China’s most expensive film creates cinematic history after a disastrous opening
Sporting a collective of talents from around the world, adopting Hollywood’s skills and employing Chinese ethos into the fantasy epic, Asura which to this date is China’s most expensive film with a budget of 113 million US dollars. Boasting talents such as Oscar winner costume designer Ngila Dickson (The Lord of the Rings), VFX expert Charlie Iturriaga (Deapool), veteran audio director Martín Hernandez (Bridman) and Hollywood stunt coordinator Damien Walters (Kingsman). Charged with bringing the new proposed trilogy is director Zhang Peng, a veteran fight choreographer who has made a name for himself in Hollywood with a filmography consisting of Scott Pligrim, Twilight, Kick-ass to name a few.Chinese obsession with CGI filled epics has become the norm these days with an over saturation of hollow films that pleases on a visual level but feels empty. Films like League of Gods, Wu Kong, The Monkey King trilogy, The Thousand faces of Huada are just a few some of the films that embraced CGI but failed to engage in story telling. Asura sadly continues this trend.
Asura follows the story of a young boy named Ruyi (Leo Wu Li) who begins his life as a humble sheep herder. Unknown to him is that he is the brother of the Asura King (Tony Leung Ka Fai and Carina Lau Ka Ling) who wishes to reunite with Ruyi so they can merge together allowing him to unlock the ‘great power’ within him and rule all of Asura realm. Ruyi is retrieved by Asura King’s right hand man Shi Po Lo (Feng Jia Yi) and introduced to the realm of Asura where will be ruling over. Ruyi’s arrival is attacked by the Rebels, lead by Hua Rei (Zhang Yi Shang) and her team of followers who opposes the King’s rule. After meeting the Asura King he soon realises the Kings dastardly plans and with the help of his pumpkin sidekick Tuka he seeks the rebels for help in putting a stop to his rule.
Released on July 13th 2018 the film immediately received a lot of negative reviews from audiences. Since July 15th 2018, just 3 days of release the film is pulled from the cinema screens. The decision made not by any government authorities or cinema chains but by the very producers themselves. The producers state that the negative press from certain individuals were deemed biased and with intentions to “sabotage’ the reputation of the film. During its 3 day run the film earned a measly 7 million US dollars, which is very low for a film of this calibre. As of now the film is going through some reediting and will be once again put back onto cinema screens at a later date.
Its not surprising if you have not heard of Zhang Peng but its more than likely you have witnessed his work as action choreographer in Hollywood such as Hellboy 2, Ant-man and 47 Ronins. Asura is Peng’s first directional debut and he demonstrates great use for spectacle but little finesse in pacing and performances. Deaths lack conviction and is almost inconsequential as we care little for the character or the emotional baggage that is suppose come with it. The opening alone has 2 major deaths that barely register for the characters are never set up enough for audiences to care. The death of a particular rebel at the beginning is so uneventful that it is laughable we don't even see the face of the character that dies just a body falling to its death. The Asura King is one note with very little characterisation its almost cartoon like. The multiple heads the makes the whole of Asura King is utilised in a mundane way and almost feel like a gimmick. At over 141 mins its way too long to sit through where nothing really develops into anything engaging. The mid section sags as action set pieces take a back seat and drama is placed in the forefront with overlong expositions and an undercooked romance. Leo Wu and Yi Shang have little chemistry and there love for one another just happens opposed to built towards. The other important romance between Tuka and Qi Ya offers little emotional pay off as they have very little on screen time spent together.
Names are given to much of the background characters but you will be hard pressed to remember who is who as they have little to do other than to participate in fights and languish in the background. Performance all round is pretty poor even from the veterans. Tony Leung’s performance is a caricature. Carina Lau only has a head for performance delivering her lines in a flat manner. Leo Wu does care free and happy very well but drops the ball once he has to emote rage and sadness. His emotional monologue never fully convinces. Newcomer Zhang Yi Shang lacks conviction as bad ass warrior and leader as well as sporting very little facial expressions. Rounding of the Rebel team is Paul Clarke (Kung Fu Yoga) who scrunches his face far too often in displays of anguish, Mathew Knowles (Love Me If You Dare?) is there as the big guy of the team, Caitlin Dechelle (Chinese Zodiac and Wonder Woman’s stunt double) and UK contortionist Bonetics makes brief appearances here and there but seems to be interchangeable with other rebels. Damien Walters protégé Greg Townley (Kingsman, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword) has little to offer in screen performance but displays some fine acrobatic movements.
Production design is fantastic with great elaborate sets matched with great cinematography. Much of the film draws inspiration from The Lord of the Rings, with sets feeling organic and inhabitants of different varieties feeling natural. Sadly the Asura realm created feels too unpopulated and undeveloped for audiences to really feel for the citizens. Visual effects by and large is top notch with the occasional dip in quality here and there, most often is the background plates not matching with the character. Creature design is great but sadly execution is not always matched, in Asura the horse’s head is a creature of its own and as our soldiers ride said horses, the heads takes flight as a winged creature, the idea is sound but when we witness the transition it does not quite feel natural. With so much going on the film tries to cater to all audience resulting in half baked scenarios.
Musical score is of a high quality hitting the correct emotional beats as well as giving the feeling of a fable or fairy tale on par with The Lord of the Rings sadly the biggest problem with the score is that its too frequent. So many moments are punctuated by a musical score but silence would have been more fitting.
