They have made some differences in the movie, like Cao Guang being the same person with Zhen Shui Wu Xiang (the ex of Wei Wei in the game) but is well connected.
I liked more Wei Wei played by Angela Baby, she portrayed more effectively her emotions and feelings.
Jing Boran hasn't the charm of Yang Yang (main actor of the drama) but he played very well the role of Xiao Nai and I liked that Xiao Nai was more talkative and smiled more often in the movie. :D ;)
The scenes inside the game were amazing, it made you feel like you were playing the game together with them. Especially the battle with the dragon in the game was awesome.
Its perfect movie especially if you are an online game fan :P ;) its modern, romantic and sweet without any dramas and it focus more on the online game world.
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THIS REVIEW IS ONLY BASED ON THIS MOVIE, NOT THAT OF THE ORIGINAL WORK.***SPOILER ALERT***SPOILER ALERT***
[If you haven't read the novel, watched the TV drama version, and know nothing of the plot and do not want it spoiled for you, then read no further... if that's not you OR you don't care, read on....]
I'm not gonna break my review down by sections. My review is a juxtaposition of the others and how I felt it compared:
The consolidation of scenes, characters, and information in the movie version was interesting. Not horrible, but definitely not 100% true to the original story. Zhen Shao Xiang's personality being consolidated into a combo of him and Cao Guang was kind of abrupt for me. Or KO being the manager of the internet cafe?? Wasn't expecting that. ..putting Hao Mei and KO's story as filler while rolling the credits was kind of dumb. Without "context" you missed the significance of that and it just became some kind of embarrassing moment for Hao Mei. ..frankly, I think they came at this project with the idea that everyone had either read the novel or watched the TV version. There's so much missing that without knowing anything, this movie would feel incomplete.
This Wei Wei is more outgoing than she's supposed to be. That's the aspect of her character that's really important in her connection with Xiao Nai. She's pure, innocent, shy, humble, and doesn't like to draw attention to herself. In this version, she's really not that way at all. She's much more extrovert and dominant, no where near passive. If you like her better this way, it's simply personal preference, but it's not the true character of her as written in the novel. And just as this Wei Wei is more extroverted, and not so shy, this Xiao Nai is a bit more emo and less hard-to-read, badass, cutthroat who was always 2 steps ahead of everyone else.
...and bottom line, what I really want to say, the BROMANCE and the relationship between him and his "brothers" and Wei Wei was really, really, REALLY, really lacking for me int this movie version. For me, that was as important if not MORE important than the romance between Xiao Nai and Wei Wei. I loved the whole "family" feel and it just enhanced their romance all the more. In this version, I just felt wanting; I felt lacking; I was waiting for there to be more of a close feeling with Wei Wei and the "brothers" but, more than half way through they barely had anything to say to each other. It was sad.
The ending was beyond rushed. Not only did they really let us down with anytime with the "brothers" but the whole 2nd part about their company and Wei Wei and Xiao Nai becoming closer to the point of marriage was basically completely skipped over. Not fulfilling for me at all.
My Best Fangirl Moment:
~At 1:32:00, when the Chinese League of Legends team, Invictus Gaming [IG] gets interviewed by Panda TV about the "Young" company of Xiao Nai. Rookie introduces himself and the team. Rookie is one of those South Korean players that the Chinese spent loads of money to transfer to China to play. Then, from left to right, you have Zzitai[top], Kitties[support], Rain[ADC] and another South Korean player, ending with Kid [jgl]... that means obviously that Rookie is IG's midlaner.... I just simply loved this little moment in time!!
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I didn’t really go into this movie expecting anything because of all the comments I read and I pushed off watching it because I didn’t want to know if it was bad or good. But I finally sat down and watched it and while it isn’t the best movie, it’s far from the worst. In movies, I don’t mind if they’re fast paced, some have to be. No one wants to sit through a 4 hour movie- I’ve done it. I got bored. So when changing a story or a fifty episode drama to a movie, things are going to get cut, you’ll miss half the story but let me tell you- this movie is not bad- it’s good! It’s not going to get tons of praise from a lot of people but I was smiling so much at the end and it left me feeling so happy. Not only leaving me with good feelings, but the actors delivered their parts which were probably challenging and they did it so well that (Personal Opinion) I would honestly choose to watch this over the drama. I’m not shaming the drama- I love it too! It’s listed in my favorites but this movie earned a spot as well. This movie gave me the giddy-feels and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. ***MINOR SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON***
Story: Though I can see why people say the things they do about the movie, I really didn’t see any problems with the movie as a whole. It is rushed and if you go in without watching the drama or reading the story, you might be confused because of the missing, finer details. This movie does deviate from the drama. I can’t say anything about the novel as I have yet to read it. Also, the ending was rushed because a lot of the time is spent building up to the first meeting and mapping out the characters, leaving the rest of the movie with about 40~ minutes.
