Worthy Premise, Good Execution, but Slightly Lacking Somehow (MIld Spoilers)

I eagerly awaited to see this film because THE GREAT CRAFTSMAN makes anybody a fan of Huang Yang Tian Tian. She is one of the young leads here and I was willing to forgive the TV movie budget just to see more of her.

In CRAFTSMAN Tian Tian was a dynamic character that demanded your attention and fellowship. Here she's kinda wasted as one of two girls with physical ailments. Anyone could have played either of the female leads. I actually found the Dad and Mom giving the most nuanced performances.

Don't get me wrong. If the trailer entices you to try this movie, your instinct is correct. But I felt they got lost in some unnecessary subplots. The violent man in the hospital, the 'Carrie' apartment, and the helicopter sequence were all 'alarms' to keep the audience awake. The Mom's Dad was so unnecessary the story itself removed him midway.

I think the better story would have been to have the Dad pursue the Mom romantically, only to learn he had an additional motive. And everyone involved, including the audience, would wonder did he actually love her... and suspect 'yes'. In this way the four leads could have become this lovely accidental family and therefore make an important family 'decision' together rgarding the daughters.

I'm not saying the film doesn't drift towards that idea. I'm saying it would have been a much stronger movie if it had committed to that idea.

One last thing: this is the DEFINITION of a weepy cry cry flick. Oddly it didn't pull as many tears as the premise warranted. Maybe if the Doctors didn't seem so aloof.

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A short student film stretched out to 90 aimless minutes

I found this film because I'm a fan of THE GREAT CRAFTSMAN. In that show an actress looks like Betty Boop and I wanted to see more of Jiang Hong Bo. Despite her being one of the three leads -- she spent very little time on screen.

This is because this director has no idea how to create dramatic scenes with actors. So many opportunities were missed. It was as if a cinematographer made this film instead of a dramatist.

It's not a student film. It's the 4th of 6 features by this director. But it sure feels like a student.

I know some will defend this director and say, "Not all films are action packed super hero films!" I know it. Get it. The problem is this film was the complete opposite. The premise is promising but almost nothing happened inside the film.

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An Elusive yet Potential Masterpiece

The show boasts a fantastic cast, terribly engaging soapy story, in a Republican Era setting that is needed break from Imperial Chinese dramas. It is way better than a "7.8" thanks to Wallace Huo and Yang Mi knocking it out of the park.

I knew Wallace from RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE and thankfully he's given more breathing room here. I can't imagine he's had a better role than Qi Nan. He is just terrific here. But as good is my first introduction to Yang Mi -- who has as difficult a role to pull off. My wife and I watch an hour of this 3 times a week, but after the halfway point it was around 5 times.

All the supporting actors were great, many of these faces new to me. For American viewers like myself having trouble keeping all the names straight, I recommend these nicknames: Daddy Fu, his wife Nasty Fu, Dandy Fu, Minister Du, Momma Du, Dandy Du, Minister Wu -- and for that woman in the club that looks like an older Betty Boop -- simply 'Boop'. It made it much easier for us to speak about them without getting confused.

Okay, the single worst thing about this series is the availability in America. It is ELUSIVE. So much so I can't recommend the series until Mango fixes these issues.

The main issue is that there is no way to see the series unedited with proper English subtitles. The series on YouTube 'forgot' to include subtitles for about 10 episodes in the middle and I think Ep 58 the subtitles were broken. And the subtitles themselves were poor quality. And anytime a song happened instead of muting the song they simply cut the entire sequence out, often eliminating important story moments. ARRRGGGHHHH! There's a 'cool' 'Drama' site that has the series in low quality resolution. The subtitles are better but, get this, the audio is out of sync the entire time.

With all these headaches I can't recommend the series to anyone until Mango offers a proper version of CRAFTSMAN with quality English subtitles, which I'd gladly pay $20 for the series.

What's maddening is the series is nearly flawless otherwise. You can count the mistakes on one hand.

1. The series starts with terrific child actors. When they are replaced with adult actors, you can't believe you must let them go. Thankfully they re-appear in flashbacks a lot. My complaint is the older actor playing eldest brother (Li Dong) looks nothing like the boy he replaced. Not even close. It took me like 25 episodes to accept him where Qi Nan, Han Jun, and Lucy took seconds to accept. Don't get me wrong: the actors playing Li Dong were solid, but I guess they needed a different skinny intense kid to play him young.

2. The series spent a little too much time discussing architecture. As well as too much time speaking about business deals. Yes, it was interesting, but often I suspected it was 'filler' to extend the length of the series. I'd say about 20% of all of it could have been cut. That could have shaved about 3 episodes off the series.

3. The last 10 episodes were getting a little sloppy or lazy. Maybe they were all exhausted and the show's amazing quality was slipping to merely 'good' sometimes. I felt the entire elevator incident was rushed. And there was a scene going on between Momma Du and Dandy Du that seemed... odd. It was like the series didn't know what to do with her character and that scene showed it. I also felt the explosion in the flour factory should have shown who that was the flew out a door. But I felt

4. -- the final episode let us down. It seemed more interested in resolving Minister Du than providing the romantic climax we were all waiting for. What was delivered wasn't as majestic or poetic as I hoped. And Li Dong's departure and discovery off camera in the last moments seemed rushed. Certainly there could have been a way to tie in the 'discovery' into the court scene somehow. That person could have read the court case and made the connection to show up?