Zhang Peng has made a name for himself as a fantastic action choreograph so one would expect exceptional fight action in Asura. Collaborating with his regular cohort Damien Walters and Gao Xiang (Hellboy 2) they craft some fantastic set pieces but sadly in most occasions there is some minor things hindering the exceptional fight choreography. The fight set pieces are varied and offer enough variety to entertain. The opening fight scene takes place on 2 mountain tops linked together by rope bridges, though its really hard to decipher the information and geography for the lighting is way to dark which obscures much on display. The occasional moment that we do see it becomes a great showcase of some great fight choreography and acrobatic display. Following this is an aerial and ground battle that fluctuates between entertaining and frustrating. For the aerial battle the combatants are connected by a CGI creature that allows them flight but most of the time these CGI beings obscure the view of what the live action talents are performing so mostly it looks like clashes of CGI creatures opposed to careful orchestrated fights. Cutting between the aerial fight is the ground battle, which provides some impressive stunt and wire-work mixed with some interesting fight choreography. An interesting note is that much of aerial fight was filmed on actual location, which is an impressive feat. The best set piece of the film is the fight between the narrow cliff faces. Featuring a remarkable display of acrobatic movements between the rock faces mixed with some extraordinary stunt work. The only quip about this is that there is so much going on it can be rather chaotic on screen making it difficult to focus on the central action. Just like every other CGI fantasy film from China, Asura’s finale is an orgy of CGI with little fighting involved. The technical side in achieving this scene is impressive; sporting one of the largest LED rooms ever made just for a scene but it provides little satisfaction for the audience. Pseudo single takes are utilised in the fight scenes giving a very nice flow in movement it is a technique dubbed “morph” employed similarly in Kingsman.
The impressive team that Asura had assembled has paid of from a visual stand point; sporting some great cinematography, impressive production design, intricate fight choreography and top notch visual effects but sadly story and pacing are neglected in the process resulting in a sub par film. It will be intriguing to see what the announced new reedited version will be like, some streamlining and cutting of the excessive fat is definitely necessary.
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The final instalment in the legendary Wong Fei Hung saga is an entertaining slice of action cinema.
Vincent Zhao Wen Zhuo returns for a second outing as the legendary Wong Fei Hung, in sadly the last part of Tsui Harks epic saga (not counting the unofficial films and TV series). After the rather disappointing fourth film directed by Yuen Bun that featured way too many lion dance action as well re-treading similar territory as its predecessors, Once Upon a Time in China V makes a more welcome return with Tsui Hark once again in the directors chair.Once Upon a Time in China V (OUTIC V) is much more brisk than its previous outings, this time round there is less political and historical exposition. Though these elements are in place they are not as grand as the usual Fei Hung films instead we are regulated to a small southern town where the governing body has fled after the abandonment of the Empress Dowager, leaving the town in state of poverty and unrest. Following after the events of the fourth instalment Fei Hung accompanied by Leung Fu (Max Mok), Club Foot (Xiong Xin Xin), Wong Kei Ying (Lau Shun) and Aunt May (Jean Wang) make there way to a small town to meet Aunt Yee (Rosamund Kwan), Butcher Wing (Kent Cheng) and Buck Tooth (Roger Kwok – replacing Jackie Cheung from the first instalment) before venturing to Hong Kong. Fei Hung’s sense of justice prevents him from leaving this town and with his team he sets about restoring justice. Along the way he discovers a governless court kept going by a band of righteous court magistrates (lead by Cheung Tit Lam in a different role from OUTIC II) who aid Fei Hung, pirate ridden seas keeping the town under siege lead by the notorious pirate leader Junior Cheung (played by HK action director Stephen Tung Wei) and his right wing commander Ying (Elaine Liu) and a rice seller (Tam Bing Man) who takes advantage of his towns people.
To restore order Fei Hung leads Leung Fu, Butcher Wing, Club Foot and Buck Tooth into the pirate’s den, taking on the father of the pirate leader, Cheung Bo Jai. Fei Hung’s success leads the remaining pirates to attack the town resulting in a final showdown between the two factions. Amidst all this are much comedic antics from his students revolving around Fei Hung’s love triangle between Aunt Yee and Aunt May.
Though complaints have been made about the comedic elements, I for one believe that the dosage was just about right it never devolved into mindless antics and when it was becoming too much Tsui Hark moved on to his next set piece. Both actresses; Rosamund Kwan and Jean Wang do admirable jobs in there rolls, with Wang providing a much more likeability. Lau Shun is in fine form returning as Wong Kei Ying but is given little to do. Max Mok has certainly made Leung Fu his own after taking over from Yuen Biao, his character provides much of the comedy with his relentless bickering between his brother in arms Butcher Wing and Club Foot. Kent Cheng is mainly reprising his role introduced in the first outing. As with before he makes a convincing portrayal of Butcher Wing. Once again Xiong Xin Xin steals the show as Club Foot his mentally challenged character is a highlight of the series and Xiong adds much flair to Club Foot. Roger Kwok makes an interesting turn as Buck Tooth but seems at odds with the originally introduced character of the first in the series depicted by Jacky Cheung, here his character is more action savvy and holds his own with the rest of the team where originally his character was just a medical student. Elaine Liu makes a surprising turn as the right hand commander of the pirates. Sadly it is Tung Wei that is a bit weak as the pirate leader, though his performance is serviceable he spends most of his time snarling and leer with his wide eyes.
Much unfair negative comment has been lamented on Vincent Zhou’s turn as the legendary Wong Fei Hung, Zhou’s carries much poise and confidence as Fei Hung as did Jet Li’s portrayal. Though his romantic chemistry with Rosamund Kwan’s Aunt Yee is given less screen time he still provides the same bumbling dumbfounded innocence of love when around Yee’s antics. Zhou carries an air authority of a great master.
