It's worth your time

Like what the headlines said, it really is worth spending your saturday night watching this movie. In fact, unlike most movies where I find them to be sometimes too short for any character development to happen, this movie really utilises its time well.

Let's start with advantages:
Firstly it knows how to grab the viewer's attention. From the very first scene, it convinces you that this movie is worth watching. The intro scene is not creepy, but I'm not sure if others will think the same since I can tolerate horror and thriller. I was smiling at the whole intro, not because I'm a lunatic for smiling at the scene full of dead bodies which gives off a gloomy atmosphere, but because of the set, the details, the acting. When I saw the old lady, of course sshe gives off creepy vibes. She really gave me the chills, and I really appreciated her acting. The starting scene, for me, was so interesting, especially when the face of the corpse came off and was latched onto another person by insects.

Next, the movie does not include useless characters and useless scenes. It goes straight to the point, and every scene progresses the story in a steady pace. However, I do not like the maid's attitude. Her name was Xiao something, I can't remember her name. She kept calling for the officials despite her master telling her that there are no witches in the house. How has he not fired her yet? Or at least give her a good scolding?

Other than that, let's talk about the sets, the makeup, and the costumes. Right after the intro scene is when the movie officially starts. There was a scene when there's a close up shot of the FL, and the makeup was done so neatly! The costumes were definitely not cheap too. It was well designed, especially the appearance of the master of the two demon ladies. The two demon ladies' outfits were nice too, but its just the same type of clothes with different patterns and colours. The set is something more impressive than the other two points. Each and every set, like the part of the street where the ML was selling his paintings, only need a certain part since scenes involving the streets take less than half an hour. But you can see the immaculate details in that scene. The smell of money will hit you right in the face. Movies can sometimes have better qualities than dramas since it is shorter to produce.

Lastly, the ending. Out of all the main characters, only two still lived. Initially, I thought that the Taoist Priest is annoying, something like that monk in The White Snake. But no, he is useful and reasonable, and I'm glad he survived. The other one who lived was the ML. So he has a wife that was extremely sick, and fell in love with the demon, the FL. I thought he's cheating on his wife but it turns out he only respected his wife like how a married couple should, with no intimate feelings whatsoever, but thing is, he couldn't live with her. Why does he feel that way, I also have no idea. It could be an arranged marriage for all we know. On the other hand, he loved the demon lady, but stabbed her in the end knowing she's a demon. He thought that she killed his wife, and told her that he never liked her despite painting her before. After he stabbed her, he stabbed himself. The demon lady sacrificed her life so that he could live, even though he misunderstood her. The ending tore me, and I couldn't ask for a better ending. My favourite line was from the Taoist Priest, "Humans and Demons can never be together". My favorite scene was when the ML discovered the FL's letter. The demon just wants to be loved.

So in the end, the movie still stuck to the realistic side. The ML didn't forgive the FL just because she's the FL. He did according to what he think is right, and as much as I hate him for misunderstanding her, it's completely alright since he had no way of knowing. No one told him anything.

Now, the movie has its downside too.

Firstly, many things were not explained. There are very minor, but it still bothered me a little regardless.

1. Why could the demon pass through the tailsman? It's not like she inhabited the ML's wife's body.

2. The ML is a scholar, given the way he was dressed when he went out. He earns money by selling his paintings, and lives in a lavish house. Given my experience in watching historical dramas and all, a painter that earns money like that, instead of an auction hourse, is usually poor or at least 'middle-class', as they call it.

3.Why is the FL's 'sister' so afraid of the clothes that their master gave them? Maybe I didn't catch on but what's the disadvantage of wearing such clothes? And what are those clothes made of that could cause such disadvantage?

4. Why did their master kill the FL's 'sister' in the end? Because she talked too much to the ML that it eases the tension? She could've helped the master defeat the humans, but the master choose to kill her own people in the most crucial time, how laughable.

5. Where was the ML's wife buried? How did she pass away?

6. Who was the one in the bathtub when the maid ate something and saw the change in face? Is it the FL's 'sister'? Because when the maid ran to find her master, the FL was with him and his wife. So why is the maid convinced that the demon is the FL, but did not think of the fact that some other demon might come uninvited?

And although I've praised the quality of the set, I couldn't praise the set where the FL's 'sister', the officer and the Taoist Priest first fought. They were previously on a street, and the next they were somewhere on a hill. I don't know why, the transition was so smooth, so why didn't I like it? Is it because the set of that scene looks fake? I don't know but what I do know is that I do not enjoy that scene.

Overall, the downside of this movie is minor, so I wouldn't discourage you from watching it. Enjoy!

Lees verder

It went beyond my expectations

I love watching costume dramas, and over time my standards would rise and I would be critical of every aespect of the drama/ movie, be it the costumes, the scripts, the acting and the props. Since this is a movie and not a drama, I have low expectations for it. But it exceed my expectations and I'm very pleased about it.