When it comes to the cinematography, I love this film. It couldn’t be more toward my taste of films. The indie vibe it brings and how everything seems real, like it’s not some set of stage... It gives the genuine feel of a college campus and habitat. I love the way the cameras capture certain scenes and the places they used. It fit my taste perfectly.
Cast/Acting: I loved the chemistry between the two leads. When I first watched it, I felt something was lacking but in my re-watches, I don’t think I would change either one out. They fit their roles perfectly and I loved their chemistry; I think I was still in the head-space for the drama on my first watch with so many reservations that I spent it mostly comparing and seeing it through comment’s eyes. Upon re-watching, it was a whole new world and I was so much more open to it. The New Year's scene was really what did me in for the couple the first time around. Everything just melted together and you could see them as a couple. If it didn’t hit you before, this scene will get you.
I like Angelababy’s Bei Wei Wei. I like how more “real” she seemed. She wasn’t so shy and quiet but a little more out there, more confident with who she is and what she likes. I like how they did a spot light when we are hearing her inner thoughts instead of a simple voice over, which adds more to her character than one would think. I also really like her reactions as Bei Wei Wei. She’s not as stone-faced here. I feel like these kind of roles were made for her.
This is my first drama with Jing Boran! I don’t know much about him or who he acts, what roles he seems more comfortable with but I love him in this role. Xiao Nai is probably an incredibly hard role to pull off: a talented guy who is very reserved but strong minded, great at everything, super smart with good family relations and close-knit friend groups. It must be daunting but he did it and I loved him in this role.
Music: There are two types of music: scores and lyrical. In this movie, the director makes use of both to influence and help the watcher and guide emotions. The music fits with the movie so well and it’s more than background noise, it literally pulls you into the lead's head and you feel the uplifting happiness or the soul-crushing weight... Oh... this movie slayed me.
Re-watch? A thousand times yes. Positively would re-watch! The whole thing left me with butterflies! I love how their aspirations were combined and how they all started the company, how she rushed to his side, and UGHHH this movie... I love it- I love it to bits. Please watch it without comparing it. Go into it with an open mind and I'm sure you will love it as well!!!
****COMPARISONS TO THE DRAMA****
This movie didn’t feel fake, like a set with strict areas to film and always having to watch where the camera goes because you don’t want to accidentally revel too much. It didn’t feel like that, like it did in Love O2O or like in a lot of CDrama’s- I know it’s usually because of budget and they’re set in old times, or college campuses, but it gave a very real vibe, like “We live here. This is our comfy zone.” Like when Bei Wei Wei is in the Computer Room or Xiao Nai is in his office. Same feelings.
I didn’t realize this until I saw the movie, but in the drama, probably around mid-point, it stops featuring the game and it made me sad because the game is what brought them together and I loved that element of the show, so I'm happy that in the movie, it didn't really disappear.
When it comes to the acting, as much as I love Yang Yang, I preferred movie couple more. I think both pairs lacked in spot-on chemistry, but I also think as both programs progressed, all the actors found their footing. In some moments, the Yang-Zheng relation felt forced and a bit awkward (stiff doll kisses) but I didn't get any of that from Angela-Boran's kiss. Yang Yang gave it his all while I think Zheng Shuang pulled back too much to be convincingly in love. I can tell why people would also criticizes Angelababy’s Wei Wei as she is more out there than Zheng Shuang’s Wei Wei, but Angelababy’s sat more comfortably with me and I felt more emotion from her. Yang Yang fits this role incredibly well but Jing Boran doesn’t seem to be lacking either- but I’m not that good at judging. Xaio Nai, as I stated before, is a very challenging character to pin down and if not done well he could come off as snobbish… so I have to say they both didn’t disappoint on the whole.
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All the characters are based off the novel but some changes has been made to fit into a 100mins running time. These means some scenes from the novel did not make it into the movie. However it was still nice to spot the difference and also points for new originality. Further they included Gu man in the workings of this movie, so it retains her touch.
What is enjoyable is the flow and the ease of interaction between Xiao Nai and Bei Wei Wei.
Xiao Nai here is intelligent but not infallible, cool but still approachable and his gaze when he sees WeiWei is warm and familiar. But turn purposeful and masculine the scene where he kisses her. Their embrace and kiss was also done sweetly and feels like a believable couple as compared to the drama. Angelababy's Weiwei is more bubbly, fun, outgoing and even a tad tomboyish when she goes high over gaming. So this pairing for me works.
The only minus is the movie length is too short. So not only cut scenes from the novel but also not enough time to flesh out the bromance and the female friendships. The plus is theres no unnecessary scenes of unnecessary characters which irked me when i watch the drama.
