Reviews

An evocative study of individuality and amendment of loss through a queer lens

Pensively crafted and heartbreakingly depthful, "So Long, See You Tomorrow" offers a devastatingly honest reflection on reconciliation, identity and self-acceptance. The cinematography used to capture its interpretative scenes frames the depths of regret, offering an exposition of adulthood and looking back on everything that slips through our fingers. With numerous references to modern-day art, it draws inspiration from significant works in the literary world—notably "So Long, See You Tomorrow" by William Maxwell, "Giovanni’s Room" by James Baldwin, and "When I Think About Myself" by Maya Angelou. It recycles familiar themes that encircle human life, presenting them with a sci-fiesque touch that brings a sense of peculiarity and deep introspection to the ordinary life of the man explored.

The movie adapts a melancholic vibe from the start, presenting the main character’s teenage years through a gloomy atmosphere and embracing them with a nostalgic touch. Stained by the sorrow of tragic events, he is introduced in a way that evokes heartache and sympathy from viewers—he suffers from bullying, loses his Mom, and has a severed relationship with his Father. In a world of grays and sombre colours, the only rays of light that bathe his days in warmth come from the comfort his best friend provides him amidst his struggles. Rebellious and hopeful, Kang Hyun’s words show great contrast to Dong Joon’s, who longs to step out of his comfort zone and self-improve.

Kang Hyun’s goal to live as if always walking on a tightrope on the edge of life without fear of falling suggests a certain desire for recklessness and risk-taking. The hopefulness he emits embed their shared scenes with an optimistic feeling. "I like the idea of parallel universes. It feels dangerous somehow…like the man in the rope photo…" While it may seem as though Kang Hyun is more grounded because Dong Joon is the one who dreams of parallel universes, both are just as unhappy with their lives and have greatly flawed mindsets that bind them to future suffering. His friend is the one who ends up suffering the first great fall because of the amount of hope he had in the world that so quickly let him down. When combined with the rebellious outlook he adopted in a life where he vowed to always "live on the edge," this disillusionment he created quickly broke and fell to pieces. The delicate cinematography foreshadows this downfall of his through a particular scene; a tribute to the importancy that the camera holds on the frames where it chooses to linger.

The start of the movie, where the main character’s teenage years are showcased, branches off into multiple versions, starring him 20 years later in three parallel timelines. The film cleverly differentiates them from each other by changing the setting—from Daegu to Seoul, and lastly Busan. In each timeline, he meets new people who help him reflect on himself through different circumstances and makes realizations that contribute to his journey of affirming his identity while coming to terms with past regrets. Rather than the hardships he faces—whether it be past or present—what changes is his perspective and the way he goes about his life. Each version is built upon his younger self, with each experiencing the loss of touch with a friend due to not going after him. And yet, they all result in such different outcomes depending on his mindset and how he chooses to perceive his past and his own self.

In the first, Dong Joon is consumed by regret, marinating in it. His situation is devoid of hope; he is at a low he believes is the lowest. He mentally isolates himself from the rest of the world, shielding away from all means of contact that would reveal his true self, letting his fear of vulnerability deprive him of happiness. With an addiction to drinking, he is slowly rotting away, and his mental state reflects the deteriorating soul of a person suffocating from depression. He experiences no joy and has a distant look in his eyes, only bathing in old memories. The scenes that follow his uncertain entrance into Giovanni's gay bar—where he claims to have accidentally wandered in when questioned—showcase his efforts in hiding his sexuality. Through his eventual meetup with the online date he was supposed to meet there, viewers are shown the angry and untrusting side of him. His fury in becoming vulnerable and falling for what he perceived as a cruel trick disguised as love in the context of his failed meet-up mirrors the inner turmoil he has regarding his one-sided feelings for his first love.

