i went to this movie without watching any trailer reading any plot summary absolutely blind. after finishing watching the untamed 2 months ago I've been hunting xiao zhan's past work and watching them one by one. but this movie wasn't on my plan to watch list at all. then one day i was reading an article about xiao zhan where this movie was highly criticized by critics. xiao zhan even got the "most disappointing actor" award because of this movie, while meng mei qi got the "most disappointing actress" along side with jade dynasty awarded the "most disappointing film" .. and I'm like how bad this can be so i downloaded the show and watched it in my free time and..


it's not bad but it's not good either ? i am a viewer who cares more about characters of a show then the story. but that doesn't mean i don't care about the story. i hate it when the story is fast paced which is exactly this movie was. nothing from the first part or the second part stood out to me except the time when xiaofan realizes that it was the sect members that killed his village that part felt the most impactful to me and the most memorable one too. the whole movie is just visually appealing but also quite forgettable. the leading ladies were great. some of the scenes between ML and the ladies were enjoyable. i watched the wolf series before and seeing Li qin in action scenes was such eye candy. overall i loved it because of the actors & visuals (especially the dragon ? scene. the detailing was really well done, i was surprised. but what was the purpose of showing that dragon? guess we'll never know...)

now coming back to xz performance. his performance wasn't bad the way critics make it out to be. he managed to sell out xiaofan's character well. but I still don't feel the "connection" between him and the other characters (my google search right now: "why xiaofan saved bi yao in the end of jade dynasty?" no but seriously when did they become close? didn't he liked ling-er?? if someone know the answer let me know please. maybe it's because of the fact that the plot didn't have the time to create the lines between him or any other characters. it should have been a series. the first few minutes i felt cringe because of some actors but hey they were just doing their part i guess.


in conclusion, i felt like it's the type of movie kids would sure love to watch. i can see xiao fan is a character who can easily be a kid's favorite. so if you have a kid you can watch it with your family in your family time. it's surely enjoyable or watch it if you are a xiao zhan fan. but if you are someone who wants engaging plot, with less clique characters, with lord of the rings level visuals, with marvel-type action scenes, this movie is not for you. :)