Qing Ya Ji (2020)

I was really looking forward to this movie, and sometimes that is a bad thing. The fact that after finishing I liked the movie and am planning to watch again, is the real reason for my rating.

The story is about a heroic priest Qing Ming who is one of the 4 called to protect the earth from the demon snake. He respects and comes to be friends with Bo Ya as they try to prevent the demon scale from being freed. The two main leads were well cast and their acting was great. Although I have to say Wang Duo as He ShouYe and Olvia Wang as the the Princess stole the movie. They were fantastic and without giving spoilers they were the two I felt the most connected to. I believe that is because their characters were more fleshed out vs the 2 main leads. It would have helped to have a little background on the 2 leads, they mention things that happened to them in the past but it's like an afterthought to fill in the blanks. Adding more background would have made the movie longer so that may have been a decision.

As for the movie, the visuals and special effects were outstanding. They were definitely a star of the movie.

I heard that the filmed the second movie at the same time, so hopefully that will be outs soon and maybe allow more background on the 2 main characters. There are other versions of the story that have been made. I wonder of anyone has those and can compare? I know there is a versions coming out with Chen Kun soon. Mark Chao vs Chen Kun, that will be a tough decision.

Lire davantage

A movie that lives up to the expectations of the audience.

Yin-Yang Master : Dream of Eternity (Onmyoji Novel Movie Adaptation) : A Review

Before we start off with the review I'll give you a little bit of a background with where the movie came from. If you are familiar of the mobile game Onmyoji Arena, that game is based on a best selling novel in Japan and had been adapted to tv series, theatric acts and movies; including this particular movie. Last year December this movie was released in the Chinese film market and was just recently acquired by Netflix last week. This movie had been in the works for 4 years prior to its release. The movie had the blessing of the novel author and he was also the consultant of the movie production. The crew is as all-star as its cast with the household names of South Korea's Award Winning CGI Team best known for their work in the movie "Okja", Japan's Renowned Music Producer best known for his work on "Ghost in the Shell", and China's Hollywood Renowned Fight Choreographer known for his work on "The Last Airbender" Movie. All these credentials has raised the standards for the movie's expectations.

Now, let's move on to the review.

There were a bit of plot holes in the movie but most of them just go by unnoticed unless you're really keen on details. The characters were well portrayed by the actors. The wardrobe and the set design were outstanding, the way you can notice the intricate designs of each robes which were very similar to what the visualized character designs. The set design was visualized as similar as the Sui Tang Dynasty, which is a really tricky process but they nailed it. The fight choreography was very elegant as to emphasize each character's beliefs and training structures. For the cinematography, I really have to give it to the whole team because, they had to choreograph and shoot on a blue screen room for the whole serpent fight scene and the way they nailed the most complicated shots for that scene it was the most satisfying thing I could ever ask for in a movie. But, as for every movie there are things I am a bit disappointed of and here's what : the climax was well built but the way they concluded it didn't really surprise me at all because I kind of expected that outcome. Regardless of what I expected the movie was produced so well and it deserves a kudos.

Lire davantage

Straightforward story with fantastic acting, cinematography, and CGI

Quick disclaimer: I have never read the original novel or known anything about this prior to the movie.

For a movie like this, you don't necessarily watch it for a surprise twist (although there were a couple that I didn't see coming). Probably because this movie is based on an old and famous novel, these are tons of stories that have this kind of storyline nowadays, so it was fairly easy to predict what was going to happen. The scenes in general can be on-the-nose about their messages.

BUT! I was totally okay with that because I was still able to enjoy the movie. All the actors were fantastic. The sets were incredible. The CGI was really incredible (and I was told that some stuff wasn't even CGI, but done by the makeup department). So, you can tell how grand this movie was and how much money, labor, and effort was spent on it.

I want to especially stressed the acting. If the actors were not world-class level, this movie would not have been so emotionally moving. Even though the messages of this story were pretty simple, it was taken to another level thanks to especially the four main actors--Mark, Allen, Olivia, and Wang Duo. They were perfect.

