This review may contain spoilers
A Gorgeous Film Held Afloat by Leo Wu’s Free-Diving, Pure Effort, and My Blinding Devotion
Before I even talk about the movie, I need to declare my bias upfront:
I am a shameless, unapologetic Leo Wu fan.
This man is my Roman Empire.
I think about his work ethic at least once a week.
Is China short of good-looking actors?
No.
But how many look like that and grind like a blue-collar worker who refuses to slack?
Very, very few.
Leo Wu’s greatest X-factor isn’t his face (though… my god).
It’s his attitude — that stubborn, humble, quietly intense “I will work harder than everyone in this room” energy that makes directors trust him and fans adore him.
He doesn’t pick projects to stay trendy.
He picks projects based on what he can learn. Like, what new Olympic sport he can master.
- Amidst a Snowstorm of Love? An idol drama, yes — but also a crash course in billiards.
- Nothing But Love? Possibly another idol-ish project — but he took on badminton AND tennis at the same time like a masochistic multitalented overachiever.
- Dongji Island? → "Yes, let me overcome my fear of water and learn free-diving to a level where I start moving like a mythical sea creature. Step aside Aquaman, let me show you who owns the marine runway."
This man took a phobia and turned it into a superpower.
If he told me he was a merman in his past life, I would believe him.
If he told me he swims alongside sharks for fun, I would say, “Yes king, of course you do.”
The grace!
The power!
The underwater cinematography!
Leo Wu = Aquaman but with REAL WORK ETHIC.
****
🌊 My Dongji Island Origin Story (aka How Leo Wu Destroyed My Holiday Plans)
The universe clearly wanted me to watch this film.
It wasn’t on any of the streaming platforms I've subscribed to.
I accepted my fate like a mature adult.
THEN — I went on vacation in China with a friend.
We planned a wholesome digital detox:
- mountain cabin
- winter chill
- hot tub
- fireplace reading
- 闺蜜 vibes
- inner peace
But destiny had other plans.
I sat on the remote.
The TV turned on.
Dongji Island flashed across the screen in full 4K HDR glory.
This is fate.
It's a sign.
It's an act of divine intervention
And I should NOT go against it.
My friend: “Shall we soak in the hot—?”
Me: “NO. LEO WU FIRST.”
My friend nodded. She understood. Or she disowned me. The line was blurry.
But yes, I betrayed the hot tub for Leo Wu.
And I would do it again.
****
⚓ The Real Lisbon Maru Incident: History So Powerful It Writes Itself
Even before dramatization, the true events are already heartbreaking and heroic enough to fill ten movies:
In 1942, a Japanese transport ship carrying 1,816 British POWs was torpedoed by a US submarine (which didn’t know it held POWs).
Japanese guards evacuated themselves and sealed the hatches, trapping POWs inside to drown.
Those who escaped were shot at in the water.
Chinese fishermen (unarmed, ordinary villagers) risked their lives to rescue 384 survivors from armed savages.
They hid, fed, sheltered, and protected them.
3 days later, 381/384 of these survivors were recaptured. Only 3 POWs made it back home.
No fishermen were killed, but the danger they faced was immense.
It is one of the lesser-known but most astonishing acts of humanitarian courage in WWII.
That alone?
Movie material. It’s a staggering, untold story of incredible bravery.
But of course… the film decided to spice things up.
****
🎬 The Movie Version: Reality Was Not Dramatic Enough Apparently
In Dongji Island (the movie):
- The island is occupied by Japanese troops (historically, it was NOT).
- Villagers live in terror.
- Boats are locked.
- No one can work.
- Japanese soldiers turn into paranoid maniacs and randomly terrorise + slaughter innocent villagers over ONE suspected hidden POW. Is that overkill? Yes. And I mean that quite literally.
- Zhu Yilong pulls off a one-man, Mission: Impossible–style liberation of an entire ship of prisoners using a spoon and some determination. This is Mission Impossible: East China Sea Edition and Tom Cruise is somewhere seething with budget envy.
- Ni Ni (his girlfriend) suddenly becomes Wonder Woman and sails off to rescue her man.
Basically:
Real history = complex and inspiring.
Movie history = spicy hotpot ingredients thrown in by a director (or scriptwriter) with restless hands.
****
The Brothers: Fantastic Actors, Underwritten Relationship
Leo Wu plays the kind, soft-hearted, pure little brother who witnesses atrocities and matures overnight. He is the moral backbone of the story — and he dies trying to kill the commander responsible for slaughtering the POWs.
Zhu Yilong plays the pragmatic, cautious older brother who doesn't want trouble until tragedy pushes him into action.
Their performances?
Outstanding.
You can literally feel the pain in Zhu Yilong’s eyes when he mourns his brother.
But here’s the problem:
The movie never actually SHOWS their bond.
