Jade Dynasty

I watched this movie because I loved Xiao Zhan in The Untamed, and he was one of the lead actors in this film. I haven't read the novel that it's based on. However, I heard that the novel spans 8 volumes! So, I didn't know what to expect plot-wise (I mean, how do you fit that much plot into less than two hours?).

The beginning of the film was pretty hilarious, but the plot/direction kind of disintegrated from there. Some of the transitions, character introductions, and plot points were confusing. Honestly, the "twist/emotional scene" near the end lacked power not particularly because of any acting issues, but that I didn't feel enough build up in the characters' relationship to be invested in the story.

Honestly, I feel like this was a situation where the entire production was disconnected from each other. The script was weak, the film wasn't long enough to fully develop the large cast of characters, they tried to include too many elements that weren't done well, and they probably tried to cut corners on production costs (that CGI, anyone?). Speaking to some of the other reviews: People need to produce better movies and not expect actors to carry the full weight of a bad script. With that being said, if all the cogs were at their best, this would be a completely different movie.

As mindless entertainment though, the acting was decent, there was a lot of situational humor, some fighting and explosions and love triangles and drama. It's worth a watch, but I probably wouldn't watch again.