I watched this movie cause of the drama and the casts in this movie ( I love YangYang and LiuYiFei)
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Worth a Try for its visuals :)
I personally found this movie to not be as bad as everyone claims it to be. Most of those who dislike this adaptation is due to comparing it to the drama. That aspect in itself doesn’t even make sense. It’s like you comparing a short story version to a novel, a 58 episode drama to a movie that’s about 1h and 45 min.The story itself is really complicated so its really hard to have every detail in the movie. I felt they did ok with the story telling as I myself was able to understand the story expect perhaps the ending (also why they all look so tan in some of the scenes lol). If you want details I would recommend to just go watch the drama or read the novel then.
The story telling wise as I have said was ok and the big idea was still understandable. Side note (Small spoiler) there’s a part where it feature yang yangs awkward noodle making/ cooking lol. There was a lot of sweet moments though. Also Crystal’s fighting are as amazing as always (in china she’s well know for her Wuxia acting). Basically the movie is a highlight of the main plots of the story. It’s told in a way that when theres a portion that needs explaining it goes to a cut scene of what happen that lead up to scene and since the story talks about there 3 life/ reincarnation they give you pieces of each portion. You can then piece them together. For example, warning there will be a spoiler, theres a part where we see FL talking to a men frozen in ice then her master was almost thrown of the cliff then there was a cut scene showing why her master was frozen in the ice (showing he was frozen in the ice because his soul was shattered when sealing with the sword).
This movie gave me a Disney production vibe and the underwater scenes reminded me of Barbie in a Mermaid Tale. This movie was so aesthetically pleasing, from the visual to the ML and FL actor (both Yang Yang and Crystal Liu are some of the top best looking actors and they have very positive image in acting in historical shows as they particularly excel in this genre in china so this casting was really well done), to the voiceover, to every characters costumes and so much more. Each character’s design where made with thorough thoughts. (But Susu’s wedding outfit was not it lol, light spoiler that bright pink head piece ;-;)
There is some lacking in the acting but there something in them that makes you believe in the character they act. The little green guy is also kinda cute and through out the show he quite humorous (most of the joke are hard to understand for non Chinese speakers though). Each character made me see there emotions, I laughed and cried.
In conclusion I think you can give the movie a try don’t be affected by the over the top negative reviews. Don’t go into it with such strict expectations or else you will always be disappoint and as I said its a unfair comparison. If you are a hardcore fan of the drama then you can ignore what I said. We watch shows for entertainment nothing is perfect no?
I think the movie is a great preview of the this beautiful love story and if you’re intrigued you can then go on to watch the 58 episode drama.
Anyways everyone have there own preferences, I still believe this movie wasn’t bad at all. I would watch it again, and if you’re interested here’s a link to watch it with English subtitles: https://www.xiaoheimi.net/index.php/vod/play/id/20266/sid/1/nid/1.html
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All Over the Place and Hard to Follow
As a stand-alone film, this movie struggles heavily with storytelling. The narrative feels choppy and often incoherent, with little connection between scenes or character actions. Many moments seem to jump from one point to another without proper buildup, leaving the viewer confused about what is happening and why. For someone unfamiliar with the original story, the film can feel disorienting and, at times, frustrating to follow.The pacing adds to this problem. Some scenes are stretched out unnecessarily, while others pass by so quickly that you barely have time to process them. This uneven pacing creates a scattered viewing experience where important moments don’t get the attention they need, while less significant scenes are given too much time.
I also found myself questioning certain directorial choices. Some scenes, like extended introductions or visual sequences, do not add much value to the story and instead take away time that could have been used to develop the plot more clearly. On top of that, the CGI throughout the film is noticeably weak, which further affects immersion.
Overall, the movie feels disconnected and poorly structured. With better editing, tighter storytelling, and improved pacing, it could have been much more engaging. As it stands, it’s a disappointing watch, especially for viewers expecting a coherent and well-executed narrative.
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As I have seen the drama and read the novel too...it just felt like they took half of the drama and half of the book and crammed it into the movie. But it wasn't that bad a watch.The story mostly followed the novel..... with its jumping story-line compared to the linear timeline in the drama.
Some things were quite new to watch...for example...the spirit forms of the immortals were shown more in the movie and the Eastern Sea palace was actually underwater!!(maybe because they had more budget for CGI). The costumes of a few of the characters were a bit overdone and bordering on weird. (Was Zhe Yan really supposed to be that........ glamorous?and the Demon Queen!!....LOL)
Acting of the two leads were quite good in their own way. The chemistry was good too. But all the other characters kinda faded to the background. With the time limit and complex plot there was no time for development of the supporting characters. I would have loved more of AhLi (one of my fav character in the drama :D ).
Overall...No regrets in watching it. It was nice to see the amazing story in another perspective. I would definitely recommend the drama-fans to give it a try. As for new people.... watch this...and then go straight to the drama if you want more...and maybe then to the book!!!
PS: Bai Qian has a serious drinking problem in the movie. She was a frequent alcoholic in the drama too but in the movie almost every scene has her holding a peach wine bottle. Even one of the promotional posters has her holding a wine bottle. ROFL.