I thought the CGI here were nicely done. Theres alot of sweet scenes that are memorable and beautiful (marriage scene, backhug on the creek, running towards the game showing portal from real life to game life) but it was done either subtly or sweetly and did not come off as cheesy.
Like i said i like some of the creative difference from the novel. Just to mention roughly without spoiling. From their first official meet up on their date, from how and why weiwei traveled back from her hometown to be with Xiao Nai and weiwei as part of the team for ultimate game they created. If you havent read the novel, its fine to watch it as it is too.
Ive already watched it twice and i wouldnt mind watching it again. But i wouldnt rewatch the drama. That tells you how i feel about the two. Everyone have their own preference though so keep that in mind.
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After watching the movie everything felt really fast phased but that's pretty normal since its a movie and it can't be that long. Although the drama was way more detailed, I have to say that the movie was really great. Angelbaby portrayal of weiwei was really good and in a way I liked this version of weiwei better than in the drama. Now xiao nai well we all got to admit that yang yang was perfect for that role but Jing bo ran also did an excellent job playing the role of xiao nai.
Overall the movie was really great although if you haven't seen the drama or read the novel you might feel lost at times, so I would recommend either watching the drama or reading the novel first.
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To start off, this movie was jammed pack with information and for the time that was available, they overall did a good job at fitting as much as they can from the book to this movie. But since it was a movie, they lost a lot of smoother transitions that would have made this a better production.
Plot/Setting: -8- For "A Smile is beautiful," I love this movie's storyline! The way the characters interacted online and offline was so cute and I have never seen any movie with that concept before! The downside was that since it was a movie, I got confused at some parts and the jumps between scenes were just too fast for me. Even so, they did a good job at capturing the main parts of the story and they made the scenes work together within 1.5 hours.
Acting/Cast: -8- Angela Baby did a decent job playing Bei Wei Wei in this movie. From what I was expecting though, Bei Wei Wei's character could have been a bit more "introverted" but of course, a bit different doesn't always mean it's a bad thing :) Now Jing Boran, I have to say, does not have the looks like Yang Yang (Actor playing Xiao Nai in the drama version) but I love how his character was a tad bit more open in this version.
Music: -9- The music fitted in nicely with the scenes of the movie so no complaints from me!
Rewatch value: -5- Even though the movie had its pros, this is mainly a one time movie for me.
Overall: -7.5- Due to the jumpy transitions between the scenes, I will have to rate this movie an overall 7.5/10. But of course, for the limited time provided for them, they had great uses of ideas and it all fit together very well.
I would recommend this for anyone who wants to watch a gaming type movie with cute interactions between the two main leads.
Thanks for Reading!
Chào For Now!
Lily L.
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Pro - I liked that it was a clean romance, great chemistry, and the visuals, especially graphics were impressive - unlike the drama version!. The story is kind of unique to me. It just left you with a really great feeling! I'd watch it again with friends, and I don't say that lightly. Not cheesy at all. The girl is strikingly gorgeous (even tho im a girl). Wonder why i haven't seen her in other dramas, but then I'm not big on chinese dramas.
Con - It doesn't have the same depth as a 20 ep drama, but it's impossible to squeeze that much into a movie. The guy's looks are just so-so (white hair isn't flattering on him), but he grew more attractive as I watched it with his prince-like personality and cute smile.
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1) Xiao Nai is not a stalker.
2) Less shitty and dramatic unnecessary characters.
3) Better graphics
4) etc....
The story is still basically the same but Wei Wei is less of a goody two shoes and Xiao Nai is less of a stalker than the drama series. They also cut all the unnecessary drama (movie time limit but works well) and made the characters better. The progression between the main leads are more understandable and Wei Wei is quite funny and laid back in this movie. The graphics for the game parts are better but it's probably because the movie has a higher budget. lol
Anyhow, enjoyed it but will probably rewatch it after a year or so
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So, basically, if you've watched the drama, you should give the movie a try since this version is not a fail at all. If you haven't watched the drama version, I believe watching the drama version before this is a better choice.
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Cheesy and Easy Watch, Even W/O the Drama
Based on many of the top reviews and several comments, from viewers who watched the drama first, I was really expecting this to be confusing as someone who hadn't watched the drama first. Boy was that a wrong assumption. This was extremely easy to understand. Do I wish some things were fleshed out more? Absolutely. But it didn't detract from the experience at all. This was incredibly straightforward. A little cheesy and kinda fast-paced, but enjoyable. The characters were consistent all the way through. And like most esports dramas, the team dynamics are incredibly fun to watch.My major problem though, like most Chinese titles, is that I really wish that the antagonists got more consequences for their actions. It wasn't like the leads weren't capable of doing it.
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