Pupusa
Terra Firma
The Voidwalkers carry most of the comedy here. Special mentions to Chen Mu Zhi, who has the most priceless of expressions, and Cao Bo as the best sidekick ever. Yuan Ran as Consort Xue is delightful as a mother who is sly yet supportive. It’s hilarious to watch these guys run around trying to outmaneuver each other and manipulate the poor, oblivious Qing Kui. Their generally attitude is “yeah, Kui is a naïve and dumb princess, but she’s *our* naïve and dumb princess.” The Void itself feels more real than our Mortal realm with so many rich details woven seamlessly into the dialogues and subplot. They also get the best costumes: dark, form-fitting, and downright sexy, especially the palace maid outfits. And it doesn’t hurt that the Void men have great physique (yes, the Void King rules in more ways than one).
By comparison, Heaven and Mortal realms are bland. Maybe it’s the cast, maybe it’s the direction, or maybe it’s a little bit of both. Ye Tan and Xuan Shang are ok as our Heavenly lead couple. Their chemistry is like a flickering light, sometimes it’s there, a lot of times it’s not. Their best moments are when he is in his La Mu form. Their worst moments come when they try to be funny and cute. While Landy Li and Chen Xing Xu are capable dramatic actors, they are not comic actors by nature and it shows. Chen Xing Xu’s dubbed voice is much too deep and detracts from his performance.
Watch this for the Void realm and its deliciously cheeky denizens. Watch this for Qing Kui and Zhao Feng's bad boy and naïve girl romance. Watch it for the great looking cast. Most of all, watch it with your FF button close at hand.
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A lot of time is wasted on slo-mos and long gazes. Pope and Bella can act with their eyes, but their romantic gazes mean nothing without a proper foundation of a love story. So he loves her because she appeared in his dreams? And she falls for him after he shielded her from a flying piece of wood (of his own making, I might add)? It's flimsy. She's just as likely to fall for Methus, who not only saved her but also has more in common with her. But of course that never happens, because we are told ad nauseam that Bella and Pope are "destiny," which is codeword for lazy writing.
The political conspiracy is equally sloppy. The writers build up this mystery of the man in the iron mask. In the end, he turns out to be some random guy we never seen before and don't really care about. There is a plot twist, albeit a poorly set up one, also involving an evil mastermind that we don’t care about.
The time traveling subplot is nonsensical, at best. What makes Methus so special that he gets sent back into the past? Nothing, except that it’s his “destiny.” Fortunately by this point, my brain has already packed up and left for vacation. As for the comedy aspect, the gags are done in the typical over-exaggerated Thai style. It is not enough to save the movie.
Perhaps this review is too harsh. I'm just tired of the dull writing and direction that completely waste the talents of the cast. Pope, Bella, and Ice all deserve a better script.
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This review may contain spoilers
Do watch this for Leon Lai and Kathy Chow. He was endearing in a dorky sort of way. She was sweet yet cheeky. They were cute when they flirted. They were even cuter when they fought. These two looked so comfortable together that I actually wondered if they were a real-life couple. Their chemistry alone made this series worth watching, at least for the first half.The second half of the series descended into hell as the writers contrived all sorts of ridiculous ways to keep the lovebirds apart. First, there was a stupid misunderstanding that could’ve been easily resolved through simple communication. Then Leon's character underwent an abrupt personality change, for no reason whatsoever. Finally, there was that sci-fi arc that felt like an entirely different drama altogether. The writers kept writing themselves deeper and deeper into a corner. The only way for them to get out of this mess was to do a hard reboot of the storyline. Yes, they erased nearly all of the plot as something that never happened. My only consolation was that Leon and Kathy got their happy ever after.
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There's nothing good to say about the directing. It's like the cast were told to "do whatever, just don't wrinkle your costumes or mess up your jewelry." Be like a mannequin, basically. This type of "formal" acting might be ok in an ancient drama, but it was all wrong in a modern setting. The only actor who wasn't stiff was Nie Yuan, probably because he didn't have many nice outfits to show off.
Since the actors weren't allowed to act, they were given long-winded dialogues to explain their actions and thought process. The show very quickly became preachy and boring. The writing went from bad to atrocious. In the end, our intrepid heroines perservered thanks to dumb luck and even dumber villains.
I love the OST, from Zhou Shen's majestic opening theme to Han Geng's gentle crooning in the closing sequence. You're better off downloading the songs instead of watching the series.
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Jin Yong was not Gu Long. His writing was less about the individual psychology and more about the many facets of society and people. Jin Yong adaptations should always have a great ensemble cast and cast chemistry. The director was smart enough to understand that and didn't shortchange the supporting cast in favor of making the leads shine. Felix Wong and Barbara Yung were excellent, but even when they're not on screen the other actors still held my interest.