In opposition to the first arc, the second presents a version of Dong Joon who looks ahead and focuses on his future rather than looking back, staying trapped in the past. Dealing with themes of self-awareness, it uses Maya Angelous’ poem "When I Think About Myself" to convey its message across. This piece of writing uses irony to cover various themes, such as self-awareness and the use of laughter as a way of covering deeper struggles. "I almost laugh myself to death. My life has been one great big joke. A dance that's walked, a song that's spoke. I laugh so hard I almost choke when I think about myself," is the passage most relevant to the film. Its author focuses on juxtaposition between what is expressed and innerly felt, using laughter to mask the pain—mirroring Dong Joon’s avoidance of his past. Unlike the first and last arc, there are no flashbacks to his past or his first love.

Confident, outgoing, social, more accepting of his queerness, and having been on the exchange trip he regretted not taking in the precedent arc, he may come off as more happy. However, the reality is that he is shielding his past away as if forgetting it. In fact, the only time we see a scene from his younger self with his past lover is at the very end, when transitioning into the final arc, but his past trauma is otherwise completely ignored. He has equally completely given up on the idea of parallel timelines, no longer wishing something magical would happen that would make him be him in another world. A strong clip to show this aversion to magic would be when he gets upset when David Copperfield is mentioned among his group and he strictly says that he wasn’t referring to the magician, but instead the one who is the protagonist of "David Copperfield", a novel about the every-day life of an orphan in the late eighteen-hundreds written by Charles Dickens.

In contrast to the first arc, where he attempts to detach himself from his true self using the idea of parallel universes, he is introduced to this concept much differently in the second. Instead of searching to become a different person himself, he bears witness to all the possibilities his life holds, manifesting themselves through those around him. For instance, the tables are turned: instead of being the one who wishes to have studied abroad like in the first, he now meets someone who boasts to him about how lucky he was to have had that experience. In a way, conversing with this particular student was as if he were talking to himself from the first arc—he has a daughter with the same name as Dong Joon’s niece in the precedent arc but struggles to find time to spend with her, just as he did, and he has also someone he's thankful but also sorry for, telling Dong Joon the following; "If I meet her again, i'd like to thank her instead of apologizing. You've once met someone like that too, right? Someone that you’re thankful for, but sorry to…"

The last arc explores the theme of acceptance—acceptance of the present day through Dong Joon’s son, and of the past through his first love. Viewers see him acknowledge his pain and come to terms with his regret. While he used to always wish he had stepped out of his comfort zone, the third arc sees him make the realization that balance is what’s most important. He shows his commitment to becoming an improved version of himself through his devotion to being a better father for his child, visiting his son in prison. This draws parallels to his past lover, whom he had last seen getting taken away by a police car, and who he regretted never making the effort of going after—even if they weren’t taken away for the same reason, they found themselves in similar circumstances. In fact, he reminisced about his past lover on his way to the police station. When he spoke to his son, insisting "it wasn’t a mistake," as if also referring to his love for his friend, his son told him he wanted to write about their father-son relationship.

The scene then cuts to Dong Joon visiting Kang Hyun, now older, who had written about their lost friendship after being inspired by "So Long, See You Tomorrow," a book that tells the story of two friends who could never reunite after having been abruptly separated when one shunned the other. Dong Joon meets Kang Hyun during his presentation of his book "Every Maybe is Pain," suggesting it is inspired by their story—just like how every "maybe" in his life is due to that regretful incident where he never made the effort to stay by Kang Hyun’s side. Instead of doing nothing but bathe in his memories as he does in the first arc, or choosing to completely ignore them in the second, he remembers a certain moment in the third—the most powerful one of all: their first kiss, which was the most painful as it was his happiest moment.

Both polar opposites, neither of the first two versions of himself achieved their happy ending on their own. In the third arc, Dong Joon comes to the realization that one must find a balance between all facets of oneself to avoid falling. Only after reaching this conclusion did he see both of his other selves from the previous arcs smile. "When I couldn’t hold it in anymore, I went up to a high place. I rebelled like he did—I rebelled against the tedium of daily life as if walking on a tightrope. (But) you’re going to fall, Dong-Joon. No. I just need to balance myself once, and I’ll be safe forever…" When they were young, people only regarded Kang Hyun’s mindset of living life as if always on a tightrope—inspired by how Philipe Petit achieved his dream of walking on a tightrope between the Twin Towers—as something that symbolized living on edge without fear. Once Dong Joon grew older, he realized the most important message underscored in this act: it was the balance that made Philippe Petit become that best version of himself and achieve his dream.

