The series covered a depressing time in Chinese history, the Opium War. I get that they can’t rewrite history to give everyone a happy ending, but they should at least give us viewers something to chew on. There was no message of hope, and certainly not of brotherhood. Not much time was spent in building up the camaraderie between the heroes.
The only bright spots were Kenny Lin’s So Chan and his love interest played by Claire Yiu. He was a rich playboy who liked a poor girl but didn’t know how to get her attention and so ended up teasing her mercilessly. Their courtship was charming and not overly cutesy. Both matured in a realistic, if not idealistic, way. Pity they didn’t have more screen time together. If the writers made this whole thing about the life and love of So Chan, it would’ve been a much better series.
If you’re looking for great kung fu scenes, you’ll be sorely disappointed. The action sequences were uninspired at best. The few things I did like were the set designs and costumes. There were no green screens, saturated colors, or skin smoothing photoshop. Everyone dressed according to their station. It felt very natural and true-to-life. After all, this show was an ode to the common people, not the elite.
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The main cast was gorgeous. The girls were stylish and the guys suave. Try as they might, the actors couldn’t save themselves from the trainwreck that was the writing.
Hawick was born to play this type of leading man. He was hot, cool, and ideal as the romantic hero who would do everything for the one woman he loved. Tony Yang, equally hot and less cool, was not so convincing as the blind lover. They made him reenact that dancing scene from “Scent of a Woman,” but he just couldn’t channel his inner Al Pacino.
Yang Rong may be too cute to play a menacing murderess. That said, she nailed the smug look so well that you want to slap it right off her face. Her evil schemes were predictable and dumb. She only got away with it because the script made her victims much, much dumber. Her biggest victim, our female lead Jiang Xin, was the dumbest one of all.
Tiffany Tang was very sweet and dainty, but still the weakest of the four main actors. She mostly acted towards the camera instead of towards her co-stars, thus ensuring that there was zero chemistry with Hawick and Tony. Her body language was awkward at times. It didn’t help that whoever dubbed her voice sounded so childish. Her acting was quite simplistic, too. She went from scene to scene, yet unable to make them connect. This was most obvious in the episode where her Jiang Xin faced a dilemma: do the righteous thing that might get people killed, or walk away to protect your loved ones. Of course she chose to do the “right thing” which led to a night of mayhem and death. She shed beautiful tears as they cued heart-wrenching music. The next morning, when asked if she slept well, she smiled cheerfully and said yes. No sign of emotional scarring or guilt, whatsoever.
This is one of those shows that I really want to love, but can't.
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You might wonder why Bobby Au Yeung enjoys such a long and successful career. After all, the man is chubby and balding, not exactly leading man material. But he’s smart enough to understand what makes a convincing performance: knowing what makes his character tick. His portrayal of Tai Tung Gun is of a man passionate about food. To him cooking is an art, a craft, and a love he wants to share with the world. His creativity is boundless and his enthusiasm contagious. Tai Tung Gun’s approach to food translates into he how lives life. You’ll cheer him on every step of the way.
Marianne Chan is spot on as Siu Siu. She’s one of those rare actresses who can be catty and charming at the same time. She and Bobby have this zany, off-beat chemistry that works well in a comedy. Her jealous fits are more tiresome than funny, but I still like Siu Siu because she’s sharp, clever, and rarely helpless. She is also very supportive of her man, except when he plans to get a second wife.
Normally a good actor, Kong Wah is just weird here with his robotic head bobbing and exaggerated arm swings. It’s distracting and not right for the role of emperor Qian Long. Adia Chan is passable as Qian Long’s love interests (yes, plurals.) She plays “twins,” although you really can’t tell much of a difference between the two characters. Adia doesn’t quite have the poise of a noble lady. Esther Kwan would’ve been a better choice.
Roger Kwok and Fiona Leung are secondary leads, but they get the same treatment as the main couples. Their love story is the sweetest of all. It makes me want to go out and eat a giant bowl of Bridge Crossing noodles.
Many cheers to the director, because it’s his vision that makes this show. There is humor that never degrade to the level of farce. There are many subtle details that make it worth rewatching. Every actor stays in characters, even when the camera isn’t focused on them.
Fun fact: Tai Tung Gun is based on a real person, Cheung Tung Gun, who really was a famous Imperial Chef under the reign of Qian Long. He was briefly mentioned in a later scene of “Story of Yanxi Palace.” I do love it when my favorite series cross paths.
