You just get off work on a Friday and you are tired. You want to watch something that will keep your interest and that you won't fall asleep half way through. You also don't want to watch an episode of a drama because you know if you watch 1 episode, you will want to keep watching and click play on the next episode.
LET ME SUGGEST TO YOU THE CHINESE MOVIE THE YIN-YANG MASTER: DREAM OF ETERNITY! It was released on Netflix yesterday and it was DEFINITELY an entertaining watch.
*Now as per usual with any review I write, I will not be including any spoilers in this review.*
Here is a short synopsis - This is the story of a Yin Yang master in training Qing Ming. He travels to the Capital City to take part in celestial rituals and stop a terrible evil from awakening. There he meets Bo Ya. Together they try and solve the mystery behind the weird events that are occurring in the Capital City.
I have been waiting to watch this movie FOR A LONG TIME ever since I saw the trailer. I was so glad to see that Netflix was going to have it on their site. Just from the trailer, you knew it was going to have a high production and visuals AND IT SURE DID NOT DISAPPOINT IN THAT DEPARTMENT!
There were a lot of things I loved about this film and a couple of things that stood out to me that could have been better. The cons I saw in this film doesn't really detract from the entertainment of this film though, just a couple of things I took note of.
The Pros
1)The Visuals - You can tell this movie spent A LOT of money on the production and visuals of this movie. It is a beautiful movie to watch. The CGI is breathtaking! When you have a movie with a lot of magic and spells involved, YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THE CGI IS GOOD! Not only is the CGI great but the costumes and sets also contribute to the visuals of this drama. Both are exquisite and look expensive. I remember when Mark Chao's character first arrived at the capital, I gasped at the set that was used for that scene because IT WAS JUST AMAZING! The costumes look great during the action scenes! The selling point of this movie WAS DEFINITELY THE VISUALS!
2)The Acting and Chemistry - The acting in this movie is GREAT! Mark Chao and Deng Lun have great chemistry together. They act well off of each other. Mark Chao's character is a little mischevious, confident and has a charm about him. Deng Lun character is supposed to be a stoic Imperial Guard but Deng Lun puts his own spin on the character and actually, in my opinion, brought some comedy to the character and relationship. Another stand out character to me was Olivia Wang playing Princess Zhang Ping. I have always been a fan of hers and I thought her portrayal of her character was very intriguing and interesting. The acting and chemistry of the cast was a HUGE reason why this story worked for me with this movie.
3)The Action Scenes - The action scenes were AMAZING to watch. The production and the visuals of this movie WERE SO HIGH so of course the fight scenes would stand out! To watch the actors, clash across the screen in their beautiful costumes was SO GOOD! The choreography of the action scenes was so intricate. I want to try and find a behind the scenes video of this movie because I want to know how some of these scenes were filmed.
The Cons
1) The Story - The story was solid and enjoyable. I did think it was rushed a bit, especially at the end of the movie. Now it might have seemed rushed because the movie only had 2 hours to give us a full story. I just thought that the writers gave us the bare minimum so that the story was still enjoyable but they knew the visuals would sell the movie, not the story. For me, the story seemed a bit lazy.
Especially when the movie is advertised as a mystery and the main characters having to solve the mystery. The characters solved the mystery almost with a 4th of the movie left to go. You can tell the writers wrapped up the story in order to have a VISUALLY RICH fight sequence for the last part of the movie. Don't get me wrong, the fight sequence was amazing and great to watch but I think the pacing of the plot could have been better done.
2)Sequel - I can see how the production company wanted to make a sequel to this movie. There is definitely room for a sequel, especially with how the movie ends with that special credit scene. I would watch a sequel FOR SURE! I think I would watch a sequel more to see the actors back together on screen than for the story though. I don't really think this movie needs a sequel but I would watch it if it was made.
3) Need to see in theaters - To no fault to the actors, THIS MOVIE NEEDS TO BE SEEN IN THEATERS! It was MADE to be seen in theaters with how grandiose it was. Due to scandals with the movie, sadly, that will never happen. Again, no fault to the actors because this was out of their control. It is such a pity that you can't see this is theaters because that would have been an experience FOR SURE!
Rating: 9/10 (Streaming on NETFLIX now)
So, have you seen The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity?
What did you think?
Is it on your list to watch?
WE NOW ALSO HAVE A DISCORD SO TALK TO US ON THERE AS WELL!