In the end, each version adapts through what he learned, and they come together to create one facet. He decides that he likes the idea of parallel universes and other timelines existing because he enjoys thinking that, in each one of them, there is another good teacher and father like him, going about his day and taking care of his son and students. He writes to his dad the following: "Think about it. It'll make you feel good." He no longer perceives this concept as a form of escapism as he did in the first arc, nor doesn’t he completely ignore the idea of parallel universes like in the second. Instead, he now uses it to reinforce his confidence and express his love and confidence in himself. No matter the outcome, he always had the same core memories and was put in the same position—all that changed was the outlook he had and how he chose to face life’s hurdles. With powerful acting performance, intricately woven storylines, and serene music, the movie conveys its message with great impact. If one is unhappy with oneself, they should strive to change the way they live and focus on what they do have control over.

The story ends beautifully, with Dong Joon returning to the childhood moment that started it all. However, he runs back as an adult, carrying the realizations and the acceptance that he likes him and wants to follow him. Their meeting, after he reaches the police car, shifts to them as adults—Dong Joon having gone after him with his new lessons learned. It is revealed that Kang Hyun had assured Dong Joon he would see him tomorrow before his eventual departure abroad, showing that both are to blame for their painful parting. A decade later, once they have both read the book "So Long, See You Tomorrow" in the time it took them to process and accept their separation, they reunite. Seeing each other again was like the day’s sun after a long and dark night, both matured and having found their own selves first. Even though it took time, it was the tomorrow they had promised to spend together. "It was as if we just bid each other farewell last night." In each arc; there was unavoidable pain faced by Dong Joon: his mother and his sister’s death. Despite their heartbreaking departure, the one person he felt truly stayed with him, when he felt everyone was abandoning him, was his first love, who shaped him into who he was and whose memory never left his side whether it be through smiles or tears. "No matter the parallel universe, he’d always be there. He is my universe."

2025-03-04

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FUNNY Sam! Hilarious rom-com!!

I watched this Only for actor Sam Lin! :)
But found A Very Funny Rom com!

Plot and the comedy is spot on!

Being Timid is troublesome always.
Especially in Love, when the ML is timid n can't say NO, that's when the trouble and the comedy begins.

There are a lot of "Secrets" revealed in the end, haha.
Almost every character in the plot, has an affair n revealing everyone's Secrets to the ML is funny😂

Comedy roles suit Sam Lin really very well, his goofy acting is Very Good!

Some of the dialogues and references to famous movies / actor, actresses or mocking famous horror movies, all such references are funny.

I personally don't like timid ML - bossy FL tropes or cheating/two-timing love tropes but this is funny.

That Ending is apt to the story! 😂

*** SPOILER***
Both the gals don't deserve the ML , they are just taking advantage of his timid or "can't say No" personality very badly n later they complain that he is two timing - Sarcastic!
He is just helpless!
So it would be better if the ML chooses someone new, haha

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Burn brightly like a distant star

When I started this movie initially, I didn't think I would like the movies premise. But you slowly get drawn in. I think this is really due to the chemistry between Takuya and Mamizu.
I think the core chemistry is the strongest selling point for this movie. I didn't think at first Takuya's actor was good. It felt like the same hollow protagonist you see a lot in these type of movies.

But as the movie progresses, we see othersides of his character and that's when you start to care. I do think the relationship between Takuya and his mom felt somewhat lacking and didn't really do too much to advance the plot despite the obvious reasons it should. Mamizu's gentle nature and curiosity had me really invested into the character. So when the scene finally happens you do tear up. I was expecting a much harder cry but I think because of how they allowed the characters growth you are kinda ok with it. It's like a gentle easement into death.