As for the action OUTIC V does not quite reach the dizzying heights of episode 2 or the iconic ladder fight of the first instalment, if anything it is more akin to part 3 in the saga. Though there are many fights scattered throughout, many of them are short and as it gets going it ends pretty quick. Much of the action is wire assisted which may irk a lot of people but it has to be said that Yuen Bun has made creative use of the wire work. Vincent Zhou is a competent martial artist and when he lets loose he is a sight to behold, his fight in the pirates den with the century old pirate is creative display of choreography once the audience accepts the wire assisted moves. Buck Tooth also joins in with the action with duel wielding guns. The likes of Elaine Liu, Max Mok and Kent Cheng makes for convincing fighters. It is once again Xiong Xin Xin that steals the show with his lightning fast kicks and acrobatic movements. The raid in the courtroom is one of Xiong’s highlights as he kicks multiple opponents while balancing on a chair, though he is strapped to wires it does not diminish from the skills on display. Unfortunately the final throw down between 2 great martial artists; Vincent Zhou and Stephen Tung Wei is a bit of a letdown as the 2 combatants spend most of the time performing exaggerated movements with little actual martial arts fighting and when it happens it is over very soon.
As with all the OUTIC entries the production value is phenomenal with some creative set designs and costumes. The musical score is also of a high standard as is expected from a Tsui Hark production.
The fifth entry is actually a refreshing take on the Fei Hung saga. The previous entries can sometimes feel bogged down by the political turmoil’s and Tsui Harks heavy-handed expositions. Once Upon a Time in China V does not suffer from this allowing it to breath and breeze along. The film is fun and entertaining helped by some healthy dosage of action once one gets past the fact that its use of wires.
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Vincent Zhao replaces Jet Li in an entertaining if weak entry to the saga
The fourth film in the Wong Fei Hung saga loses Jet Li (after falling out with Tsui Hark) and inherits wushu champion Vincent Zhao Wen Zhuo (aka Chiu Man Cheuk). This time Tsui Hark steps down from the directors chair (though still serving as producer) and allows Yuen Bun full reign. Continuing from the previous installment, once again Fei Hung is asked to defend the pride of the Chinese by defeating the evil foreigners (mainly the Germans) in yet again another epic lion dance competition. Of course the foreigners being as evil as they are they have various tricks up there sleeves. At the same time Fei Hung has to defeat the ladies of the Red Lantern Clan, a sect out to eradicate the “evil” foreigners.Once Upon a Time in China IV (OUTIC IV) suffers much from covering the same story elements as the previous chapters in the saga giving a feeling of déjà vu. As with the White Lotus Sect of episode two the Red Lantern Society consists of much of the same zealous individuals who are obsessed with ridding the foreigners from China territory. Fei Hung ventures into the den of the Red Lantern Society and confronts their leader, The Holy Mother as he did during his confrontation of the White Lotus Leader. An epic lion dance is also something that played out during the third installment.
Returning once again is Max Mok as Leung Fu who provides much mischief and comic relief. Also returning is Xiong Xin Xin as Club Foot and Lau Shun as Wong Kei Ying. Xiong Xin Xin is excellent in his role and is definitely a delight in this film. Lau Shun is in fine form as Wong Kei Ying but is given little to do. Joining the roster is Jean Wang as Aunt May filling in for the absent Aunt Yee played by Rosamund Kwan. Jean Wang is pleasing as Aunt May and hints at a new love interest for Fei Hung. Serving as the foreign villains henchmen is Billy Chow as Iron Fist and Chin Ka Lok as the sword wielding Lui.
As with the problems that faced the third installment, the fights never feel fully realized as they begin and are over pretty quickly. It’s a shame as Yuen Bun demonstrates creative wire choreography and has a bunch of talented screen performers. There are action highlights throughout the film but they are short lived. Fei Hung’s escape from prison is evidence of this as it clearly shows Yuen Bun’s excellent choreography and Vincent Zhao’s martial arts prowess. Zhao’s competent martial arts skills are very evident and his movements are crisp and clean that is only capable from a wushu practitioner. Fei Hung’s confrontation with the Holy Mother of the Red Lantern Society should have been an excellent display of fighting skills but is bogged down by wirework. As for the finale we are treated to an overdose of lion dance action that sadly never fully allows our protagonists to demonstrate there martial arts skills instead we are given weird contraptions from the gigantic “Lions” courtesy of the foreigners. Max Mok has little to do in the action department though he is convincing enough. Xiong Xin Xin is a treat as per usual but only has little skirmishes that shows his skills but never fully comes into fruition. Lau Shun also gets to show off show great hand to hand combat that is short lived. The likes of Billy Chow and Chin Ka Lok as villains should have been worthy opponents for the likes of Vincent Zhao and Xiong Xin Xin but unfortunately there final throw down ends with a whimper.
Vincent Zhao fits comfortably as the new Fei Hung demonstrating an air of authority and sensibility as well as carrying great mannerisms and the posture of Wong Fei Hung. Zhao possess charm and innocence and it is evident with his brief moments with Aunt May.
Yuen Bun has learnt well from Tsui Hark and shows great pacing as well as much kinetic movement of camera. There is a great sense of detail accompanied by excellent framing and editing that is expected from the series. Production values are of a high standard as is the musical score. The OUTIC saga has always been about patriotism and pride for the country and OUTIC IV serves its purpose just fine.
Though it never achieves the memorable set pieces of part one or two nor does it delve into the political elements of the previous outings as much, Once Upon a Time in China IV still provides enough entertainment to recommend a viewing. The action is brisk, creative and full of kinetic energy and Vincent Zhao makes a fine substitute for Jet Li. Sadly a good print of both OUTIC IV and V is difficult to track down.