The profound brotherly bond we’re told exists? I must have missed those scenes while blinking.
So when tragedy strikes and Zhu Yilong has to unleash a tour-de-force of grief, my brain went, “Wow, I feel your pain… but do you two even have inside jokes?”
He’s mourning a concept, not a connection the film ever made me feel.
It’s not the actors’ fault.
They acted their souls out and they did a phenomenal job.
But emotionally?
It’s like the scriptwriter assumed:
“They’re brothers. The audience will fill in the rest.”
Sir…
We cannot fill in what you did not write.
****
🔪 Deaths That Felt Like People Volunteering to Die
Some scenes had me going:
“…Wait. That’s the plan? That’s your whole plan?? That’s it???”
These characters make baffling, suicidal choices.
They jump out with zero strategy and get immediately killed.
The village elder?
He steps forward to protest hostage-taking — and is instantly gutted.
It felt less like sacrifice, more like:
NPC: “Ah yes, it is my turn to die for dramatic effect.”
Game: Ding! Achievement unlocked: Cinematic Death #4.
****
Ni Ni’s Sudden Empowerment Arc: A Mystery
Ni Ni is amazing.
A queen.
Effortlessly charismatic.
But the script gives her a sudden, unearned “fierce heroine takes charge!!!” moment that comes out of nowhere.
It felt like the writer remembered halfway: “OH RIGHT we need female empowerment because that's what's in vogue right now. QUICK, GIVE HER A BOAT!”
One scene she's resigned to acting like the good daughter who never disobeys. The next, she's commandeering boats like she's been training for piracy. The transformation needed at least one intermediate scene of her making the decision.
A+ intention, C- execution.
It wasn’t bad per se — just unconvincing.
****
Dongji Island: A Salad With Excellent Ingredients But… No Dressing
Here’s the core issue:
Every individual element of the film is GOOD.
Acting? Phenomenal.
Makeup? Flawless.
Cinematography? Gorgeous.
Underwater scenes? Chef’s kiss.
Leo Wu’s transformation into a sea deity? Stunning.
But when stitched together?
The storytelling becomes disjointed, uneven, and emotionally hollow. The pacing is oddly bloodless despite all the bloodshed.
It’s like the chef had:
Wagyu beef
Black truffle
Organic kale
Japanese eggs
Artisan cheese
Foie gras
Caviar
and said:
“Let’s mix ALL OF IT into one salad!!”
Sir.
No.
Just because the ingredients are premium doesn’t mean they marry well.
****
The Real Tragedy? The Film Wastes Its Amazing Cast
Those heartbreaking, brilliant short clips I saw on YouTube? That’s the entire highlight reel.
I cried watching those clips.
Actual tears.
But watching the full movie?
Less crying, more: “Huh? What? Why? Who decided this???”
It’s like every actor brought their A-game, but the script… brought a knife to a gunfight.
There’s so much potential (and so much talent) but the execution doesn’t rise to match them.
****
And then, there's… Dead to Rights
The contrast becomes especially painful when you compare it to something like Dead to Rights, which aired around the same time — same war theme, same era, same genre vibes… but somehow executed with ten times the emotional weight.
Why?
Storytelling.
That magical, elusive element that Dongji Island kept tripping over like a loose floorboard.
Dead to Rights knew how to build tension, relationships, pacing, and emotional payoff.
Meanwhile, Dongji Island had all the premium ingredients: Oscar-level actors, gorgeous cinematography, powerful history. But the narrative glue didn’t quite stick.
It’s like watching two chefs work:
One makes a cohesive, beautifully layered dish.
The other throws Michelin-star ingredients into a blender and hopes for the best.
Sigh.
Truly, storytelling makes ALL the difference.
****
⭐ Final Verdict
Dongji Island is:
✔ Stunning
✔ Packed with excellent performances
✔ Historically rooted
✔ Full of emotional and moral weight
✔ And elevated singlehandedly by Leo Wu’s underwater artistry
But it’s also:
❌ Narratively uneven
❌ Emotionally underdeveloped
❌ Overly dramatized in strange places
❌ A movie where the trailer feels more cohesive than the film
It's a tragic and frustrating paradox. It’s a tribute to a magnificent true story, filled with stellar actors. Yet it’s wrapped in a script that does them all a disservice.
It’s a concert where every musician is a virtuoso, but they're all playing from different sheet music.
✔ For the eyes: Stunning.
✔ For the Leo Wu fanatic soul: Nourishing.
❌ For narrative cohesion: A sinking ship.
5.5/10 for the movie. And truly, it pains me to type this score.
10/10 for Leo Wu.
∞/10 for his free-diving glow-up arc.
In short: a magnificent effort from everyone except the person writing the story.
Would I watch it again? Probably not.
Would I watch Leo Wu swim underwater for 90 minutes straight? ABSOLUTELY.