There were many memorable performances here, but my favorite had to be Kenneth Tsang as Wong Yeuk Si. The man was a wuxia rockstar. He walked in on Wong Yung throwing a tantrum. He didn't try to comfort her, he didn't even ask. He just helped her smash the room to pieces. And when they were done, they just looked at each other and laughed like mad. No words were needed. That scene alone showed you all you need to know about this epic father-daughter relationship. It was a great example of show-and-not-tell in film making, and there were many little gems like it throughout the series.
There's a lot to appreciate about an older series like this one. It didn't coast on pretty costumes, elaborate sets, and CGIs. It focused more on moving the plot and the characters forward. The fight scenes were short but effective (don't miss out on the Kwok Jing vs. Yeung Hong duel). It's refreshing to watch compared to the drawn out wirefu scenes these days.
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This was the age before CGIs, so the production team got very, very creative. Watch for the tree demon and underworld battle sequences. These scenes were designed not just to wow, but to look as realistic as possible. This was exactly the kind of special effects that can withstand the test of time.
The acting was good all around. Leslie Cheung was, as always, a natural. Next to him, Joey Wong seemed to be trying a little too hard, but she was beautiful nonetheless. The love story was much too rushed and shallow for me. The comedic scenes were pure genius and more than made up for it. That outrageous Taoist rap had me laughing so hard I nearly fell off my chair.
You can't talk about this movie without mentioning Leslie's rendition of the theme song. There will never be anything quite like it. And there will never be anyone quite like Leslie Cheung.
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Interesting characters? Hardly. Ji Bai is a super cop whose only weakness is that he works too hard. This man is practically perfect, leaving no room for character growth. As for Xu Xu, we know nothing about her background or what makes her tick. She’s supposed to be a genius profiler, but you either: 1) can’t follow her logic; or 2) figure out things faster than she does. Her drawing of cute anthropomorphic cartoons is more of a gimmick than a revelation.
Suspense? None. Xu Xu keeps walking into dangerous situations with no real plan. That is not suspense, it's stupidity.
Romance? Minimal, with no building up to it whatsoever. The one big kiss in the very end does not convince me that Ji Bai is that much in love with Xu Xu.
Acting? Could not save the series. The actors can only do so much with the material they’re given. Wang Kai, who has immense talent and charisma, could've picked a far better project than this. I won't judge Wang Zi Wen's acting, since she's severely handicapped by the character of Xu Xu as well as the poor direction.
Action? Quite good and cinematic in quality. It might work in a compressed time of a movie, but it doesn't hold my attention in a 21-episode drama.
Anything deep, at all? Nope. The show tries to get philosophical about a policeman's life and choices. Ultimately, it's a black and white world: all bad guys are scum and all Chinese policeman are incorruptible and good. This might as well be a propaganda piece for law enforcement.
The 6.5 rating might be biased high, because I’m always partial to Wang Kai. Like a snail, I can only slowly crawl my way towards the last episode.
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Gordon Lam played two different characters here, the tragic Wan Kwong and the goofy Da Kwong. Technically, he played three characters, the third being a merging of these two men as Da Kwong recalled his past incarnation and his lost love, Siu Fu Yung. Sadly, the love of his life was now a ghost and out of his reach. Kwong’s attempts to hold onto her led to many touching and comical moments. While a good actor, Gordon does tend to overact in comedies. Here, he held it back just enough for a pitch perfect performance.
Kathy Chow was a vision of grace. She rocked a qipao like no other. Her best features were her expressive eyes that she used to great effect with Gordon. Her Siu Fu Yung was demure and gentle, but never boring. She was also quite funny in an understated sort of way. Much like Casper the Friendly Ghost, people were terrified of Siu Fu Yung at first then grew to care for her over time.
Florence Kwok was a little annoying as “the other woman”, although it’s not hard to sympathize with her. Wouldn’t it annoy you, too, if your boyfriend started to remember his past life and love for another woman? Kenneth Chan played “the other man,” a true gentleman who gave unselfishly without making the woman he loved feel guilty about it. The rest of the supporting cast were likeable in general. There was a villain, but he was a cardboard cutout type that was dispatched in a very rushed way. Other than that, the writing was spot on. The writers tied up all the loose ends and resolved the love triangle/rectangle in a meaningful, satisfying way.
Massive credits to the director and production team for creating an afterlife that was vivid and rich in details. You’ll see how the ghosts live (kind of), eat, and communicate with their loved ones in the world of the living. This was a showcase of Chinese traditions and beliefs – something TVB series excelled at in the 90’s.
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The series is most notable for the creative shots and camera angles. With competent acting and a fantastic soundtrack, it will keep you on the edge of your seat. I will admit the plot is not so airtight and there is an overreliance on coincidences, but don’t overthink it. Just enjoy the ride.