The plot of the movie is your typical someone is gonna die at the end. A hallmark of Japan drama it seems lol. But I liked how this story was basically a long distance relationship secretly instead of a terminally ill love story. They also handle a lot of the confession scenes really nicely I thought. They felt like really special moments.

One thing I think needed a little more time was some of the parent scenes felt less important and therefore certain scenes lost levity. The ending scenes also felt too long and drawn out. It felt like there were 3 endings.

Speaking of endings, there's a really nice montage for closure near the end as well that I think made the movie cohesive and worth the watch.

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Sometime we just need a little push.

I am a complete mark for Ai and Aoi as actors. I was estactic to find a movie with both in main roles.

The acting in this movie was fantastic. Hashimoto plays a really great range here. We see a narrow character become much greater then who she was all due to the actions of her deceased mother. She has great body language that evolves as the movie progresses. Aoi acts as a moral compass for her daughters journey. Her moments were all very sentimental. I thought the side characters were also really comforting. I particularly liked Ishii's storyline as it enhanced the main characters journey.

The journey in this movie focuses on self exploration and keeping someone's memory alive. Through the MC's choices we understand how deeply her loss affected her early on. I think it asks a really interesting question of when do you choose to live your own life for yourself and step out of your parents shadow? Many forms of parenting are shown through this movie and I liked seeing the different perspectives. Japan coming off age movies focus a lot on this subject matter. How will you serve society and have your parents done a good enough job raising you. I feel like in their society there's a disconnect among what is spoken and what is actually happening. Which is why these movies are always so fascinating.


The cinematography was fantastic and varied. Because of all the different locations the movie felt very alive. There were fantastic tracking and wise shots throughout the film.

The music was cute. The theme song in particular is real tear jerker when you hear it.

Speaking of which, the ending few scenes will break you. If it doesn't, you gotta be the most unhappy person on earth lol. It was actually sort of surprising honestly. I didn't expect what happened to happen. They lure you into a sense of closure early on, only to REALLY give you closure and it's so beautifully done.

If you are sentimental or experiencing some downs in life, this movie is a really beautiful way to cope lol.

Ps There is a post credit scene.

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good but problematic

I mean it started off good but in the middle (44:20 sec) when there was a funeral, there was the n*zi sign on a drawer or whatever
I feel like nobody saw it 😭😭
so I dropped from there because I mean it's weird










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Good concept, execution somewhat lacking.

Let's do this review in parts since the movie is somewhat an anthology.

The movie begins with a set of rules at this semi magical cafe. At first it seems like a straight up supernatural comedy, but things don't always stay the way they seem. Admist the mini stories, there's the main story layered in about the waitress Kazu who helps run the cafe.

1st story: The Story here involving a women's regrets was short and somewhere between bewildering and sweet based on the length of the story. It serves as an introduction to what the story is setting us up for. One cannot change the past. And if you could go back, would anything change if you said what you wanted to then? The story plays on the idea of how do you change rather then how does the other person change as a result.


2nd story: This one is little more sad as it deals with a couple and a debilitating human disease. At first you do assume it's going to be a specific character going back in time but it pulls a swerve. At this point, I realized the movie uses sugar as an way to comfort its characters after a major blow. The second story is something that is very real and was a nice way to look at the effects diseases can have on relationships. The acting was a little stiff in some parts so it didn't hit as hard as it could of but the sentiment is there. I will say the music transition to the past is very corny and kinda ruins the mood before anything happens.

There's some particularly pretty shots when they are outside the cafe oddly enough. The inside cafe interior is nothing impressive but it does a have a unique ambience. The set design in the cafe is fun but also boring somehow? The sequences they use to enter the past though is top notch.

Story 3: Damn this one hit hard unexpectedly. This is my second time seeing Yoshida San act and I'm impressed with her acting abilities. I really liked this one the most. It got so emotional so quickly. Definitely a strong segment. I wanted more of this one. They established backstory quickly and maintained a strong finish. I felt like if the movie had more of this feeling it would of been much higher score for me personally.

