dragynfaerie
USA
Wu Xie Belongs In Slytherin
I loved it. It scratched all my archaeologist Indian Jones wannabe itches. I love adventure, thrills & chills, mixed with a little bit of mystery and murder. Tomb of the Sand Sea has it all. The only reason I'm not giving it a 10 is because the end seemed rushed and there are unanswered plot holes that will probably go unanswered unless I find a translated version of the book series or they make a prequel or a 2nd season of Mystic Nine. Although they have MN listed as a side story, you will probably want to watch it first just to know some of the background of the 9 families.
Let's get the issues out of the way. I thought I was watching the Tomb releases in order, but turns out I watched Tomb 2 too early. That's where part of my personal confusion came in. (1) There is an actor in both series but he's not playing the same character. (2) Wu Xie is much older. He is not the 20 something naive kid from Lost Tomb or Lost Tomb 2. And that's fine. What's a little off is that he's some kind of mystic able to accurately predict people's actions 5 moves ahead in order for his crazy elaborate plan(s) to work. He's a master manipulator, hence the Slytherin reference. (3) Lt. Zhang Ri Shan from MN is also in Sea with no explanation as to how. I thought they were using him to replace Zhang Qi Ling (and in very many aspects they did), but Qi Ling makes appearances, too. (4) The families have apparently intermarried and there are last names that are unfamiliar. They really needed to include a family tree instead of the outtakes. (4a) Where are the Hongs? There are no Hongs in Sand Sea, which leads me to (5) Lay Zhang. Lay plays a main character in MN and a minor supporting one in Sand Sea. The issue I'm having is who was he really. Is he Er Ye from MN, a reincarnation, or just a look alike? I just couldn't figure him out. The issues I've listed may seem like a big deal, but really they're not. They easily become unimportant.
The story is about a kid trying to pass his college entrance exam that is attacked, kidnapped, and forced on a whirlwind adventure. It's kind of a coming of age story with a few masterminds and a lot of guns. The production is fantastic. The stunts and fights are well done. The script and direction were pretty solid. At times I did feel that the editing was a little off.
The cast is great!! I'm not much for romance, but even my heart was fluttering in the last few episodes thanks to Lt. Zhang's actor, Zhang Ming En and his sexy self. woo * clutch the pearls * He's not just a pretty face either. There were tell tale signs of his age in his mannerisms, the way he stood and walked, and sometimes in how he spoke. He had on one outfit that looked like they stole off an old man in the park doing Tai Chi. The entire cast has a lot of chemistry.
The music was good. I don't tend to rewatch things, but I can see myself rewatching this to find clues I may have missed.
Overall, it's a really fun watch. Does it have some problems? Yah, sure you betcha! But they're minor. You just need to tell your left brain to shut up and go for the ride.
Let's get the issues out of the way. I thought I was watching the Tomb releases in order, but turns out I watched Tomb 2 too early. That's where part of my personal confusion came in. (1) There is an actor in both series but he's not playing the same character. (2) Wu Xie is much older. He is not the 20 something naive kid from Lost Tomb or Lost Tomb 2. And that's fine. What's a little off is that he's some kind of mystic able to accurately predict people's actions 5 moves ahead in order for his crazy elaborate plan(s) to work. He's a master manipulator, hence the Slytherin reference. (3) Lt. Zhang Ri Shan from MN is also in Sea with no explanation as to how. I thought they were using him to replace Zhang Qi Ling (and in very many aspects they did), but Qi Ling makes appearances, too. (4) The families have apparently intermarried and there are last names that are unfamiliar. They really needed to include a family tree instead of the outtakes. (4a) Where are the Hongs? There are no Hongs in Sand Sea, which leads me to (5) Lay Zhang. Lay plays a main character in MN and a minor supporting one in Sand Sea. The issue I'm having is who was he really. Is he Er Ye from MN, a reincarnation, or just a look alike? I just couldn't figure him out. The issues I've listed may seem like a big deal, but really they're not. They easily become unimportant.
The story is about a kid trying to pass his college entrance exam that is attacked, kidnapped, and forced on a whirlwind adventure. It's kind of a coming of age story with a few masterminds and a lot of guns. The production is fantastic. The stunts and fights are well done. The script and direction were pretty solid. At times I did feel that the editing was a little off.
The cast is great!! I'm not much for romance, but even my heart was fluttering in the last few episodes thanks to Lt. Zhang's actor, Zhang Ming En and his sexy self. woo * clutch the pearls * He's not just a pretty face either. There were tell tale signs of his age in his mannerisms, the way he stood and walked, and sometimes in how he spoke. He had on one outfit that looked like they stole off an old man in the park doing Tai Chi. The entire cast has a lot of chemistry.
The music was good. I don't tend to rewatch things, but I can see myself rewatching this to find clues I may have missed.
Overall, it's a really fun watch. Does it have some problems? Yah, sure you betcha! But they're minor. You just need to tell your left brain to shut up and go for the ride.
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