That's really all I can complain about. The final episode failing to be what this series deserved took an entire half point away, dropping from 9.5 to 9. But still -- despite all the agony of finding a way to watch this show -- a solid 9 is a WOW.

FUN TRIVIA

I can't be certain but I'm nearly certain that a music composer from the show was inspired by Ennio Morricone's work on DAYS OF HEAVEN. There are scenes where Qi Nan is out in fields and that entire movie is about people working in fields. Go to YouTube and seek out Track 9 (The Return) from the DAYS OF HEAVEN soundtrack. It's not a theft, but I'm pretty sure the similar theme from this show HAD to be inspired by that track.

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Action Movies are TEDIOUS but this one isn't bad at all

MILD SPOILERS, nothing terrible

I see a lot of people harshing on this film. I don't know why. I find this genre tedious and so I expected to abandon the film before the first hour. Turns out I made it all the way thru and was happy for the two hour diversion.

This movie isn't entirely cohesive and so I'll just drop you some notes and hope it gels into something useful.

1. Eddie Peng stars? I'm in.
2. Xin Zhi Lei as the female lead? I'm not only in but watching this mostly because of her. (If you have no idea why someone would flip their shinola for her -- you haven't seen RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE, have you?)
3. I'm not sure rescue forces exist to this degree. If they do, wow. If they don't -- I love Gerry Anderson's THUNDERBIRDS.
4. The visuals/FX are rather stunning. However, I'm not used to Chinese films spending THIS much $$$ on them, and so -- sure enough -- the film can get talky sometimes to save money. Mainly revolving around --
5. -- a cute young kid. I've watched enough C-Drama media to know cute kids are a thing to kinda force 'endearing' onto the movie. In America we don't stick cute kids into all sorts of movies for fear of damaging the premise. What was wrong here is that --
6. -- with him came scenes with dopey cartoon music. With little bells ringing 'comically' in a movie they don't belong in. Are we in an action drama or not? Later on that kid was used for another classic trope --
7. -- which I can't spoil but is the stuff of soap operas. Not action movies. However, the way they ultimately resolved this trope (inside the closing credits) made it almost worth it and definitely tolerable.
8. Xin Zhi Lei was great when she was given something to do. Unfortunately the story didn't give her enough to do. There was a natural coupling she needed to be a part of but the story got either scared or distracted.
9. The original 'Stand By Me' song appears in this film and, sorry, the film by the same name owns the song and no one else should be using it. Like I don't want to hear Garland singing 'Rainbow' in this film anywhere for the same reason.
10. If a sequel is being planned -- I'd see it. Because it might give Xin Zhi Lei more time.

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A nice little film and diversion

Many of these lower budget films start okay but get kinda lost. This one hangs together well.

The tale debates how communities should work together when possible riches await. You'll enjoy this film for that, the lush soundtrack, lovely visuals, and most of the verite acting of the kids and villagers.

The lead girl was kinda a two trick pony: big sweet smile OR tears down her face. But that's okay because the rest of the cast had lots of wonderful moments. Don't miss the Mouse Guy or the Leek Man. Or the two tiny boys who didn't seem to be aware that they were in this charming little movie.

I'm not sure I'd recommended a paid rental for this, unless inexpensive. I found it on America's YouTube for free and in 1080p.

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PLEASE READ -- I'LL WARN YOU before I start SPOILING

This is my 5th Chinese series. RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE, MISSING PERSONS, REBEL PRINCESS and IMPERFECT LOVE preceded. This was my first 'junky' or 'bubblegummy' series, what we in America might call a 'CW' show aimed at teens or younger. I'm here to tell you it's far better than I expected -- a must watch if you want something lighter -- but they didn't quite stick the landing, as they say in Olympics.

Okay. What is this show without spoilers? It's kind of like the 60's classic I DREAM OF JEANNIE... but they change so much it takes a few episodes to realize how similar it is. In many ways it is an improvement because JEANNIE lacked a compelling romantic story whereas MAKE A WISH is all about our two leads. Not to mention other couples in the story as well.

THE REASON TO WATCH THIS SERIES are the standout performances:

#4 is Chen Hao Lan who plays a more serious young lady in the series, but as the story progresses you see her art is subtly and nuance. They pulled her pretty back a few notches (as to not compete with the lead) but it eventually peeked thru.
#3 is Wang Tian Yu, the 'Roger Healey' of this series and comic relief. This kid is FUNNY.
#2 is Zhu Min Xin, whose small role in this series stood out anyway. He is lead material for future projects!
#1 is the WOW and WONDER that is Gia Ge. This young lady SPARKLES. Her beauty is beyond belief. Her energy and charm is why you finish watching this series. Producers must be fighting tooth and nail to get her right now. I'll watch anything she shows up in next. And she must have the best hair on TV. Check out when Chi Yan lifts and spins her in the closing credits. WOW.