After this segment the movie feels like a completely different movie as it starts to refocus on the main character Kazu. I kinda feel like like at this point the movie should of condensed the movie into maybe 3 segments with a focus retaining on Kazu throughout each experience, instead of 3 stories with Kazu as a fourth. I understand each segment has a meaning to Kazu's overall story but I think the execution wasn't as smooth.

The ending segment with Kazu was well done but just can't shake the feeling it was dropped into without proper build up. Same goes with the relationship she has in the movie. I felt like by the end the main relationship was very surface level and not deep enough to warrant the payoff in the end.


And what was with those segments with the first people declaring their goals right into the camera?? It was a like a infomercial in America lol. This was very jarring to me.

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"Don't you have an opinion of your own?"

The Deadly Breaking Sword was a Shaw Brothers production starring Ti Lung and Alexander Fu Sheng. It lacked a classic hero, in fact, there were only characters with layers of gray and darker gray. Fu Sheng’s “comedic” character felt completely out of place in this dark story of human pride and greed.

Tuan Chang Qing aka The Deadly Breaking Sword prided himself on the flare with which he killed his opponents. He always dressed in nice clothes, prepared a coffin for the soon to be departed, and then broke off an inch of his sword into the bone of the defeated. Classy. He battles halberd wielding Lian San and beats him, but doesn’t kill him. Lian goes to Dr. Guo (secretly the Killer Doctor, given that Ku Feng plays the character and is surrounded by thugs played by Yuen Wah and Eddy Ko, it’s a given that he is the Big Bad). Xiao Dao is gullible and a hapless gambler who ends up as a servant in the casino until he pays off his enormous debt. He falls for Liu Yin Xu, the fancy prostitute next door, even while Luo Jin Hua, the owner of the casino has her eyes set on him. Liu has a secret grudge against the good doctor and tries to rope Tuan and Dao into killing him for her.

This film had a dark theme running through it often derailed by the comedy schtick plopped randomly into it. Fu felt like he belonged in a completely different movie. Not that Xiao Dao wasn’t capable of murder. Without his character, I might have rated this film higher. The long running time would have been cut down and the clumsy fights he was involved in would have been eliminated. The fight choreography overall wasn’t great. Tang Chia implemented a lot of kung fu posing. The first and last fights between Ti Lung and Michael Chan were actually entertaining and much more fluid. The rest of the fights were awkward and the fists, kicks, and weapons often missed their marks by a mile/km.

The Deadly Breaking Sword was filled with anti-heroes and outright villains with the potential for an interesting take on the traveling swordsman. Instead, it was a mish-mash of characters badly stitched together into one story. It wasn’t a comedy, or at least it wasn’t for me. The most comedic thing in the whole movie was Ti’s dreadful fake mustache. The story of revenge and twisted honor codes kept getting tripped up by people slipping on banana peels or in this case, dominoes.

3 March 2025
Trigger warnings: Dismemberments and bloody injuries
Fun fact: Fu Sheng's wife, Jenny Tseng, sang the theme song.

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Horror Comedy with a touch of unexpected "FOREVER"!!

***SPOILER***

I love horror genre.

Comedy in a Haunted House is routine (here, it's funny enough, not Hilarious)
But Falling in Love with a Ghost, is something Different!
(n Me, still continuing watching even after reaching that "Different" point in the story, knowing that it will End Bad, is ... just No words for me! 🤭)

Since it's Fiction, There was a hope for a Happy ending, as anything n everything is possible in Fiction
but hmm, the ENDING here is REALISTIC!

I watched this with an expectation of Only Horror + Comedy.
I expected a Sad ending for the couple since Human - Ghost love stories are impossible!
Forbidden love!

But OmG, I didn't expect the Actual Ending n truly SURPRISED - his "true efforts" to see her face daily for the rest of his life .
Such a beautiful moment in the forbidden love story, that Effort of his truly mean "FOREVER"!!
(U need to watch the movie to know what those True efforts are, am not going to spill that thrill, that I felt :) )

I liked the love story part more than the horror or comedy.