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Vincent Zhao and Gordan Chan fails to deliver a satisfactory war epic
Vincent Zhao Wen Zhuo was once poised to be the next martial arts sensation but he never got the recognition he deserves. He possessed phenomenal martial arts skills, with a good build and handsome boyish looks yet sadly he has been lingering in B movie and TV serial for a long period of time. In 2010 Yuen Woo Ping cast Zhao as the legendary Su Qi Er in True Legend but it sadly flopped. Next was Corey Yuen’s 2012 Wu Dang that also failed to make an impact. His next few ventures in Jacob Cheung’s The Bride with the White Hair (2014 ) and Jing Tao The Boundary (2014) all failed to make an impression.Vincent Zhao’s latest leading role is Gordan Chan’s war epic God Of War. Zhao serves as General Qi Jiguan, a well versed battle tactician and martial artist. His skills and past battle has won himself recognition among court officials leading to his recruitment in battling the Japanese. General Qi is bought in to aid General Yu Dayou (Sammo Hung) after Yu’s several predictable and clockwork failed attempts in attacking a Japanese stronghold that resides strategist Sensei (Yusaki Kurata) and his band of pirates (consisting of Samurais and Ronin). After a quick victory by Qi, Yu is placed in lock up being accused of conspiring with the Japanese in there escape. General Qi is promoted to Yue’s position but is disappointed with is current selection of soldiers and request for some new recruits to train. He finds a favourable small band of villagers protecting there mining operations lead by the hot headed Timmy Hung (Son of Sammo Hung). After some quick training Qi’s army is forced to disperse his army to 3 different locations to counter Sensei’s maneuvers. Qi leads his portion of the army in an attack on a small Japanese occupied town eventually chasing Sensei and his army to their ships for final confrontation. While back in Qi’s hometown his wife (Regina Wan) are mounting a defence from a Japanese attack.
Gordan Chan has been notable in directing some classic Hong Kong action films such as Fist of Legend, Beast Cops, King of Beggars and Thunderbolt to name just a few but his more recent features such as The King of Fighters, Mural and The four trilogy have all been uninspiring and boring. Comparisons to Red Cliff and A Battle of Wits is apt for they both are about war tactics opposed to full on battle. Both fore mentioned films are more successful in conveying strategic abilities. God of War fails to demonstrate General Qi’s intelligent and leadership believably; we rarely witness him planning any battle tactics except for the brief moment during the opening.
The film is rather exposition heavy but none of it compelling enough and there is not nearly enough action beats to entertain and those that do occur are mediocre marred by a bit too many edits. The story meanders all over the place instead of focusing on the main problem at hand, the pirates. Mid way through the director places the pirate threat in the background and focuses on random elements. With such an imminent threat its seems like they have a lot of time to train a band of new soldier recruits. Zhao’s wife is also very annoying having fits of anger towards her mild tempered husband for little reason. It feels like the Chan wanted to hint that there is more about her hence her husbands respect towards her but it amounts to nothing. During the latter moments there was a allusion at her battle prowess but sadly it is not to be. Characters and situations are introduced needlessly such as the capture of Sammo Hung’s character which does not progress to anything in particular, the recruitment of Timmy Hung’s character that never adds much and an honourable Japanese Yamagawa (Keisuke Koide) samurai protecting a Chinese woman that serves little purpose.
The musical score is also a bit odd as the music does not really fit the moment. Though this has been a problem that plagued Gordon Chan’s career, his musical choice has always been questionable from Fist of Legend to 2000AD it always failed to deliver the right cues. The production design is top notch, the sets are lavish and grand complimented by some great cinematography.
Credit has to be given to Gordon Chan for not treading the easy route of portraying the Japanese as evil and conniving villains. Doing what he did with Fist of Legend, he presents some of the Japanese with honour bound by the code of a samurai. We are given more than just one variant of Japanese, the Ronin is a horrible bunch where as the Samurai has a sense of duty.
The fights are more grounded affair thankfully with little wirework involved. The likes of Zhao and Kurata are exciting choices of talents and as a martial arts fan those hoping for a confrontation between the two can be thankful that Gordan Chan gives just that. The fight is a serviceable if a bit lacking in creativity there are brief hints of good choreography as the 2 goes from sword vs sword to hand to hand combat but its all a bit short lived. Not helping matters is a bit too much editing and close framing. Zhao also goes toe to toe with Sammo Hung in a rather pointless throw down between the two. The fight itself is serviceable but some how lacks excitement.
Vincent Zhao gives a fine performance as a righteous and upright man. Zhao’s soft smile and boyish looks presents General Qi with a kind nature but at the same time contains an air of authority. Yusaki Kurata his in fine form he gives his character a sense of pride and honour also shows great intelligence. His band of Japanese soldiers also give fine performances in there rather brief screen time. Sammo Hung shows up too briefly to make any significant impact but does just fine as a respectable leader and a man of principle and respect.
Presenting too little excitement to recommend and not as intelligent as it thinks it is. With more successful period films to choose from God Of War is a hard sell.
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An insult to such legendary figures.
This was truly an exciting announcement; the idea of a genuine kung fu film with legitimate martial arts actors playing iconic roles; Vincent Zhao as Wong Fei Hung, Andy On as Huo Yuen Jia, Danny Chan as Chen Zhen and Dennis To as Ip Man also throw in Bruce Liang as an antagonist and have famed action choreographer Tony Leung Siu Hung handle the fight scenes, it should have been the ultimate kung fu film. Ignoring that Jeffrey Lau is the director, who has a resume of some mildly engaging comedies (and a slew of truly awful films), even he can not make a dud of a film considering the heft of talents involved. It sounded like a dream come true.Yet we are delivered a truly horrific piece of romantic comedy and not the kung fu film that was promised by marketing, the trailers (which in all honesty was pretty bad) and the suggestive title. Sure there is some fight scenes involved but they are so poorly put together it begs the question of how it came to be. Matters made worse is that Vincent Zhao, Andy On, Danny Chan and Dennis To are not even the leads or the main focus of the film instead they are second fiddle to the main crux of the story which is comic book geek Fei Ying Xiong played by Mayday boyband member Ashin whose is vying for his love interest.