Lire davantage

EVERY BIT OF THIS MOVIE IS TO WATCH FOR

Watched this because of Deng Lun, but OMG every part of this movie is really good from the storyline which is actually checks out, the plot, the actors, the characters, the visual effects (also one of the reason I watched this after I've seen the trailer) and the emotion in this movie is really superb! I just can't take my eyes off of this movie from start till the end. It was well-written and I really like the line-up of cast in the movie they are really good and executed well their characters. This movie should be watched even once by everyone!! Highly recommended kudos to everyone who is a part of this movie production.

Lire davantage

A perfect story

The story was captivating, the pace was really good and the storytelling was almost flawless from beginning to end. CGI, costumes and make up were stunning, the choreography of the fights was awesome.

I appreciate it a lot that they took their time to tell everyone's story (expect for Bora's, that one came up short, though you might argue whether their was actually enough told for the story). That way I could connect with them, understand their actions and enjoy their adventure. The acting added its sweet part as well, so there wouldn't be anything to complain about. I mean, there was no dull moment, not even for a second.

The music was fantastic. Sweet and melancholic, creating a perfect mood.

A round about satisfying watch that depicts the concept of "Yin and Yang" in an understandable and impressive way. As a side snack you get a nice bromance, too~

(On a side not, what I didn't get was the serpent at the beginning and the one from the main story... That one wasn't the same, was it? But if not, why were there more than one? The story sounded like there was only one. But if it was that one, how's that possible since the main one was concealed at that time?)

Lire davantage

Not a groundbreaking story, but the visuals are top quality

Visuals visuals visuals. This is a gorgeous film to watch. The plot was fun and epic, but some parts unexplained or confusing. Unfortunately, the main characters and their relationship felt underdeveloped so the final impact was not as strong. Shame since I enjoyed the two actors, but they didn't have a lot to work with. Also, I went in expecting more about brotherhood, fighting demons, waking up the guardians, but got way more love story than I asked for. Probably a movie that would've been cooler to watch in a theater. I would recommend if you are a fan of the cast or like fantasy.

Lire davantage

Impressive but Big Error at the Climax

(1) Cinematography
First of all, the cinematography of this film is superb. The depiction of all scenes, the gestures of all actors/actresses are beautiful. The CG is both well designed and properly brought about. The teams involved in the art direction and cinematography deserve the biggest applause.

-------------------------------------------------

(2) Acting
All the actors/actresses did a very well-done job even the supporting or guest roles have left a deep impression on me. I'm especially impressed with the actor who played He Shou Ye after finding out at the end of the whole story what kind of performance this actor actually deliverer for the film. (I put the further detail in the spoiler box at the bottommost as it could be a spoiler kind of information.)

Also, I'm especially fond of the actor who played The Golden Spirit, such adorable in the cool/serious character he has portrayed. I have to rewind again and again to watch the scene of his desperate run.

All the important characters including Qing Ming, Bo Ya and the princess don't have the kind of flaw that leaves a sting in my heart to recall after the movie.

-------------------------------------------------

(3) Story
But.. the film makes a big error in the plot at the climax which is the vital pillar that the story needs to resolve to the ending, therefore this mistake is unacceptable. (To explain what it actually is would be a spoiler as well, so I'll mention this further in the box at the bottom.)

-------------------------------------------------

(4) Dialogue
There's one part of the dialogue that bothers me. It's the finishing line right at the final scene. I can see the director/writer try hard to give a beautiful/impressive finishing line to end the film, but the result is instead a superficial dialogue. It's just a shame because throughout the story they don't have that many words the characters have to speak. There're only sufficient and adequate, and that makes the whole way until that final point a graceful, pleasing path. At the end, though, the characters start to create a set of conversations with overly decorative words. Too much intended decoration and that makes things lose their true meaning. In the end, those words just become gibberish to me.

-------------------------------------------------

(5) Music
As for the music, the style is quite cliche and often reminds me of RPG background music style. Most of the pieces are so-so, not initiative though can go along with the story flow quite fine. Anyway, a few pieces have been mixed with the local music style which I like and think goes well with the movie's ambiance. They try to compose the music for action scenes by fitting the musical rhythm/melody with the choreography. I also appreciate that. The editing, though, isn't the highest skilled. I can still often hear the sharp seam at the transitions when two pieces are put next to each other.

That's all. Below is the spoiler part.

