不如放下- it's better to let go
Infuriating and captivating! Shaolin Wendao is a character-driven story exploring complex relationships between four childhood friends as their lives change in extreme ways. An angsty tale of grand passions, forsaken desires and philosophical dilemmas, posing questions about revenge, mercy, atonement and fate as well as the endless cycle of retribution spanning generations.
This is an old-school drama in the best sense of the word. It’s highly quotable. It has great atmospheric music and martial arts choreography (not many fighting scenes though). It doesn't shy away from tackling hard truths and bringing up uncomfortable emotions, especially when it comes to the limited choices women had at that time and how men judged their worth. There’s a lot of unrestrained acting that helped bring to life the deeply flawed characters. With this type of drama you get transported to the past because as a 21st century person it's hard to understand the choices they make, which can be very frustrating but also fascinating and unpredictable. I feel like this type of immersive storytelling has become increasingly rare in the last decade.
To be fair, there’s a flip side to it as well. I feel like the director let things get a bit out of hand with overacting at times, particularly with Zhou Yiwei in his unhinged stage. Also, watching these characters persistently make their lives a thousand times more complicated than needed was tiring. The main character is a walking disaster who can be very selfish and manipulative. The villain (who's awesome btw) broke him at the beginning, so for two thirds of the drama he’s completely off-his-rocker, becoming obsessed with vengeance to the point of insanity. He chose the most difficult path and dragged everyone who loved him down with him. Honestly, he was so infuriating at times I wanted to kickdrop him myself, fortunately everyone seemed to do it for me so my blood lust was alleviated.
I have a lot of smaller gripes about camera work, silly humour or the weird (lack of) make-up.
The (non)ending was also quite disappointing, which makes me a bit hesitant to recommend the drama. I guess try it if you’re in the right mood. It may not be your cup of tea but you may surprise yourself.
This is an old-school drama in the best sense of the word. It’s highly quotable. It has great atmospheric music and martial arts choreography (not many fighting scenes though). It doesn't shy away from tackling hard truths and bringing up uncomfortable emotions, especially when it comes to the limited choices women had at that time and how men judged their worth. There’s a lot of unrestrained acting that helped bring to life the deeply flawed characters. With this type of drama you get transported to the past because as a 21st century person it's hard to understand the choices they make, which can be very frustrating but also fascinating and unpredictable. I feel like this type of immersive storytelling has become increasingly rare in the last decade.
To be fair, there’s a flip side to it as well. I feel like the director let things get a bit out of hand with overacting at times, particularly with Zhou Yiwei in his unhinged stage. Also, watching these characters persistently make their lives a thousand times more complicated than needed was tiring. The main character is a walking disaster who can be very selfish and manipulative. The villain (who's awesome btw) broke him at the beginning, so for two thirds of the drama he’s completely off-his-rocker, becoming obsessed with vengeance to the point of insanity. He chose the most difficult path and dragged everyone who loved him down with him. Honestly, he was so infuriating at times I wanted to kickdrop him myself, fortunately everyone seemed to do it for me so my blood lust was alleviated.
I have a lot of smaller gripes about camera work, silly humour or the weird (lack of) make-up.
The (non)ending was also quite disappointing, which makes me a bit hesitant to recommend the drama. I guess try it if you’re in the right mood. It may not be your cup of tea but you may surprise yourself.
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