The story and the acting are great, the action scenes are well done and exciting. This being a fantasy there are a few problems, there are of course some inconsistencies, but nothing major, a few huh? Scenes that don't make logical sense. And there are a few spots where the continuity is off. Other than that I have two complaints about this show, one of them is a character that was arrogant, and a trouble maker, plus this character was inconsistent in their attitude, first they would be arrogant and mouthy, and shortly after they were nice and compassionate; make up your mind which one is it, I just wished this character would die from the second time they opened their mouth. My second complaint is the 5 minute long end credits and the song that went with it. Also there is a reference and a scene that you probably won't get unless you have seen a previous series or movie. Other than that this is a great fantasy/adventure series. (I swear I have seen Wenqing Wei, who plays a minor character here, in other Chinese movies)
2 Reviews
Good series marred by terrible CGI and filler episodes
hexedd13 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This series was fun and had some interesting Indiana Jones vibes at times. What made it decent instead of good IMO were the awful CG monsters and filler episodes.
There were several episodes which built some nice tension, but then as soon as the CG monsters came out it turned laughable. Seriously, one of the monsters looked like computer generated effects from the 90s. It really ruined some otherwise good scenes in numerous episodes. Like come on, you can't do even a CG wolf and make it look decent?
My other complaint is the filler episodes that seemed to serve no purpose at all other than adding to the list of episodes. There were something like 3-4 episodes spent with the characters sitting out in a mountainous snow field for no reason, and then the writer's way to forward the story was to have a hole appear in the middle of the field. How about just have them trek on and find a cave or something?
The characters are good and reasonably well acted but pretty stock and trade. You've got the wise cracking "fatty" (their term not mine), the duplicitous rich guy, the lapdog assistant who is loyal no matter how vile his employer is, the rich city lady who doesn't want to get her shoes dirty, etc. Nonetheless it's a fun show and some episodes are very entertaining.
Overall though, the show suffers from some of the usual issues that affect Chinese tv shows right now. It's an industry on the rise and I really enjoy the sheer number of shows and movies coming out of China. I expect one day their cinema and tv will be some of the best in the world. Right now, if you can suffer through some some of the growing pains this show is a decent watch, but don't expect to be thrilled all the time, and definitely get ready for some straight up cheesey effects that make you laugh more than gasp.
There were several episodes which built some nice tension, but then as soon as the CG monsters came out it turned laughable. Seriously, one of the monsters looked like computer generated effects from the 90s. It really ruined some otherwise good scenes in numerous episodes. Like come on, you can't do even a CG wolf and make it look decent?
My other complaint is the filler episodes that seemed to serve no purpose at all other than adding to the list of episodes. There were something like 3-4 episodes spent with the characters sitting out in a mountainous snow field for no reason, and then the writer's way to forward the story was to have a hole appear in the middle of the field. How about just have them trek on and find a cave or something?
The characters are good and reasonably well acted but pretty stock and trade. You've got the wise cracking "fatty" (their term not mine), the duplicitous rich guy, the lapdog assistant who is loyal no matter how vile his employer is, the rich city lady who doesn't want to get her shoes dirty, etc. Nonetheless it's a fun show and some episodes are very entertaining.
Overall though, the show suffers from some of the usual issues that affect Chinese tv shows right now. It's an industry on the rise and I really enjoy the sheer number of shows and movies coming out of China. I expect one day their cinema and tv will be some of the best in the world. Right now, if you can suffer through some some of the growing pains this show is a decent watch, but don't expect to be thrilled all the time, and definitely get ready for some straight up cheesey effects that make you laugh more than gasp.
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