Comic book artist introvert Fei Ying Xiong (Ashin) is madly in love with Bao’er (Madina Mehmet) a female colleague at his office but he faces tough competition from Zhang Peng (Steven Zhang) who happens to be a bully and the CEO’s son. Feeling inadequate to compete he enlists the help of his comic heroes Wong Fei Hung (Vincent Zhao), Huo Yuen Jia (Andy On), Chen Zhen (Danny Chan) and Ip Man (Dennis To), miraculously they come to life and with some persuasion they become mentors to Ying Xiong, teaching him the ways of kung fu. A fight tournament is staged by Peng but there is an ulterior motive at play and as the final reveal is made, Ying Xiong has to pull up the courage to save the love of his life.
The yawn inducing synopsis is as bad as it sounds pulling every cliché and stereotypes into play and adding nothing of creativity. Throw in a subplot about Aunt Thirteen cheating on Wong Fei Hung and you have got a product that attempts to eschew expectations in the wrong way. Borrowing from films such as Kung Fu Kingdom (2008) – kung fu masters training a young protege, Kung Fu Hustle (2004) – a gifted individual with untapped potential, Iceman 3D (2014) – time travelling heroes and even Dead or Alive (2006) (Corey Yuen version based on the Konami computer game not the Japanese film) – a device to catalogue every martial arts move. In fact the approach is not to dissimilar to the Jet Li’s comedy Badges of Fury (2013) which by no means is a quality film but at least the lead actor Wen Zhang made the film endearing, the same cannot be said about Ashin who posses little likeable qualities, often moaning and complaining about life's unfairness.
Production design is also a little to be desired with bland looking sets and a stupid looking armour that the main protagonist wears during the finale. With the final bout taking place in a sparse underground lair.
It is a painful slog to get through and out right plain insulting for it to be marketed as a “Kung Fu” film with promotional material giving Zhao, On, Chan and To top billing but it is not the film that we believe it to be. Bruce Liang of Kung Fu Hustle fame plays Qiao Shan-Hu which is such a random character and it could have been completely exorcised without affecting the thinly veiled plot. The romantic thread which acts as the crux of the film is so painfully undercooked and predictable with no attempts to justify everyones affection for Bao’er.
Vincent Zhao comfortably reprises his most iconic role, sporting a collective demeanor but also throwing himself in the buffoonery with gusto, Danny Chan does what he has been doing all these years riffing Bruce Lee, Andy On is sadly under-utilised and fails to command the authority as Huo Yuan Jia master to Danny Chan’s Chen Zhen and lastly Dennis To is comfortable as Ip Man but has little else to do. Poor old Bruce Liang is not given much to do and appears randomly as a top ranking henchman to CEO boss and then disappears.
Handling the fight scenes is veteran choreographer Tony Leung Siu Lung whose credits include the criminally underrated Angel (1987) starring Moon Lee, Ip Man (2008), The Legend is Born: Ip Man (2010) and The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake (2011) to name a few. Leung usually implements old school traditional forms mixed with intricate choreography which is now sadly absent from the martial arts cinema scene, so there was high expectations especially considering the wealth of martial arts talents at his disposal. Sadly that is not the case fight scenes employ such basic maneuvers and uninspired choreography with an over abundance of wire fu. Those hoping for any type of confrontation between the legendary characters will have to keep waiting for it never happens in this film except for a very brief scuffle between Wong Fei Hung and Chen Zhen that fails to excite. Vincent Zhao is given the biggest on screen fighting and his showdown with Bruce Liang should have been a highlight but the choreography on displayed is so mundane and the drama surrounding the scene is so generic it makes the proceeding very uninteresting. The grand finale gathers all the major characters together to fend off the big bad guy, the fight itself is pathetic with the villain employing a power suit that can read and replicate the heroes movements and grants super human strength. Andy On and Dennis To do not even get to demonstrate any fighting prowess with in the film, with To being played for laughs and his twist at the end is predictable, where as On has the special ability to move at super speeds allowing for him to just blur past and take out opponents. Danny Chan reprises in his role at emulating Bruce Lee and gets to do the usual kick, punch and scream but nothing to elevate it from being been there done that.
Comedy is the order of the day and it fails to even elicit any genuine funny moments with many juvenile humour and a seriously misguided homophobic joke thrown in. If the jokes were tasteful one can forgive the huge disrespect afford to these legendary figures and characters but because of the massive disservice and poor handling it can feel very insulting, especially to those who have been accustomed to these characters.
Jeffrey Lau once again demonstrate a lack of coherency and throws in everything he can think of hoping for something to stick. This is probably one of the worst films to come out of Hong Kong / China and should be avoided at all cost.
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I'm pretty disappointed, but to each their own opinion
I truly do not understand how this movie is so highly rated and how there are good reviews. I am by no means usually a harsh movie critique, in fact I like bad movies sometimes. However this was just painfully awful. The pacing was basically non-existent, almost all of the most important plot points were told through messy montages, the line reading felt so weird to me, I'm just a bit disappointed to be honest. I was really excited because I saw a clip of the attempted suicide and thought it would be very thought provoking and sad, however I actually laughed at how poor the movie was executed at times. The tone was all over the place, and overall everything just felt like a weird fever dream, and not a good one. If you like this movie then by all means your opinion is fair, I'm just kind of shocked.Was this review helpful to you?
worth watching!!