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Lazy writing aside, there is Richie Ren’s interpretation of our bandit chief, Chor Lau Heung. He is… I don’t know what he is. Neither does Richie, it seems. I can say what he is not. He is not suave, charming, interesting, or even likeable. Half of the time, he is lovelorn. The other half, he seems to forget the girl exists. Sometimes he cares about his friends. Other times he acts like he doesn’t have any. This character is all over the place yet goes nowhere. It’s a shame, because Richie does have a solid supporting cast behind him.
Wayne Lai is his usual awesome self, even when he is stuck playing the archetypical best friend. Angie Cheung is mesmerizing as the femme fatale. Gigi Lai, Jess Zhang, Joey Meng, Ruby Lin and the rest are pretty in their own distinctive ways. You could watch this series for them, but why bother? They all have better works in their filmography. Same goes for Richie, bless his misguided effort.
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This series had more than its fair share of rape. I really don’t have the stomach for that, either.
Damian Lau was pushing 50 at the time, much too old for the lead role of Bak Wan. The bad wig and costume didn’t help his cause. The few characters worth watching were Eric Wan’s Chin Ming and Mak Ging Ting’s Hiu Yuet. Unlike Bak Wan, they at least showed some character growth.
The fight choreography was actually pretty good and creative for its time. But not good enough to save the story.
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Don’t expect this show to be anything like Jin Chao Qun’s Judge Bao. This young version of Bao Zheng is not a judge, but more of a snoopy detective. Each case is like an Agatha Christie’s “whodunnit” with a lineup of suspects and twists designed to keep you guessing. I wish the writers are more creative in setting up the mysteries, though. After the second case, most people can spot the pattern and figure out who the murderers are.
Zhou Jie is an actor who puts 110% into understanding his character, even if he tends to overact at times. His Bao Zheng is goofy and even a little sly, but has enough conviction and gravitas to show how he would grow to become a Chinese symbol of justice. Like him or hate him, the series would not be the same without Zhou Jie’s talents.
The show has a great ensemble cast in Ren Quan, Li Bing Bing, Shi Xiao Long, and Liu Yi Jun. Their bantering and teasing of each other feel very warm and natural. You can’t help but smile. It’s like watching a bunch of sibling bicker, except for some flirting between the Zhou Jie-Li Bing Bing and Ren Quan-Liu Yi Jun coupledom.
Finally, a shout out to Chen Dao Ming as the 8th Prince. This man oozes shrewdness. He looks totally relaxed and bored, but you can tell that nothing escapes his notice. He steals every scene he's in. When it comes to acting, Chen Dao Ming is in a league of his own.
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The Monkey King 1: Havoc In Heaven's Palace
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As a fantasy, it failed spectacularly. It failed to be an immersive experience. The celestial palaces, the demon’s lair, and Hua Guo Mountain looked more like backdrops. You didn’t feel like to you could step through the screen and into this world. The problem was with the poor designs, not the CGIs itself. I’ve seen movies/series with low-tech effects that still managed to make it work.
They hired very capable actors, but all of the performances felt very superficial. I totally blame this on the directing. Casting Donnie Yen as Sun Wu Kong was pointless, since he didn’t really get to show off his fighting skills and choreography. Maybe this was why they replaced him with Aaron Kwok in the sequel.
I will end this review on a positive note. This was a high budget production with great looking actors.
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Kam Duo Lok was not your typical male lead. He was neither smart nor brave. He was not a talented scholar, a great martial artist, or even a shrewd businessman. Actually, he was kind of a bum, though one that was lucky enough to be born into a rich family. He won’t stand up for himself, but he was willing to stand up for others when no one else would. His heart was in the right place and that was how he won over his princess. Moses Chan always has comedic chops and was a good fit for this role. His most memorable moment was when he led his brothers-in-law in protest against their abusive wives. He fearlessly roasted his own wife, her sisters, and even his father-in-law, the emperor himself. Moses looked like he was having a blast with this scene. Too bad the script didn’t give him much else to work with.
Unlike Moses, Charmaine Sheh was still a little self-conscious in her acting. She seemed all too aware that she had to look pretty, even in the scenes that required her to look silly. The supporting cast wasn’t bad, mostly because you’re not supposed to take any of them seriously. As a comedy, it was amusing enough but not laugh-out-loud funny. They needed to have more “straight man” characters to make the jokes work.
A lot of work went into the making the costumes look rich and luxurious. Too bad the crew went overboard with it. Some of the colors clashed and the wigs were past the point of ludicrous. There were so much jewelry and ornaments, but they looked as cheap as the stuff you see at the night markets. The thick war paint didn’t do anyone any favors, either, especially Charmaine, who was most radiant in simple hairstyles and light makeup. The makeup here made her look like she was in drag.
