Overall this is a good Wu Xia with fantastic fight scenes that were choreograph. You actually see the realism of kungfu fighting and martial arts performed here by various cast.
Acting:
You have a group of seasonal actors acting as protagonists and antagonists, so no complaint. Everyone is spot on with their performances. The ML is Chen Xiao, initially portrayed himself as helpless and not much of kungfu skills but all brain and stratgegy. Then Rachel Momo is the FL, first time I am seeing her as a martial artist and I am impressed by her skills. Her emotions were also spot on in every scene. The supporting casts were all great in their characters and believable in their role. For villains, I especially like Qi Tian Feng and Tang Xiao. For supporting leads, I like Liu Gong Chan, Su Huai Rou, Mo Bu Fan and Jin Biao. The villains and SL are grey in their character but yet so like-able.
Story/Plot:
A revenge plot complicated by its back story of rebellion movement plotted by Prince Fu and conflicts between two sect., YunTai and LingYuan. The ML’s Luo family was massacre and he was rescued and kept at YunTai and was selected to learn strategies. As he has great potential, he became the close and direct disciple under YunTai Master. YunTai has years of conflict with another sect which is LingYuan where our FL, Shu YaNan is from, because of their differences in value. The ML and FL crossed paths for their own agenda but fell in love. Initially it felt like a Romeo and Juliet storyline. FL has very good Kungfu skills and uses poison well, she is also smart and trusted ML despite knowing his hidden agenda. ML became a love brain for a while. Actually at some point, I felt their love is a little draggy and unnecessary but I guessed the story is trying to show that love change a person (ML). I am not fully invested in their love story or even any side plot love line, it just feels redundant.
ML was initially all scheming, heartless and detached to others, as that is his way of YunTai and he was single-pointedly focused on uncovering his family’s massacres mystery and revenge. Along the journey, he learnt to care, value relationships and trust others and made quite a lot of good friends who also trusted him wholeheartedly and help him drives his ultimate plan.
Hence I wouldn’t say ML is the ingenious one, instead it’s a group of them.
The plot has good tension and suspense that keeps the audience interested, although the ending plot was predictable and not hard to guess. It’s still interesting to see how things unfold and come together.
There is a happy ending and nice closure but I won’t re-watch as once you know the ending, really no point to re-watch.
If you want to scrutinize, there were also a lot of loopholes and untied loose ends, but i can’t expect much with all the C-entertainment restrictions. So I am satisfied and happy that it at least gave us a complete story with good closure.