Such a good movie to watch! MSD is a really good enemy to lovers movie, I’m so impressed! A lot of Korean BL films and shows have come out this year, and MSD is one is easily one of the better ones that came out :)Story: an interesting plot for sure, i personally liked it and it kept drawing me in. basically, the main character, chef yoon, works at this place called laura’s restaurant (or something like that) as the head chef. his job is threatened by chef choi, and get off on the wrong foot. they slowly but surely fall for each other after seeing each other out of the kitchen.
acting/cast: the acting moved me, it’s always the way the leads look in each other’s eye that i determine if they’re acting is actually good. let’s just say these two had me in a chokehold :) the cast was really good looking and made me forget they were actually acting!
music: good soundtrack!! but the one song that girl sang in english whenever anything romantic happened was B A D 😭
rewatch value: i’d actually rewatch this because it was that good and easy on my heart hahah..
overall: watch it!! it’s a good bl romance movie <33
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A Nostalgia-Ridden Love Story To The 1990s …
When discussing about directors Frankie Chen and Chen Yu Shan’s ‘ Our Times’ , the movie is often directly attributed on a surface level as merely being a stereotypical and cutesy love story between its two main leads Lin and Taiyu . However is arguable that when you are able to delve further beneath the film’s surface ‘ Our Times’ isn’t just a literal romance, but a love story and homage by its creators to the nostalgic days of youth in 1990s Taiwan.
Original or replicated props,popular culture references to 90’s idols such as Aaron Kwok and Andy Lau, outfits and copied hairstyles from the era given to the drama’s cast animated scenes to life with euphoria as bubbly palettes and vivid hues onscreen attempted to perfectly capture the rose-tinted warmth and sweetness of adolescence throughout the movie.
However that isn’t to say that Chen and Shan entirely limit the nostalgia-ride with merely visuals. The reimbursed injection of the “ordinary girl meets her Prince Charming” trope admittedly did have its highs-and-lows throughout the movie.
An evident feminine-perspective to this cliche helped to add a breath of fresh air to an otherwise overused trope. Flashbacks and flash forwards throughout the drama’s non-linear storyline between Lin Zhen Xin’s dilemmas as a young woman in her thirties( Joe Chen) against Lin’s naive teen-self ( Vivian Sung) helped to present Lin Zhen Xin’s journey throughout the movie.
Nevertheless ‘ Our Time’ ‘s pragmatic focus upon Zhen Xin’s embroiled meeting with the seemingly fearsome delinquent Taiyu (Darren Wang) could admittedly sometimes feel shoehorned by cliches in an attempt to keep the drama’s plot-drive afloat throughout the movie’s duration. Considering that this is one of the focal drives of the storyline it wasn’t necessarily bad per say that the film attempted to offer opportunities to bring forward the two unlikely lovers together. On the other hand the movie could often feel as though it was trying to drive the series sometimes through enforced misunderstandings leading to further drama, rather than allowing coherent events to take place and then resolving problems throughout the film.
One of the most pleasant surprises of the film came through the movie’s lineup. Joe Chen played the older-self of the female lead; a woman in her thirties stuck in a deadbeat office non who begins to reminisce about her school days back in the 1990s. Despite Chen not having as many focused scenes as she should’ve done as the main character’s older-self in the film, the actress was able to interplay her character incredibly well with younger actress Vivian Sung.
Sung is arguably one of the main highlights of ‘ Our Time’. Whilst at times the actress could admittedly feel as though she was putting on a slight over-the-top ambience to her onscreen persona in order to sway audiences towards her image as the “ dorky teen and fan girl ”, Sung could also surprisingly captivate a loveable and down-to-earth charm to Zhen Xin’s teen-self for audiences.
Costarring alongside Joe Chen was Jerry Yan as main male lead Hsu Tai Yu’s older-self. The actor’s well-known performance as the main lead in the popular adaptation of the original ‘ Meteor Garden’ did carry through with a slight gruff charm onscreen. Nevertheless Yan’s appearance whilst necessary to wrap-up events was limited and brief to say the least.
The notable star-attraction of the series as the younger Hsu Tai Yu was Darren Wang. As the actor’s breakout role Wang portrayed troublemaker Taiyu with a few awkward line deliverances at times but quickly made up for this through surprising heart and soul in tour de force moments of the momvie, as well as wittiness when screen time called for it also.
On the other hand for a movie filled with easygoing nostalgia and sweet chemistry between the leads ‘ Our Time’ could often fall victim to pacing. For a film exceeding a two hour duration trying to captivate an audience is quintessential and dragged-out scenes and dialogue exchanges could often sometimes weigh heavily upon its paced-narrative. Plot points could sometimes feel slightly cyclical at times without adding anything new to the storyline; something that could’ve easily been fixed if the storyline had arguably kept its structure a little more rigid and succinct .
The ending admittedly on a crisp and sweet note for audiences- expected of the genre but fitting for the characters and events of the movie.
Frankie Chen and Chen Yu Shan is an expected love-story with cliches and shoehorning sometimes worming its way into the events of a laissez-faire paced plot. Nevertheless there’s no doubt that there’s something oddly endorsing about its cast, bright palettes and authentic set pieces as well as Chen and Shan’s homage not just to the 1990s, but an attempt to engage audiences through the universal experience of nostalgia also.
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The Detonation Of The Rom-Com…
Takashi Miike has long been known for his blood-soaked and violent movies through his legacy left upon Japanese cinema. Therefore it should come as no surprise that his directed psychological-horror ‘ Audition’ (1999) has led to an onslaught of confusion, surprise, intrigue and horror amongst anyone who has watched Miike’s surrealist film.
Based on the novel by Japanese writer Ryû Murakami, ‘ Audition’ ‘s seeming basic plot-drive could easily be mistaken by the naked eye as a rom-com. Ryo Ishibashi played Aoyama; the middle-aged father and widower who is raising his teenage son Shigehiko (Tetsu Sawaki). Worried about his father Shigehiko suggests that Aoyama should move on and find someone new.
Aoyama soon urged the help from his filmmaking partner Yoshikawa (Jun Kunimara) to film a fake audition for a melodrama as a way of looking for a young and attractive woman. Soon Aoyama seems to have found exactly who he is looking for in Yamazaki Asami ( Shiina Eihi); an ethereally beautiful young woman who is well-mannered and charismatic . However Asami’s perfection soon begins to slip through the cracks as Aoyama stumbles upon darker truths surrounding his seemingly " perfect woman" and her past.