I like the Charmaine-Moses partnership since “Beyond the Realm of Conscience.” They seemed very comfortable with each other. Too bad TVB didn’t give them a better vehicle to showcase their talents.
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It was smart of the writers to incorporate tai chi philosophy into the development of the main character, Mo Ma. Other than that, the plot was pretty generic, recycled from parts of older TVB series. This is usually ok, if there’s actually good acting to make up for it.
Vincent was a surprisingly capable actor. He had an expressive face and was especially effective at the hurt puppy dog look. I think he once said he liked playing a romantic hero, and it showed in the yearning way his Mo Ma looked at Melissa Ng’s Song Ching. Sadly, Melissa was out of her range here. Her porcelain doll face was perfect for those elegant ice queen roles, but she was missing the warmth of a homespun country girl. The bad hair style didn’t help her, either. She basically killed any chemistry there might have been with Vincent. All their scenes together were boring.
Raymond Lam had both the good looks and the acting chops to play Hiu Sing, the golden boy who fell from grace but managed to redeem himself later. These type of roles were tricky in that he had to be pathetic, yet still likeable. You will feel for Siu Hing over many things, except his obsession with Myolie’s Chi Kwai. Now this woman had to be the most selfish, unreasonable, self-entitled brat. Worse, people around her enabled her dysfunctional and destructive behavior. She acted like Mo Ma belonged to her, although it was clear he couldn’t care less. She did eventually fall for Siu Hing and changed near the end. But it was all very abrupt and way too convenient. By that time, I was so sick and tired of Chi Kwai that I just threw up my hands and said “whatever.”
Derek Kwok looked cool here as a villain with a heart. In fact, many of the veteran actors brought their A game. It was the actresses who let the story down.
Watch this only if you’re an avid action/martial arts fan, or if you want to see fight scenes done right.
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This review may contain spoilers
It's nice to watch a series that makes you sad, not angry. There are no villains here, just people with a lot of emotional baggage trying to figure out their own lives. The story is sweet and bittersweet. Just get your boxes of tissues ready. And maybe some hot tea, too.These days we don’t often see a love quite like that of Chengyan and Zhan Yin. Both were somewhat mentally-disabled, but they were the most charming dimwits ever. They were simple to the point of almost childlike, so their families felt the need to protect these two lovebirds from themselves. This interference ultimately led to tragedy. Stephanie Hsiao and Jonathan Chen played off each other really well. They can’t seem to keep their hands off each other, so much so that I wondered if they were dating in real life.
Sunny Tu was actually very pretty, but they made her Kaiyan so matronly that she looked like Chengyan’s mother instead of her twin. Her hair and outfits were very unflattering. Her looks mismatched with Louis Lin, who was painfully stiff and awkward here. There was supposed to be a romantic tension between the two, but it seemed like Louis and Sunny were trying their best to avoid having to touch each other.
Shi Yu was such an underrated actor. His Tianwen could’ve been so much more if the writers gave him a chance. On the outside, he seemed silly and superficial, until the scene where he was holding Chengyan’s baby and a single silent tear slid down his cheek. In that one moment you understand the depth of his feelings for Chengyan, even though he never said it out loud. That alone was the most unexpectedly touching scene, and Shi Yu hit just the right note without overdoing it. It was simple but more moving than watching Zhan Yin rolling on the ground and crying his eyes out.
The mood of this series is perfectly captured by its wistful theme song, ‘Red Bean’ by the legendary Faye Wong. It reminds you that everything has an end, and neither meeting nor parting is forever. Tissue, please.
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At the time, Louis Koo was so famous as Yang Guo (Return of the Condor Heroes) that many people overlooked how good he was in this series. Ding Pang was a much darker and more complicated character. In the hands of a lesser actor, you would hate this power-hungry man. But Louis had the charisma and the depth to make you feel sorry for Ding Pang, even though you might hate the things he did. Noel Leung, with her beautiful sad eyes, was the perfect Ching Ching. I can see why Ding Pang could never quite let her go. Irene Wan and Eddie Cheung were in their elements as a seductress and a scoundrel, respectively. The younger actors were weak, but not bad enough to drag the series down.
The fight choreography was typical of its time, nothing too fancy or exciting. I still prefer this to some modern kung fu series where they just flail their arms and let the special effects department do the work.