Bad things about the movie:

There are a few things that irked me. I understand that given the time contraints, it is impossible to hope for any satisfying chemistry. Especially with that arrogant disciple of Wudang sect and Lian Nichang. Ok I thought Nichang would be super badass and ruthless, but then she saw that disciple's hand and then thought of a guy in her childhood that saved her and then she fell in love with him. It's just too quick that I don't know how to process it. She had kept the bamboo flute from him given to her years ago and part was alright, but I don't understand why that guy love her too. And how Nichang just abandon all hostility when it comes to him. I thought her heart would be as hard as iron, but no. But clearly their love wasn't deep enough, so I was quite satisfied when he didn't believe her and ended up betraying her. At least the screenwriter has common sense. But I don't know why Nichang would play the flute before engaging in a fight with Wudang Sect disciples. What significance does it hold? Does it magically increases her prowness? Does it raise people from the dead? Other than doing it to look cool and mysterious, it is absolutely unnecessary and let me tell you: if you're writing something, anything, be it novels or stories or movies or dramas, do not include anything that doesn't drive the plot. Nichang playing the flute at that time to announce her arrival is just...hilarious given that there's no reason to announce it like that. But her playing to her little sister was sweet though, and at least in that segment it shows how good her relationship is with her sister.

Good things about the movie:

One line from Nichang that I remembered. She quoted her master, something about how having a name means you're free from all bad things. That line is just so powerful! I absolutely love the solemnity that line holds! If you've watched it, the scene starts with a battle between Nichang and the other handsome guy whose name I've forgotten, but I remember his face and he's gorgeous. That is an excellent job of the screenwriter, because if you show your viewers some action at the start, they will feel intrigued, they will feel the need to continue watching. And afterwards we're thrown into a funeral scene. THAT WHOLE PART WAS MY FAVOURITE, ESPECIALLY WHEN NICHANG JUMP OUT OF THE COFFIN (or was it a casket, I don't remember too clearly)! The tense atmosphere, the detailed set, the impression Eunuch Wei gave off, and how that scene alone tells us the power Eunuch Wei holds, it's all so perfect I couldn't get enough of it. This is something like in The Untamed, where the first scene we saw is Wei Wuxian falling from a cliff. The fighting scene was alright, no awkward movements or anything unnatural. All in all, there's more good points than bad points. And theres that jealous disciple, I just love his character. Well, I don't love a character based on how they benefit the main leads, or hate a character because of what evil deeds they've done, but how well their character is written. And there's this part where Nichang stabbed her lover's shoulder when she protected that jealous disciple, and saw that the jealous disciple was pulling out his sword. She just stabbed through her lover's shoulder and stabbed directly at the jealous disciple and killed him then and there. That move surprised me, I'll give this movie points for that. And when Nichang pushed away that disciple when he tried to hug her, I was just like...WE LOVE A BADASS QUEEN! And the ending was the best, like it wasn't a happy ending where the couple got together, but was separated for at least a year. Even when they reunited, they weren't actually together; Nichang just met that disciple at the sect (apologies for the constance reference to him as THE DISCIPLE, I really forgot his name). That ending satisfied me, how the screenwriter wasn't so simple that he/she wrote that they lived happily ever after.

IN CONCLUSION, I wished this movie is a drama. That way, the screenwriter could properly develop NIchang and that disciple's relationship so that it didn't seemed rushed. The ending was nice and calls for a sequel!

Lees verder

A touching story

So basically I feel that this movie is so UNDERRATED! I feel so upset that it doesn't get more attention that it deserves! Ok well some of the relationship between two characters, like the ghost lady and the scholar male lead, wasn't nicely developed. They spent a night reading some story and the lady was playing the pipa, and he wants to marry her already to free her from the resentments of the human world. Well I get that part but what I don't understand was how he fell in love with her so quickly. The dialogs when he was proposing to her was good, but I just don't feel any chemistry between them. However, the chemistry between the two male leads are just BAM! Their friendship is pure despite the fact that the fox, only tagged along with the scholar because he needs something, a white elixir from him that could cause the scholar's life so that he could be a nine tailed fox immortal. And when that time comes, the scholar gave it without hesitation to a person who's pretending to be the fox ML. His fox friend obtained that elixir, which the villian thought was just a normal black elixir. A plot twist happened which I'll not mention, but the fox gave up immortality to save his scholar friend, and was reduced to a normal fox. His scholar friend's memories was wiped away, but his compassion remains. When his scholar friend saw that fox that was badly injured, he took him in. And thus, the two friends spend their lives together. Meanwhile, somewhere at the start, there's this taosit priest that stabs paintings to cure people, and IT WENT SO SMOOTHLY. The blood oozing from the painting is just amazing! I hope you'll give this movie a chance

Lees verder