Takashi Miike’s film is tainted with its equilibrated infliction of violence and gore. However unlike many of the director’s previous works which are often soaked in crimson red long before the rolling credits, ‘ Audition’ is a movie which is poignantly self-conscious about its insidious undertones.The notable emotional emphasis upon Shigehiko and Aoyama’s objectification of women early on in ‘ Audition’ has arguably led to a lot of interpretations and mixed-criticism towards Miike’s great contrast between the first-part and second-half of the movie.
Arguably Miike is purposeful within his initial setup of the first part of Audition in equal rendition to a rom-com with the setup and Kunimara’s awkward and flustered micro-expressions around Asami.
Nevertheless even early early on in Miike’s tedious first-part there are hints towards something not being quite right with Aoyama’s dream girl; sitting alone on the floor in an empty apartment, staring at the phone on the ground and all but disappearing after Asami and Aoyama spend the night together. Miike’s clear emphasis upon the expected subservience of women presented a clear critique upon the expectations of Japanese society twisted and morphed into a monstrous reality as the events progress.
However whilst the first-half of ‘Audition’ can arguably be excused as Miike’s presented innocuous romantic fantasy which takes a darker turn in the second half there is an undeniable problem with Miike’s pacing; it is incredibly slow-burn and in parts tedious . Naturally the events are supposed to be gradual but scenes in the first part could often feel dragged out. Overstretched dialogue exchanges could often disengage audiences in parts which whilst necessary often lacked a great ability to coincide with impactful shock and horror amongst audiences by hooking them in the first-part.
However patience is often said to be a virtue. The second-half of ‘Audition’ acts as an enriched reflection of character study where personal traumas and moral, sexual and social boundaries began to blur and frustrations towards gender limitations became more prominent. Aoyama’s fear against women became a reality through Asami became a reality as a sardonic and satirical tone veiled the movie with a boundary where it was hard to truly root for anyone without having to acknowledge the ugly head of the character’s flaws. Reflected in the gradually illusive cinematography techniques which became gradually more vivid throughout this part Miike’s dark irony was perfectly captured in the final part with a shocking twist to its events.
‘Audition’ is a movie which is not for the faint hearted. It is slow-paced and tedious in its initial exposition and whilst failing to arguably wrap up some key points, it is still a movie which unlike many modern horror films understood the impact of suspense and building fear. The cast were were brilliant within their roles and Miike’s emphasis upon themes of gender and limitations disturbingly explode in clear vision for the delivered conclusion of the movie.
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This review may contain spoilers
A remake of Dangerous Liaisons made with an international cast of Hong Kong, Taiwanese, Chinese, Korean, and American actors. If this is the first version of this story you've ever seen, you might be far more impressed than I was.What I liked about this movie: The cinematography was lush and the scenes were wrapped in golden light and settings. 1930's Shanghai came to life beautifully.
What didn't work for me: Mostly the acting and the reworked story. Cecilia Cheung played the Marquise de Merteuil/Madam Mo Jie Yu role. This is a key role, she was the independent, manipulative, devious mind pulling the strings in business, society, and the bedroom. She should have been the alluring lethal danger in this movie. Unfortunately, instead of displaying the cunning and cruelty at the heart of Jie Yu, Cecilia could only manage a fake smile and a grimace occasionally, bringing almost no nuance to this multi-layered character.
Jang Dong Gun in the Vicomte de Valmont /Xie Yi Fan role was pleasing enough but lacked the sexually sinister side needed as Valmont/Fan slept his way across Shanghai and ultimately tripped himself up by falling in love. Zhang Zi Yi portrayed the Madame de Tourvel/Madam Du Fen Yu role. Her performance was perhaps the most disappointing, and I'm a fan of hers. Somehow, they transformed her into a frumpy woman, a woman who moved and dressed like an elderly little old lady. A reserved character became almost lifeless in her hands, and it was hard to understand how Fan fell so hopelessly in love with her.
The secondary younger characters, integral to the story were given short shrift and much of their important action was done offstage.
Key parts of the original story were cut out or given to other characters. Sometimes a new vision works, this retelling of the tale did not for me. Again, if you've never seen other versions of this, this interpretation may be perfectly serviceable.
Most unsatisfactorily of all, they took the bite, rancor, revenge, and tragedy out of the ending. This cast lured me into watching yet another version of this story, bitterly disappointing me in the end. Jang Dong Gun's charisma did lift an otherwise limp version of this sexual and power games movie, but his performance wasn't enough to save it for me. Instead of Dangerous Liaisons it was more like Irksome Liaisons.
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A little cliche but still heart-warming
For a 2011 movie, this was pretty much what you'd expect. It was heart-warming and I could see it being a tear-jerker for some, but it also just doesn't provide many new plots or characters compared to similar movies that I've seen.The pacing was quite nice in the first half — I'm a sucker for the way they did the slow burn — but the second half had a lot of plot development and not much of the same patience dedicated to them. This is one of those movies I wish was a drama because maybe those backstories could have been fleshed out more and the characters could have more conversations with each other, especially once the conflicts started kicking in. I especially felt like the ending was a bit rushed.