One time watch.
Pleasant, easy-going, light horror (more emotional at the end).

Came here for Actor Gee, after watching his "Terror Tuesday: Extreme".

FL is such a pretty baby doll.
Try how much ever but can't imagine her to be Scary! :)

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A easy story but needed more characterization

The one really immediately striking thing about this movie is the frantic energy in this movie. It's very anime feeling in it's pacing, character dialogue and movement. Although some of the pacing does feel a little episodic because of this. There seems to be definite chapters rather then natural flow in this movie.

There's a lot of background music in this movie, which is why it somewhat feels really more episodic. Each of the background tracks make each section feel unique and segmented. Not necessarily a bad thing but I found it noticeable.

I'm not sure how I feel about the acting in this one. On one hand the characters are likeable, but on the other hand it seems very surface level. Sometimes it feels really sentimental but then I think someone's line delivery sort of ruins the moment. Kaori's actor is a little wooden in her line deliveries. While Yuuki's acting is sometimes a little too over the top. This lends to that anime like feel of the movie I mentioned earlier. I also wished they would of expanded even just a little about the side friends. One of the characters got emotionally crushed but I didn't really feel bad about it lol.

The ending was nice and then really get your emotions going by the end. I think the payoff would of elicited more reaction from me with a little more work on why we should love these characters.

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An outlet to the future

Solanin is based on a popular manga with the same name. It refers to the poison which can affect certain types of vegetables in the nightshade family. It is a natural defense to protect the plant. This is important to the story, trust me.

Solanin is a deeply interesting look at honoring someone by living out their wish. Much of Japan's cinema talks about death and it's consequences on others. The brilliance of this movie is how they tackle loss in a unique way. Many people who come out of school don't know what to do with their adult lives. Sometimes dreams can die and then world comes crushing down on you. The movie's first half covers much of this mentality with a sense of whimsical love. We can continue living so long as we are blissfully unaware of anyone but ourselves. This dramatically changes after the loss of one of the main characters. A strong change of melancholy takes over the film in the middle of the movie. When we don't have a proper goodbye to someone. can we really move on? That is the central question the movie answers.

The thing I mentioned earlier about poison is a metaphor for the type of pain someone's unexpected death can cause on someone. We see the main character Meiko slowly go into a downward spiral of depression after the loss of her loved one. She finds solace in his music that he left behind and continues his dream in order to understand him better. The film walks with the idea that societal pressures can have lasting effects on someone's self worth and even though we may seem fine it's not always the case. There's scenes in the movie which touch on self worth and the transactional nature of adulthood. We sometimes must do things that we do not agree with but sometimes it's better to go with the flow of he river then against it. Younger to millennial generations will probably understand this movie much better then older generation.

The acting is very well done for the most part, the strongest being Meiko and Jirou. These two show the most growth I feel in the entire movie's arcs. Naruo I felt was a little weaker in characterization but it evened out with the chemistry he had with the rest of the cast. Jirou's actor had an amazing scene that made me crack the tears. Meiko's Aoi Miyazaki has a really emotional depth especially when it comes to her facial expressions and body language. The final musical scene is a real catharsis. I felt like this was one of her better performances as it went through a huge gamut of emotions.

Lighting plays a small roll in the movie as the bright and warm cheerful days are alongside the dark and muddy days of loss. You can see a stark difference in the movie's feeling in both halves, which is something I enjoyed. The movie is very easy on the eyes and has a really nice lived in feeling. I really enjoyed this little bubble.

I think the ending will resonate well with anyone who is facing their whole lives ahead of them and would recommend this movie to anyone looking for a little pick me up.

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A war-focused movie which might be more enjoyable for fans who have background knowledge

Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25

“Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants” is my first movie of 2025 and I even watched this in the theater! This movie is an adaptation of the first book of the Condor Trilogy but focuses on a more mature Guo Jing and Huang Rong, and the war between Mongolia and the Jin and Song Dynasties. If you have not read the books or the many TV drama adaptations, this movie is just like any other big production war movie. Whether this is a good thing or not, it’s up to the viewer. Afterall, the movie is only 2.5 hours long and you can’t really fit everything into a movie.

