displays so many different aspects of the same emotion. Though her acting really reaches it's peak later on in the movie with some scenes i won't spoil.

The side characters were not all equally convincing. But supported the story enough to keep you invested until the end.

The music was chosen with precision. Increasing the dreary and ominous feeling. Though it's not something i'd enjoy listening to more often, it really adds to the gloomy atmosphere and the thickening plot, as well as the dark sets and dim lighting throughout the film.

All in all it was an enjoyable mental puzzle that i loved solving. But as they say: You can only solve it once, after that you know how it goes. With that i wouldn't necessarily be quick to rewatch it because i've solved this puzzle. But i would probably give this another go to see if i can spot other details i missed in the first watch.

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A gripping emotional roller-coaster with bumps on the tracks

I knew this was a disaster movie going in. Like most disaster movies of any kind, you brace for a wild ride and this movie did not disappoint.
Though it had a few flaws in terms of believability for certain actions of the main characters, the overall picture painted is a stunning piece of cinematography.
The absolute best part of this movie for me was how absolutely terrifying it was to watch the fire spread everywhere like a monster attacking. The low growls and roaring sound effects used were amazing and effective, making it seem like the fire itself was alive and fighting to claw it's way through every obstacle like a monster. Yet not in an overly exaggerated way. I got chills watching the fire scenes unfold.
Next to that there are also a few scenes that pulled me out of the story again. The exaggerated performance of a firefighter staying amidst fire and smoke for hours trying to close a valve while his protective gloves have burned away, seems a bit unrealistic to me. As is the death scene of my favorite actor Zhang Zhe Han. He delivered it well enough, but it was drawn out and quite fake. I get they want to make it emotional and really wreck the viewers with sad feelings, and trust me i had them. But it's a point that is a glitch in this otherwise fantastic movie.
Next to the patriotic theme and the complexity of heroes culture, this was an amazing film. I would watch it again. 9/10

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Decent, but not great.

First and foremost: I am biased when it comes to dramas. I usually watch costume dramas and these modern dramas aren't really my thing. However i wanted to give this one a try for Zhang Zhe Han. I have to say, it wasn't the worst i ever watched, but i also know i probably won't be watching it again. That to the side:
The story in itself has a good plot and set up: but is poorly executed. It drags on too much and what has been taking up 36 episodes could have been done in 20 or less with the same effect.
What really annoyed me was the Chairman's acting, who -to my opinion- didn't rely enough on his expression but too much on his head movements. Which made me think i was watching a bobble-head. The chemistry between the two leads also wasn't all there. Zhang Zhe Han did his best with this one i'm sure, but it's not his most impressive work.
Next to that, the guy who played Tao Lun also didn't really convince me with his acting and the 180 degree turn of his character's personality in later episodes really irked me.
The soundtrack made it better because there are some good songs in there. But it didn't make up for the agonizing slow pace of plot and character development. Neither for the lack of convincing romance or character personalities. All in all i think they did good with what they had, but they could have done better. 6/10

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