Other than that, this was a really wholesome movie for the most part and I had a good time watching it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Much sex, little story
I just don't know, what the movie was supposed to tell us. That the people, who go to love hotel, have sex there? Actually the movie didn't catch enough of my attention, so I just loosely followed. The first half or even more is about different people renting the room in the said love hotel and having sex in there, and the staff was permanently listening to them. Maybe it was involuntary, they had some ventilation going to the staff room and it served almost as a speaker... But even so they didn't see it coming, that two guests (room teacher and a high school student girl) commited suicide. After that and the death of the father, who was the first owner, the young owner closes the love hotel and leaves for somewhere, presumably Tokyo. And bevore leaving she also has sex in the same room with some guy, whom she liked since high school...That's it. I don't understand why it was filmed in the first place. The acting was alright, considering the script. Story is more or less none-existent. Music was okayish. If someone wanted to make an erotic film, the movie doesn't show anything, despite many moments with people having sex, there is nothing erotic or sexy. Also I don't understand why Matsuyama Kenichi and Yasuda Ken would play in that movie...
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19 years - 110 Countries - 25,000 miles!
The cinematography and music was excellent in this movie!The support cast worked great to support the main cast's performance.
I liked especially the majority movie showing the hazards, hardships and trials that befell Xuan Zang in his 25,000 mile-110 countries-19 year journey...
Instead of giving you my own opinion of this movie, I am letting others tell you 'their' opinion of this movie:
Smith Watson
2 months ago
As an Indian we are only taught about Hiuen Tsang as a Chinese traveler who visited India but we never knew how much sacrifices he made to reach India and that he was a Buddhist monk who spread Buddhism in China via the texts. Great man, Salute to him. He has written 'Si-Yu-Ki' i.e Buddhist records of the western world.
I love the scenery!
I love the attempt at making this seem to have been filmed in the time period in which the character lived.
I love the interaction on a respectful, human level which seems to be so lacking in society today.
I love the historical accuracy since I reported on this person as part of a Religious Studies class in college.
And I love being able to escape into a time where things were simpler...
Bill Amos
1 year ago
I came upon this movie totally by accident, and I'm so glad I did! It has spurred me to read more about Buddhism, the Silk Road, and Tang-era China.
Jaydeep Ghosh
8 months ago
Beautiful , love from India. Yes, Hiuen Tsang is part of Indian school syllabus in 7-8th grade history. Great to get some glimpses of ancient India and China. Love and respect!
FT- Anjana PV
5 months ago
Omg... Such a beautiful movie.. kudos to actor portrayed Xuan.. i m so glad hearing a Chinese speaking hindi and Indian actors to be a part of Chinese movie.. i really hope India and China to be friends forever. No war no hatred. Peace only. I hope people will understand this
anandita adhikary
7 months ago (edited)
Thank you China for such a beautiful film. I absolutely loved it. Have read about Xuansang as a part of history syllabus in school but to see a movie depicting his eventful and inspirational life was an experience in itself. The present relationship between the two countries is far from what it happened to be or what it should have been. The two great civilizations would have benefitted a lot from one another ;had the evil forces of destiny didn't intervene !
I have visited ruins of Nalanda University, Mahabodhi temple and the banyan tree where Lord Buddha got enlightenment personally and have great reverence for Him 🙏🌹❤️
Rose Lover
1 year ago
I am a Christian and I found this movie inspiring and moving. If a horse can have a kind and compassionate heart what excuses do we as humans have? We ought to love and treat each other better.
Ruchi in China
11 months ago
Love from India! A subscriber referred to this movie and I can’t believe I haven’t watched it. Every Indian should watch this beautiful movie to learn the historical significance of these events.
Zel L B.
9 months ago
Such a film! The sceneries and phases in this film translated so well. These magnificent landscapes surely lead us to our own inner journey. Kudos to Chinese and India filmmakers, happy to have stumbled upon this.
teve a
11 months ago
I was a tourist at the Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, on the day they were filming this movie and got to watch them for a bit. This main Actor who played Xuanzang is very famous and well known in India and people were lined up to say hello to him after the filming. It was all surreal to see this ....Just like stepping back in time
Jason Watkin
11 months ago
What a devotional masterpiece. I would have watched it just to hear the monks chanting Om Mani Padme Hum, or the Mandarin version of the Heart Sutra. Even the precision of the difference between Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna - Hīnayāna seeing the universe as material and perception as illusory and mutable, while Mahāyāna seeing “both” as illusory and mutable is very succinct and skillful. The cinematography and content are awe-inspiring!
triple terrific
5 months ago
As an Indian, I have great admiration for Hieuntsang about whom I learnt while at school. Thank you for writing about our history. At least through your books I learn about the golden times of my Bharatha
Any questions? A whole page full of like comments are at the English Subtitled version of this movie - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulDzLjz0wdw
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A little endearing but mostly cringy and over-the-top
This is pretty much what I expected from a 2011 Taiwanese rom-com; it's a lot of ridiculousness and slapstick humor, and a lot of the main female lead just bumbling around, being clumsy, overreacting, and making questionable decisions.Something about this is a little endearing — I appreciate the absolute mundaneness of the male lead, and of the entire situation, despite many of the plot points being common tropes.
However, the weakness of this movie is really with its characters; the male lead is mundane but uninspiring, the female lead is dramatic to the point of being cookie-cutter. It's pretty unclear why they fell for each other, and the addition of a mean female second lead felt pretty unnecessary. The positives were the aunties, who were pretty much there for comedic relief and succeeded at doing exactly that.
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Good story
Good story. I bet the manga was better because they could fit more in. This understandably seemed squished given the short time frame it has to be portrayed in. Though the kissing and sometimes the acting was really awkward. Especially on the part of Yagii-san. I don't think the actors kissed at all. That's ok with me. I can understand how that must be uncomfortable, and we aren't progressive enough to be at a point where people of the same gender kissing is as normal and comfortable as people of different genders kissing. It just felt... homophobic. Not that the actors or the show itself was homophobic. Ok, since the literal meaning of Homophobic is scared of homosexual people, then yes, both are homophobic. But it feels invalidating to queer people. If you can't fully betray it, then get different actors? Do I feel that this representation is better than nothing? Yes, but does that have to be my standard in 2021? I don't think so.Was this review helpful to you?