Plot:
If you have not read the novel or watched the TV drama, the first 15-20 minutes gave a quick recap of everything that happened between Guo Jing and Huang Rong (romance and quick adventure), and how Guo Jing became the martial artist that he is. The rest of the drama is about how Guo Jing and Huang Rong try to find each other again, and the war development between Mongolia and the Jin Dynasty, with a side story of the Poison Master Ouyang Feng’s quest. Although I am understanding of the time limitation, I can’t help but feel a tiny bit disappointed when the focus is not on the martial arts world and on Guo Jing and Huang Rong. Their adventure together is the best part of the book. Because that part is missing, even when they found each other again, it’s missing that emotional ecstasy (but then, I am also a hopeless romantic).

Casting:
I was unsure about casting Xiao Zhan as the somewhat naive and ‘dumb’ Guo Jing. But since the movie focuses on a more mature version of Guo Jing, I think Xiao Zhan did a pretty good job. His big eyes are able to convey innocence, justice and strong beliefs, but not clueless as who Guo Jing once was in the drama adaptation, such as Yang Xu Wen’s version in 2017. Unfortunately, this version of a mature Huang Rong is missing the spark I’ve seen in Barbara Yung’s version in 1983, or Li Yi Tong’s version in 2017. Sabrina Zhuang is not doing a bad job, but something is missing in this intelligent yet still cunning version of Huang Rong. I’m happy to see the movie included Mongolian actors, in addition to a few from Hong Kong. Quite a bit of Mongolian is spoken in the movie but I have no way of knowing if they were done well. At least everything sounded believable. The rest of the supporting cast did fabulous. With some fabulous makeup, Tony Leung is an unrecognizable Ouyang Feng (especially the last scene) and I can’t say I wasn’t surprised to see Ada Choi played a mother figure (I feel so old seeing her).

Production:
You can’t deny this is a big budget production - the number of soldiers in the field, the great wars and battles, sets and costumes. Big fights are usually done with special effects, and these are not cheap special effects. But because the Condor Heroes to me is a wuxia trilogy more than a war trilogy, I can’t help but be a little disappointed in the lack of real fights. I want to see traditional martial arts fights with close contact combat. I might have gotten 2-3 scenes of good fights, but the rest is usually CGI-fighting or arrows shooting.

Would I recommend it? Yes. I would, especially if you are a fan of the novel/drama and a fan of Xiao Zhan. But if you don’t have some of the background, “Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants” is only just another war movie. If you don’t mind, it’s still very enjoyable given the good acting and excellent supporting cast. Lastly, I want to add that if you watched the old 1983 Hong Kong version, it really brought back memories when the theme song starts to play. Just a few notes and I immediately recognize it. I think the song was also used in the 2017 drama and again here as the background music in the 2025 movie. But the main theme song of the movie is a battle-themed song sung in Mongolian. That’s a nice touch!


Completed: 3/2/2025 - Review #549

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"I am damn satisfied to be killed this way!"

Holy Weapon boasted an amazing cast-Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung, Ng Man Tat, Simon Yam, and Sangra Ng to name just a few. If you love Hong Kong martial arts comedy you will most likely enjoy this film more than I did. Very little made sense and often bordered on the bizarre-walking flowers, a green-haired vampire, and a woman who could turn into a spider were just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. I don’t mind martial arts madness, but the rape, poop, and penis jokes wore thin quickly for me.

The Japanese Super Sword has come to China to take over the martial world. After cutting down thousands of men, Mo Kake aka Heaven Sword, juiced up on the “greatest drugs,” is able to temporarily defeat Super Sword. SS vows to return in three years. The drugs cause Mo’s personality to change and he goes on a killing spree seeing Super Sword everywhere. Not everyone was disappointed to be killed, "I am damn satisfied to be killed this way!" By the time the Ghost Doctor (“late again!”) arrives, Mo collapses after having driven his fiancée away. Ching Sze changes her appearance and name and becomes the Heartless Man Killer. In order to kill Super Sword when he returns, the good guys will need a secret book and seven female virgins in order to become their own super weapon. Fortunately, there are plenty of oddball and horny maidens to fill just that order.