The one thing I can’t enjoy is the last episode, which is bad on an epic level. It feels like I’m watching an entirely different show, one full of clichés and hammy acting that is the plague of Asian dramas these days. If they could just end it at episode 15 and leave the rest to our imagination, this would’ve made my short list of all-time favorites.
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Vicky’s Lu Yi Ping is one of the most complex and sympathetic heroine. She grew up in an emotionally and physically abusive environment. Like a wounded animal, she’s bitter, vengeful, and tends to lash out unexpectedly. Torn between love and hate, she doesn’t always say what she means and doesn’t mean the awful things she says. That mental struggle is all there in Vicky’s eyes. There's a subtle tension and weariness in the way she carries herself as well. I was glued to the screen rooting for Yi Ping to put down her burden and find happiness, even if it’s with a wishy washy guy like Shu Huan.
Compared to Vicky, the rest of the core cast is a letdown. Ruby Lin doesn’t even bother to figure out what makes her character tick, which is a waste since her Ru Ping could’ve been much more interesting. Alec Su, likeable as he is, can’t do comedy and his attempts to be funny is cringey. Xu Lu is over the top fake as the insane Ke Yun. But the most unforgiveable performance has to be Leo Ku as Shu Huan. Now Leo doesn't have the screen presence of a leading man. He's also a so-so actor with a limited range of expression. His hospital reunion scene with Vicky is meant to be dramatic and heart-rending, but the look on Leo’s face is so dopey it borders on comical. How something like this makes it into the final cut is beyond me. The director should have made Leo redo half of his scenes until he gets it right, or just cast a different actor.
The writing itself fluctuates between the profound and the absurd. Do they honestly expect me to believe that the way to treat mental illness is to make the patient re-enact all the love scenes in their past? Or that a man who forces women he doesn't love to marry him is the most romantic guy in the world? Or that a wife and child beater still qualifies as hero? I get that the show is telling viewers that life - and people - are not black and white. It ends up undoing that premise by sugarcoating everything in an attempt to make us feel all warm and fuzzy.
Don’t focus too much on the show’s flaws or it will drive you crazy like Ke Yun. Just enjoy it for Vicky Zhao as she’s simply wonderful here.
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Ren Jia Lun’s strength is that he can act with his eyes. You can literally map his Lu Yi’s growing feelings for Jin Xia through how his eyes for her changes over time. He has this gaze that is just for her and her only. Since Lu Yi is rather cold and inscrutable, Ren Jia Lun needs to convey just enough emotion without being too obvious. He does exactly that and so much more with his nuanced performance. You can see how love gradually changes Lu Yi from a ruthless man who is just doing his job to a man who wants to do the right thing.
Tan Song Yun is cute as a button. The squeaky dubbing and wide-eyed acting work against her at first, but she eventually settles into her role as the greedy, gluttonous, sharp-witted Jin Xia. She matches Ren Jia Lun glance for glance, gaze for gaze. She does comedy well and has me laughing so hard every time Jin Xia pulls some stunts that grate on Lu Yi’s nerves. Unlike Lu Yi who undergoes character growth, Jin Xia remains her kind-hearted, heroic self even through the worst of times. That’s not a bad thing, as she is the moral anchor in their relationship.
Romance aside, we get to see one of the most twisted, sickest villains in Yan Shi Fan, played by the versatile Han Dong. Though Yan is somewhat human in his tenderness towards Lin Ling, he is a beast to almost everyone else. I like watching the interplay between him and Lu Yi, with each trying to read and outmaneuver the other. Very often writers would downplay the bad guy to make our hero look good; thankfully that doesn’t happen here. Yan is a true threat with a clear advantage over Lu Yi in terms of experience and influence in court. Even though Lu Yi smartly avoids his traps, it ultimately takes a group effort to end the stalemate and bring him to justice. It’s fitting that Yan’s own arrogance plays a part in his downfall.
The series generally does a good job in fleshing out the characters, their personalities and motivations. While the plotting isn't perfect, it manages to avoid many of the pitfalls. It doesn’t dumb down our couple or throw any stupid misunderstanding in their way. There are no OOC moments. Without giving away spoilers, I will say that the ending is one of my all-time favorites. It’s serene and simple, but effective in capturing the essence of Jin Xia and Lu Yi’s love. Theirs is a love story I will remember for a very long while.
The only thing that keeps this drama from being a nice round 9.0 was the secondary couple's romance. It drags the story down and forces me to use my FF button.
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Love, as portrayed here, was unreasonable at best and dysfunctional at worst. Our one and only couple, Hao Chen and Yin Shuang, loved each other madly and obsessively. They acted like it’s the end of the world when he had to marry the Princess, never mind that arranged marriage and second wife were both acceptable practices of the time. While Hao Chen had no feelings for the Princess, he should at least treat her with the care and kindness any wife would expect. Instead, he insisted on keeping his love for Yin Shuang “pure.” His stubbornness made life a needless hell for all parties involved.