In fact, can someone make that movie? Just Leo Wu, the ocean, and a cinematographer. No script necessary; clearly that's where things went wrong anyway.
I am a shameless, unapologetic Leo Wu fan.
This man is my Roman Empire.
I think about his work ethic at least once a week.
Is China short of good-looking actors?
No.
But how many look like that and grind like a blue-collar worker who refuses to slack?
Very, very few.
Leo Wu’s greatest X-factor isn’t his face (though… my god).
It’s his attitude — that stubborn, humble, quietly intense “I will work harder than everyone in this room” energy that makes directors trust him and fans adore him.
He doesn’t pick projects to stay trendy.
He picks projects based on what he can learn. Like, what new Olympic sport he can master.
- Amidst a Snowstorm of Love? An idol drama, yes — but also a crash course in billiards.
- Nothing But Love? Possibly another idol-ish project — but he took on badminton AND tennis at the same time like a masochistic multitalented overachiever.
- Dongji Island? → "Yes, let me overcome my fear of water and learn free-diving to a level where I start moving like a mythical sea creature. Step aside Aquaman, let me show you who owns the marine runway."
This man took a phobia and turned it into a superpower.
If he told me he was a merman in his past life, I would believe him.
If he told me he swims alongside sharks for fun, I would say, “Yes king, of course you do.”
The grace!
The power!
The underwater cinematography!
Leo Wu = Aquaman but with REAL WORK ETHIC.
****
🌊 My Dongji Island Origin Story (aka How Leo Wu Destroyed My Holiday Plans)
The universe clearly wanted me to watch this film.
It wasn’t on any of the streaming platforms I've subscribed to.
I accepted my fate like a mature adult.
THEN — I went on vacation in China with a friend.
We planned a wholesome digital detox:
- mountain cabin
- winter chill
- hot tub
- fireplace reading
- 闺蜜 vibes
- inner peace
But destiny had other plans.
I sat on the remote.
The TV turned on.
Dongji Island flashed across the screen in full 4K HDR glory.
This is fate.
It's a sign.
It's an act of divine intervention
And I should NOT go against it.
My friend: “Shall we soak in the hot—?”
Me: “NO. LEO WU FIRST.”
My friend nodded. She understood. Or she disowned me. The line was blurry.
But yes, I betrayed the hot tub for Leo Wu.
And I would do it again.
****
⚓ The Real Lisbon Maru Incident: History So Powerful It Writes Itself
Even before dramatization, the true events are already heartbreaking and heroic enough to fill ten movies:
In 1942, a Japanese transport ship carrying 1,816 British POWs was torpedoed by a US submarine (which didn’t know it held POWs).
Japanese guards evacuated themselves and sealed the hatches, trapping POWs inside to drown.
Those who escaped were shot at in the water.
Chinese fishermen (unarmed, ordinary villagers) risked their lives to rescue 384 survivors from armed savages.
They hid, fed, sheltered, and protected them.
3 days later, 381/384 of these survivors were recaptured. Only 3 POWs made it back home.
No fishermen were killed, but the danger they faced was immense.
It is one of the lesser-known but most astonishing acts of humanitarian courage in WWII.
That alone?
Movie material. It’s a staggering, untold story of incredible bravery.
But of course… the film decided to spice things up.
****
🎬 The Movie Version: Reality Was Not Dramatic Enough Apparently
In Dongji Island (the movie):
- The island is occupied by Japanese troops (historically, it was NOT).
- Villagers live in terror.
- Boats are locked.
- No one can work.
- Japanese soldiers turn into paranoid maniacs and randomly terrorise + slaughter innocent villagers over ONE suspected hidden POW. Is that overkill? Yes. And I mean that quite literally.
- Zhu Yilong pulls off a one-man, Mission: Impossible–style liberation of an entire ship of prisoners using a spoon and some determination. This is Mission Impossible: East China Sea Edition and Tom Cruise is somewhere seething with budget envy.
- Ni Ni (his girlfriend) suddenly becomes Wonder Woman and sails off to rescue her man.
Basically:
Real history = complex and inspiring.
Movie history = spicy hotpot ingredients thrown in by a director (or scriptwriter) with restless hands.
****
The Brothers: Fantastic Actors, Underwritten Relationship
Leo Wu plays the kind, soft-hearted, pure little brother who witnesses atrocities and matures overnight. He is the moral backbone of the story — and he dies trying to kill the commander responsible for slaughtering the POWs.
Zhu Yilong plays the pragmatic, cautious older brother who doesn't want trouble until tragedy pushes him into action.
Their performances?
Outstanding.
You can literally feel the pain in Zhu Yilong’s eyes when he mourns his brother.
But here’s the problem:
The movie never actually SHOWS their bond.
The profound brotherly bond we’re told exists? I must have missed those scenes while blinking.
