i was able to catch the movie in our local cinema. while i will not go to the extent of calling this a bad movie, ultimately it is quite mediocre. First..for the good parts, the special effects are well done and much better than the obviously fake CGI animation in the tv drama. i also prefer the lead actress liu yifei in the movie. For me she looks more endearing than yang mi in the drama. It took a bit of time for me to warm up to TV yang mi. The pacing is fast (sometimes too fast) so you will not get bored watching. now for the bad parts. whether or not you've seen the TV drama version, this movie has fairly significant shortfalls. if you've not seen the drama, the plot will be baffling. Special effects cannot make up for lack of cohesive story. The idea to constantly go back and forth from the present to the past was initially ok, but later robbed the impact and I suspect will make it confusing to moviegoers with no background. And while i understand and support the need to cut many characters and side story, there was lack of explanation on important parts. On the positive side, you will likely find the acting passable, though not brilliant. if you've seen the drama, the story will be understandable (thanks to your pre-knowledge), however the movie itself will be disappointing. Chinese netizens are diligently posting ludicrous parts e.g. the audience actually laughed the first time some of the supporting characters costume came on to the screen - not the reaction you wanted! Thankfully, the lead actors qian qian and ye hwa are (mostly) costumed nicely, however even qian qian elicited another laughter on one supposed to be dramatic scene, again due to over the top costume. But to me costume can be overlooked. What made it unsatisfying ultimately is lack of emotional connection. The actor yang yang is not so bad, but if you've seen the drama, you can't help but compare to mark chao. Whether it is the fault of the story pacing or the deficiency of acting skills, many dramatic scenes felt flat. One of the highlights of the tv drama was when lead actor and actress met again after a period of separation. In the movie, it was more like "boy meets girl for first time" romcom type of vibe. For fans of the novel/series, don't be discouraged by this review. Do go ahead and watch. Arm yourself with low expectation and you will enjoy the movie more with its beautifully shot scenes and relive the story. Certainly the ~2hrs flew by quickly. For non-fans, I recommend stay away, it will leave you baffled on what the fuss is all about.