Michelle Yeoh played the grownup in the room, Ching Sze aka To Col. She was, of course, wonderful as always, even with this material. Maggie Cheung played a dippy Princess protected by Sandra Ng as her bodyguard. Carol Cheng and Damian Lau were betrothed as children but he wanted out badly enough to kill her. He fell in love with the princess and her guard fell in love with him and then the guard later fell for his fiancé, Doll. Along the way, the characters met Sharla Cheung’s Spider, who ended up falling in love with To Col. Ng Man Tat played the Ghost Doctor with Einstein hair. Simon Yam was the deadly enemy who could turn into a sword who also needed to sleep with virgins to maintain his youthful skin care routine. Everyone was looking for love and not terribly hung up on gender (which I liked) or often consent (which I didn’t).

There were numerous rape jokes and attempts which I found horribly offensive. Poop jokes and penis jokes dropped every few minutes. The film was badly faded which made reading the white subtitles difficult at times. There were also frames where the subtitles were cut off at the bottom of the screen.

At first, I was thrilled to see so many accomplished actresses in this film, however, the material did not do them justice and wasted their talents for the most part. Holy Weapon had a few entertaining scenes, but I only finished it for Michelle Yeoh. Comedy is in the eye of the beholder so I wouldn’t want to discourage anyone who is a fan of the actors or genre from watching this film, it just wasn’t my jam.

2 March 2025
Trigger warnings: Snakes, horse parts flying, penis/poop/rape jokes, and several attempted rapes and an accomplished rape

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Dong won: SPEAK LESS, WORK/KILL MORE!

To be honest, Since it is mentioned as a SEQUEL to "Train To Busan", watched with a lot of expectations (that is my 9.5/10 n is a very interesting story from the beginning to the end) n so am disappointed with this.

But One thing I would like to say about this is, WATCH THIS AS A STANDALONE (/Shared Universe) Zombie apocalypse n ONLY then U might ENJOY this .

**** POSITIVES:
The Car Chasing Scenes are AWESOME. Those graphics / visual effects are exactly like some racing / zombie mobile games ;)


**** NEGATIVES (/what I didn't like n felt boring):

The first 30 and the last 30 minutes are VERY GOOD.
Remaining are just boring.

Dong won has very limited screen presence and in the middle of the movie, almost for an hour (total running time is 2 hours), he has no screentime being the main lead :O
I need to tell myself that this may not be a single hero oriented movie but one with a team work or multiple main leads (just like it's prequel).

Also he has very very limited dialogues - this may not be a negative n actually maybe it's required for his character as so .
SPEAK LESS, WORK/KILL MORE! 😂

(I liked him from "The Priests" movie. Here, he is handsome even with this less screentime, haha )

Other characters are not so interesting too
Plot, direction n pacing of the story are just OK, could be made BETTER!

I liked ONLY Dong won's role
And His n the gal's car chase /racing scenes are interesting, that's all.
Nothing else is very Impressive !

Overall, it's just One Time Watch (as a standalone)!

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THE MOST BEAUTIFUL JMOVIE IVE SEEN YETTT

MAN this was ADORABLE
the plot or story isn't something out of the ordinary but MANNN the execution? perfection.

Everything from the characters feelings to their romance is so perfectly shown goddamn i shed a tear.
what i liked:
-the FL: I felt for her, a people pleaser who hid her true feelings behind a mask, i felt so bad for her because her emotions felt so real especially thanks to the great actress.
-the ML: Hot dude who is a green forest, helping the fl gaining confidence while also showcasing his vulnerability.
-the cinematography: I have no words because the sunrise, the sunset and the rooftop scene all made me cry they were so beautiful
-non-toxic adorable and supporting side characters
WATCH IT RN

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