-------------------------------------------------

╔═══════════╗
The error: Qing Ming is supposed to be able to teleport to only the places he has experienced in person like visiting or seeing with his own eyes, but at the climax he teleports into the snake's stomach without even having ever met the snake before. He's never been/seen the place in its stomach so that teleportation should have been impossible.

The actor: He played two roles in the movie that I didn't recognize as the same person at all while watching!
╚═══════════╝

Lire davantage

Honestamente? Es todo lo que yo busco en una película; no sólo la excelente calidad de efectos especiales y fondos, también una buena actuación y una historia que te mantenga siempre al borde, esperando más y más, descubriendo secretos impactantes y giros a medida que llegamos ni siquiera a la mitad de la película. Personalmente, creo que 2 horas es el tiempo perfecto para desarrollar la historia de forma fluida. No se siente apurado, para nada, tienes momento de analizar y reflexionar todos los eventos y la nueva información que entra siempre es en cantidades suficientes para que se entienda.

Ahora, otra cosa que amé completamente es el bromance. Se siente mucho como The Untamed/El Indomable (para que te hagas una idea de cómo se siente), es un "romance" bastante obvio pero a la vez muy... Suave? Sólo que no lo esconden en cosas como "amigos" sino "persona especial que amo" lo cual me parece muy emocionante.

Vale la pena re-mirar? La emoción está sólo la primera vez que se mira, obviamente. Mirarla otra vez ya no se sentiría igual, aunque yo creo que es una película excelente de cualquier manera. Probablemente la termine mirando otra vez algún día, ahre.

Lire davantage

Home theatre reduces the experience > Should have been in THEATRES for INTL audience too

Awesome Cinematography , Action Scenes and Background Score. Home theatre reduces the experience a lot for these portions.

Storyline : For a New Viewer , its a bit disconnected , First half is Slower as compared to second half , But sit through that else Story will not make much sense.

Acting : Chun Xia surprised me the Most and Mark Chao's QM ended up being a slight disappointment as compared. Wang Duo is a decent Actor BUT if you place him 90% in the scenes with Mark Chao it weakens his strength. Besides even with Older makeup he looked Younger him. His Best part for Finale Fight and death stares. But his romance with WZW doesn't hit hard when a Mark Chao and Deng Lun are in there.

QM is a soft guy but his body language isn't hence MC is a bit misfit. Mark is a Manly guy acting a softie which makes it a bit hard to see the overall show. His fight scene while Stopping an Impulsive Boya are good. His comic teasing are FUN but whining isn't.
BY is impulsive & confused but Denglun legit portrays it without much Dialogues. Kudos to that & He is not Over the top rough guy but figuring stuff out. The right limit to act and Overact was displayed in the Movie. His disciplined action scene are done Good.
Wang Ziwen is pretty and Her climax scene strikes Gold. If not her Wang Duo's ZX Priest words are not that Powerful to leave an impact. It was her Fangyue's desperation that Changed the game. Chun Xia character I wish had more time. She was Fun.
Mark Would have been a Far better Shou Ye /The Master or even Denglun ,the Romance then the tragedy would have been 10000 times better , WD was better suited as QM /BY. Because he looked the youngest.

Movie is worth a Watch! Cuz Mark Chao and Deng Lun are rare to Find at one Place.

Lire davantage

Heavy on the CGI but light on the story

Watched this last week after I caught a trailer on YouTube. I love Mark Chao and I appreciate his talents, but the material he chooses to participate in is hit or miss. This latest project is no different. The trailer was very heavy on the CGI and that gave me some trepidation, as I had caught him in a Detective Dee movie and was underwhelmed by the lack of story. This one has some great martial arts scenes but, again, the plot is light but the special effects are dazzling.

The non-existent plot is the classic good vs. evil one with a little bromance thrown in. The artistic visuals were really something you would find in a high graphic video game. Cool visuals, gorgeous costumes but light in the story. Heck, it was a video game on screen.

Mark himself proved once again the strongest character in terms of performance. I just wish I could see him in more noteworthy projects. I enjoyed his work in Love and I am hoping to find more films of that caliber to watch. This one puts food on the table, nothing more. I sense this was an expensive film to make and, for the price tag, they could have afforded better writers.

Lire davantage