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This is where you can see the youthful Tony Leung, before he became the superstar he is now. Tony’s strength as an actor is that he fully grasps whatever character he’s playing and carry it all the way through. He played Kim Hung as kind-hearted, earnest, endearing, and naive to fault. He was slightly overshadowed by Ray Lui’s performance. Ray’s Tin Wai had more ups and downs, therefore more layers to him.
Bik Wah was Barbara Yung in her last starring role. She was simply glowing in here. She excelled at playing feisty and cute characters, bordering on being an unreasonable brat. As a viewer, I forgave her because Kim Hung forgave her. He was very much in love, but not a pushover.
Money Chan (aka Barbara Chan) was also very pretty here. Her icy looks were a sharp contrast to Bik Wah’s fiery personality. She and Ray have excellent chemistry, and their scenes together were intense. Lau Dan and Ha Yu have a good dynamic as Kim Hung’s two dads. Unfortunately, their bickering dragged out for way too long and did nothing to move the story forward. I kept waiting for them to patch things up and learn to appreciate one another. That moment never really came, so it was more or less unresolved.
Special mention for the late Herman Kwan as the powerful chairman and family patriarch. He was rich in money, but poor in just about everything else in life. His final scenes were just heart-breaking. It took a veteran actor to pull it off without making it hammy.
Thumbs up to the crew for the beautiful camera work. They captured the feel of Hong Kong and Kowloon with shots of brooding streetlamps, long lonely corridors, and misty view of skyscrapers from the mountain top. No green screens or CGIs, just hidden urban beauty that is always there if people only stop to look.
This drama has one of the best theme songs, made more beautiful by Anita Mui’s haunting voice.
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The screenwriters gave too many side characters their own romance. We're talking about the Five Greats and villains like Li Mo Chou. Even Gongsun Zhi and his wife got their time in the spotlight. Dugu Qiu Bai, who was not even in the novel, appeared in a long flashback with a girlfriend, too. These relationships were so stale and badly-directed that even a romance junkie like me felt tired. The plot was so cluttered that the main couple, Yang Guo and Xiao Long Nu, barely made an impression.
In the novel, Li Mo Chou often pondered, "ask the world, what is love?" My answer: not this drivel I'm watching.
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This review may contain spoilers
I love sappy, idealized romance as much as the next girl. My standard for these types of series isn’t high. I only ask for likeable characters that I can root for. Too bad this show can’t deliver on that. The leading lady, Xiaoyanzi, is immature and obnoxious. When she doesn’t get her way, she yells, stomps, and throws tantrums. The men, pushover as they are, go out of their way to wheedle and plead for her forgiveness over every tiny little thing. It’s supposed to be cute and funny, but it's just ugly to watch. Her life choice is questionable, too. She grew up an orphan and genuinely longs for a father figure. But somehow, she’s perfectly ok with an arrangement that involves separating a baby from his father, possibly forever. Xiaoyanzi is so unpleasant that it’s hard to fairly judge Li Sheng’s acting.
Hai Lu has the opposite problem. She is given a very nice role of Ziwei, who is pretty much a saint. Yet her acting is one note, in that she looks perpetually sad. Even when smiling she looks on the verge of tears. Ziwei is just one depressed-looking girl from beginning to end.
Zhao Li Ying as Qing Er is absolutely charming, until they ruin her character. She’s a favorite of the Empress Dowager, as they share a special bond. Yet she runs off with Xiao Jian without even a backward glance. She doesn’t seem to miss this lonely elderly lady who worries about her and misses her dearly. When asked to come back to the palace and say goodbye, Qing Er says something like she doesn’t need to because the Empress Dowager has other grandchildren to keep her company. That’s a heartless thing to say about someone who loves you as her own granddaughter. Qing Er comes off as boy crazy at best, and cold-hearted at worst.
Most of the men aren't too bad. I give them props for delivering the cheesiest lines with the greatest of convictions (and a straight face.) I like the addition of Benjamin, just because it portrays a Caucasian guy as a real person and not some western stereotype for once. The worst has to be Zhang Rui as Wu A Ge. His acting is hammy and he has this skulking expression whenever he gets jealous. Wu A Ge does some really dumb things and wins both awards for Worst Father of the Year and Worst Son of the Year.
The series has a lot of good things going for it: beautiful people, idyllic sceneries, lovely costumes, and plenty of romantic scenes so sweet they will make your teeth ache. I don’t mind the anachronisms and the overuse of kissing scenes. But without good characters and story, this just feels empty.
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