This is a solid 10
I'm writing this review at 5am because I just finished binge watching the express drop of the final 5 episodes. What a corker of a drama, I have been watching the episodes as soon as they came out without skipping one bit and then rewatching them straight away as soon as I finished them.Cheng Lei's acting prowess has blown my mind, he's been going from comedy gold to deep inward contemplation to terrifying flashes of madness to pure selfless love to turning his heart to stone, all of it seamlessly. Act, he can. He is acting royalty, no less. Wang Churan is an absolute pleasure to watch, her acting being right on point with that of Cheng Lei. The chemistry between those two is stratospheric, they really drag you into their relationship.
The story is a great adaptation of a great novel, very well written, perfectly paced, interesting, entertaining, with superb support characters that grow along with the plot and a disturbing villain you can see slowly losing his marbles. The evil empress dowager deserves a shout out for a magnificent performance, and Mr Bei is one of the most likeable and masterly played characters I've come across lately.
I love the cinematography, lighting and direction. The sheer imagination of those impossibly beautiful costumes deserve their own top rating. The OST blends beautifully at exactly the right time. This is definitely a top quality, high budget production, and it shows. Recommended? Absolutely yes, rewatch value is 10.
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Most absurd script I've seen
This is probably the most nonsensical. badly stitched together story I've come across in a big while. I really tried to watch it, but there is only so much absurdity I can endure. Seriously dislikable characters, wooden acting from the ML, a mess of a story that comes across as being made up as the filming went along. Zero stars from me.Was this review helpful to you?