So when tragedy strikes and Zhu Yilong has to unleash a tour-de-force of grief, my brain went, “Wow, I feel your pain… but do you two even have inside jokes?”
He’s mourning a concept, not a connection the film ever made me feel.
It’s not the actors’ fault.
They acted their souls out and they did a phenomenal job.
But emotionally?
It’s like the scriptwriter assumed:
“They’re brothers. The audience will fill in the rest.”
Sir…
We cannot fill in what you did not write.
****
🔪 Deaths That Felt Like People Volunteering to Die
Some scenes had me going:
“…Wait. That’s the plan? That’s your whole plan?? That’s it???”
These characters make baffling, suicidal choices.
They jump out with zero strategy and get immediately killed.
The village elder?
He steps forward to protest hostage-taking — and is instantly gutted.
It felt less like sacrifice, more like:
NPC: “Ah yes, it is my turn to die for dramatic effect.”
Game: Ding! Achievement unlocked: Cinematic Death #4.
****
Ni Ni’s Sudden Empowerment Arc: A Mystery
Ni Ni is amazing.
A queen.
Effortlessly charismatic.
But the script gives her a sudden, unearned “fierce heroine takes charge!!!” moment that comes out of nowhere.
It felt like the writer remembered halfway: “OH RIGHT we need female empowerment because that's what's in vogue right now. QUICK, GIVE HER A BOAT!”
One scene she's resigned to acting like the good daughter who never disobeys. The next, she's commandeering boats like she's been training for piracy. The transformation needed at least one intermediate scene of her making the decision.
A+ intention, C- execution.
It wasn’t bad per se — just unconvincing.
****
Dongji Island: A Salad With Excellent Ingredients But… No Dressing
Here’s the core issue:
Every individual element of the film is GOOD.
Acting? Phenomenal.
Makeup? Flawless.
Cinematography? Gorgeous.
Underwater scenes? Chef’s kiss.
Leo Wu’s transformation into a sea deity? Stunning.
But when stitched together?
The storytelling becomes disjointed, uneven, and emotionally hollow. The pacing is oddly bloodless despite all the bloodshed.
It’s like the chef had:
Wagyu beef
Black truffle
Organic kale
Japanese eggs
Artisan cheese
Foie gras
Caviar
and said:
“Let’s mix ALL OF IT into one salad!!”
Sir.
No.
Just because the ingredients are premium doesn’t mean they marry well.
****
The Real Tragedy? The Film Wastes Its Amazing Cast
Those heartbreaking, brilliant short clips I saw on YouTube? That’s the entire highlight reel.
I cried watching those clips.
Actual tears.
But watching the full movie?
Less crying, more: “Huh? What? Why? Who decided this???”
It’s like every actor brought their A-game, but the script… brought a knife to a gunfight.
There’s so much potential (and so much talent) but the execution doesn’t rise to match them.
****
And then, there's… Dead to Rights
The contrast becomes especially painful when you compare it to something like Dead to Rights, which aired around the same time — same war theme, same era, same genre vibes… but somehow executed with ten times the emotional weight.
Why?
Storytelling.
That magical, elusive element that Dongji Island kept tripping over like a loose floorboard.
Dead to Rights knew how to build tension, relationships, pacing, and emotional payoff.
Meanwhile, Dongji Island had all the premium ingredients: Oscar-level actors, gorgeous cinematography, powerful history. But the narrative glue didn’t quite stick.
It’s like watching two chefs work:
One makes a cohesive, beautifully layered dish.
The other throws Michelin-star ingredients into a blender and hopes for the best.
Sigh.
Truly, storytelling makes ALL the difference.
****
⭐ Final Verdict
Dongji Island is:
✔ Stunning
✔ Packed with excellent performances
✔ Historically rooted
✔ Full of emotional and moral weight
✔ And elevated singlehandedly by Leo Wu’s underwater artistry
But it’s also:
❌ Narratively uneven
❌ Emotionally underdeveloped
❌ Overly dramatized in strange places
❌ A movie where the trailer feels more cohesive than the film
It's a tragic and frustrating paradox. It’s a tribute to a magnificent true story, filled with stellar actors. Yet it’s wrapped in a script that does them all a disservice.
It’s a concert where every musician is a virtuoso, but they're all playing from different sheet music.
✔ For the eyes: Stunning.
✔ For the Leo Wu fanatic soul: Nourishing.
❌ For narrative cohesion: A sinking ship.
5.5/10 for the movie. And truly, it pains me to type this score.
10/10 for Leo Wu.
∞/10 for his free-diving glow-up arc.
In short: a magnificent effort from everyone except the person writing the story.
Would I watch it again? Probably not.
Would I watch Leo Wu swim underwater for 90 minutes straight? ABSOLUTELY.
In fact, can someone make that movie? Just Leo Wu, the ocean, and a cinematographer. No script necessary; clearly that's where things went wrong anyway.
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