Steve Ma and Vivian Chen made a striking couple as the intense Hao Chen and the weepy Yin Shuang. Both overacted to the hilt. Lu Wen was better in her role her as the Princess, albeit with some crazy Chinese opera-style makeup. I felt sorry for the Princess more than anyone else. She was the only one who didn’t have much of a choice or a chance at real happiness. Her frustration at being in a helpless, loveless marriage brought out the worst in her. She came across as a sympathetic person instead of a cartoon villainess. At the end of the day, she deserved a better guy than Hao Chen. We all do.
I do like the soundtrack and overall aesthetic of series. Romance junkies might like the fact that the male lead never wavered in his devotion to the female lead. Other than that, there’s not much else to love about a drama that’s all about love.
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Chang Pei Hua as the male lead was a nice surprise. Known for playing vapid Qiong Yau heroes, he broke out of that mold by bringing an edge to the character of Hong Ri Sheng. Instead of imitating Chow Yun Fat's style, he had his own unique interpretation of a mob boss that I really like.
Yvonne Zhang has a lovely smile that could melt your heart. You see it in “Lushan Lian,” but you won’t see it in this series. Here, her smile never quite reached her eyes. Her Xin Yu didn’t light up when she looked at Ri Sheng. That spelled doom for their chemistry. I didn’t care for them as a couple.
The breakout star of this show was the uber versatile Sun Xing. He played a sick scumbag in TLTG and was a complete opposite of that here. As Zhang Jie, he was a teddy bear of a man who can be tough and fiercely loyal when he needed to be. His rocky romance with Gu Lan was easily the best thing about this drama. It was so sweet to see Gu Lan, a battered and cynical woman, learn to smile and fall in love with this adorable goofball.
If you’re a fan of Sun Xing, watch this for him because it’s one of his best performances and he doesn’t often get a starring role. If you’re not a fan of Sun Xing, you will be when you're done with this show.
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The murder cases themselves aren’t exactly mind blowing, mainly because the source material (Kerry Greenwood’s Miss Fisher) isn’t the best. The way the screenwriters work the clues into the dialogue is clumsy and very obvious. If you are truly a mystery buff, you will correctly guess the murderer every time. There are flaws in the logic, but the story moves along so fast you'll hardly have time to dwell on them. The show wants viewers to think, but not overthink.
A lot of effort goes into the sets and costumes. I just can’t get used to this Candyland version of Shanghai. The colors are oversaturated and downright fake. The sets look too busy, especially the inside of Miss Su’s mansion (that portrait in the main hall scares me). Instead of appearing classy, it comes off as cheap. The same goes for the clothing. If the designers would tone it down just a tad, the dresses would have been perfect.
The acting is mostly competent, if not a little unnatural at times. What makes this show a must-see is the sexual tension between the main leads, Ma Yi Li and Vengo Gao. As Miss Su and Detective Luo, they are a rare gem of a couple. Neither is the other one’s first love. They never say “I love you” outright. They don’t even declare their feelings. Their relationship builds slowly from case to case, culminating in the moment where Detective Luo pummels the bad guy, definitively saying “How dare you hit my woman!” And there’s nothing more intimate than a woman tenderly shaving a man who clearly does not need shaving. These two don’t need to lock lips to show that they are hot.
I love the series’ catchy theme song. It’s a jazzy instrumental that pays homage to the original Miss Fisher series.
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Ah Wong is not your usual shiny leading man. He is mentally disabled, a child trapped in a body of grown man with a bad bowl cut to match. He represents the best in us, when we were young and most innocent. Your heart will break when he’s hurt, and it will rejoice when he rises to the challenge. Roger Kwok’s performance is spot on, nailing the tiniest detail from the voice, the hand gestures, to the facial expressions. This is his role of a lifetime. No other actor can touch him here, not even Tom Hanks as Forest Gump.
Jessica Hsuan is a very down-to-earth actress who rarely overdoes it. Give her any ridiculous plot and she will keep the story grounded. Her Choi Fung starts out a girl who doesn’t want to be stuck with Ah Wong and tries all sorts of tricks to get out of their marriage. Then she learns to adapt and slowly starts to care for the husband who can never really be a husband to her. Jessica, with her acting style, makes that progression totally believable.
The rest of the cast ranges from decent to very good. The script and the directing are basic. It’s really Roger who makes this show into something unique and memorable.
The reason why I can’t give this 10/10 is in the last few episodes. I have a hard time accepting that a woman would fall for a man who is, in effect, a child. It doesn’t feel right. Choi Fung may love Ah Wong, but to actually be in love? No. Just no.
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