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I don't like how they portray the main leads here. Ye Hua is too playful than strict and they made Bai Chen weak here rather than having a strong character. All I hear is her screams and she's supposed to be more active rather than standing there screaming. Im not sure if it's the directors's fault or the acting. (Looks doesn't make them suitable for the role, in my opinion.)
For those who want to watch this movie, you better read the novel or watch the drama first or just don't watch this. Be prepared for confusions if you watch this.
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The story line was really good but I do wish some scenes where explained more.
The acting was really nice, the music could of been a bit more dramatic at times but other than that the music was fine.
Overall I would recommend watching thistle someone who is willing to watch a movie that goes for 110 minutes.
I cried (I don't cry often)
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I loved the cast. Yang Yang and his beautiful eyes and smile loved him. I truly believe there would have been more chemistry between him and Liu Crystal if it wasn't so rushed.
The graphics and the scenery was awesome. Love the music.
Would I watch it again. Yes
overall I give it a 9.0 because I love the cast and the story line even if it was rushed.
I found it on this site for anyone that wants to see it.
http://kissasian.ch/Drama/Once-Upon-a-Time/Movie?id=34736
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Rating it on its own, it’s very pretty and there are some moving moments. Clearly the visual effects department got a chunk of the budget so there are some lovely settings and a huge epic battle. There’s also a ton of characters and a rather complex plot so some of this is hard to follow.
Comparing it to the other versions of the story, Ye Hua’s character is unexpectedly lively and the ending is open-ended and quite a change. Pretty surprising so it definitely breaks with expectations.
Overall, I enjoyed some parts and watching where they made changes from other versions. I didn’t like most of the changes, but they were mainly interesting. It’s watchable, but don’t expect it to line up with other versions of this story which are much better at getting the emotions right.
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Great Recap of the 3L3W10MPB
The story takes off after the mortal version of Bai Qian, Su Su, jumps from the Zhuxian Terrace that ended her mortal tribulation, though the scar of the experience plagued her so much that she asked for the memory to be erased. 300 years after that event, Bai Qian came across her then husband Ye Hua again, but this time as the fiance of Empress od Qingqiu, the crown prince that she definitely failed to recognize due to the memory wipeout. It was A Li who first recognized her as his mother in the painting, and convinced that she was Su Su, Ye Hua is adamant to try every means necessary to win her back even if it means using their own son for it. And all this while, Bai Qian keeps running away from this weird stalker she encountered at the Eastern Sea Lord’s son birthday banquet.As an avid fan of Eternal Love drama, this movie really serves the purpose of a rewatch. I’ve always felt the first half of the drama a bit draggy, so I am elated to find this movie where I can finish the best parts of the show in less than 2 hours.
At first I was not convinced to see the cast, I’ve always felt Liu Yifei to have the acting talent of a piece of wood, and well Yang Yang, his face looked too modern for an ancient setting. But I am glad they proved me wrong with their outstanding performance and amazing chemistry. LYF definitely improved tremendously since I last saw her as Xiao Longnu in Condor Heroes series, and Yang Yang’s face kinda grows into me. At least he’s much nicer to look at than the I-dont-remember-his-name actor for Eternal Love drama’s Ye Hua.
And the fights in the movie are much more interesting and fun to watch than the drama, LYF’s Bai Qian actually had real physical fighting scenes that doesnt just show her waving her arms around fighting off enemies with her immortal powers like in the drama.
I thought drama’s Zhe Yan was lovable enough, it turned out the movie’s Zhe Yan is even more handsome and peculiar, with his demeanour much more interesting than in the series, so much that I immediately took a liking at first sight. I love his peacocky phoenix costume very much, because it matches the colourful environment they had in Qingqiu, a total contrast from the series’ all white Zhe Yan. While some people might find the colourful setting of Qingqiu to be comical, I find it beautiful and ethereal instead, and I liked the movie’s depiction of Qingqiu more than series’.
I am not sure if this movie would come out bad for someone who’s never watched the original drama or novel, but for me as both drama viewer and novel reader, and most definitely a fan, all those plotholes magically filled themselves as I watch so I didnt notice them until i read some of them in other reviews.
Basically i loved this movie cuz allows me to powerbinge the whole series in mere hours. In fact I’ve already watched this movie thrice! I totally ship Bai Qian-Ye Hua no matter who the actors are. However I gotta admit, the fact that i don’t really like Yang Mi (the drama’s Bai Qian) as an actress might play a role, so when Liu Yifei came into the picture as another actress that I used to dislike but yet managed to grab my attention as I felt she portrayed a better Bai Qian than the drama version, it kinda affected how I saw this movie as a whole. So somehow I am more content with the movie’s Bai Qian- Ye Hua than the series.
The only blunder that the movie made was the ending, but since I knew the ending in the novel I kinda strike off the movie’s weird ending instead. So yeah I cheated but I’ve rewatched this movie three times so I guess I do like it regardless what kind of ending it has.
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