That list leaves out the male lead. Ren You Lun was terrific. Yet his perfectly under-stated performance doesn't make me wonder what he'll be in next, if you know what I mean. So no slur against him. He's the 'straight man' that makes Gia Ge shine all the more. I think young ladies drawn to cats and bookstores will adore him.

When I watch any show I rarely notice the hairstylist. You're kinda not supposed to notice their work. But when I realized Gia has the best hair on TV -- I noticed each cast member has interesting hair as well. And so I guess the stylist was showing off a bit and hoping nobody noticed. (I did!)

So before I start spoiling, I'll say this series was likely 4 episodes too long. I sensed everyone on the production was younger and less experienced, and this became clear in the writing towards the end. Before I pick it apart know the series is worth watching, rewatching, and recommending anyways.

SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Around episode 20 we get an extremely dramatic twist: cat girl awakes on an Earth that doesn't remember her. Her relationship with Chi Yan is erased, as well as the love affairs of their mutual friends. This is really REALLY dramatic and fascinating at first. But then it sends the story into an unnecessary spiral of trying to repair all the damage. This repair job is compressed into the final episodes and I started to feel... the entire idea... was stupid.

Perhaps they were planning a 2nd series... or second 'arc' with 24 more episodes. That would have made the 'everyone forgot her' a fantastic cliffhanger at the end of Season 1. Right? It's as if the following episodes were really supposed to be much longer and season of their own. But then someone said that was a stupid idea.

I'll share with you now what I think is a better cleaner way to end the series.

1. Xiao Xiu gets hit on the head with the pipe. Falls down like we saw. Chi Yan runs over to comfort her.
2. As her friends gather around her, her ears emerge. She cries. Panics in front of Chi Yan. Her tail emerges. Her friends are all WTF.
3. She transforms into a cat. Chi Yan picks her up, holds her close, but she disappears into a portal. Gone.
4. Xiao awakes in Meow World, an animated cat. There she meets Lin Mo and his friend, who are confused as to why she is there. Eventually her Dad finds her and, despite being happy to see her, knows where she really belongs: alongside Chi Yan. The problem is Xiao has no way to return to Earth.
5. Her Dad takes her to a temple and ask the elders for help. They say there is nothing they can do.
6. Chi Yan on Earth is distraught. Ruined. The friends can't believe she was a cat. But find it magical.
7. On Meow Planet, in the temple, Xiao's Dad won't stand for this. Since Lin Mo has learned who killed his GF and Xiao's sister. Xiao prays at the Temple... and her Sister appears as a Goddess. (Instead of that other lady who they forced into the story.) Xiao is told she can make a wish to return to Earth, but this time -- she'll never leave it. Her father insists.
8. If you've seen this series notice what is now no longer necessary. What was with the new bookstore and the new apartment? A total waste of time. We loved the old ones. What was with Chi Yan's grandfather being connected to the cat world? I mean I get it but it wasn't really necessary. Which means neither was the goddess character. And why OH WHY destroy 3 love affairs only to quickly force them back into existence? No no no. All we needed --
9. -- was our 'Scooby Doo' club going back to Earth and finalizing the Doctor story. Oh, and his entire angle on why he did what he did wasn't the slickest. That needed some focusing. I got this weird VIBE that the Doctor was in love with Chi Yan and somehow this confused about everything. (Did you feel that too?)

I want to add the Gia Ge had to sell this bumpy ending -- and gave it her all. There was absolutely nothing more heartbreaking than watching this bubbly innocent soul LOSE EVERYTHING. Many dramas make 'the girl' cry here -- but she was beyond crying. It was like that look a kid gets when they first learn a loved one has passed on. Gia was a MARVEL here.

Anyway, if the story had ended more cleanly -- it would have been a 9.2 in my book. Still worth seeing at it is, though.

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Relentless video game

I'm a RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE fan and so Zhou Xun brought me here. I predicted she's be a bait and switch -- and she was -- but it was nice to see another RUYI actor in the lead.

To me this film felt like a video game staged for the big screen. The quest was a video game quest, the actions the stuff of video game players. It didn't feel like real people at all -- which great diminishes a work like this. The story was so busy with plot the characters were nearly irrelevant.

I fear this film is for younger generations who cannot stay awake if two characters speak quietly in a room. That said it is an impressive spectacle. But I had to pause it several times and go take a mental break. If you have a mild headache this piece will turn it into a migraine with 20 minutes.

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As Interesting and Beautiful as it is Overlong and Sleep-Inducing

This is a weird duck. And so bullets --

1. The production quality is really movie like, especially in the flashback sequences set around the Red Coast. The only time it strangely looks like Cheesy TV is during the International Board Room meetings

2. This is post modern Arthur C. Clarke/Issac Asimov stuff, where the science is science fiction is meant to be your only entertainment. As a kid in the mid-70s, I read this type of SCIENCE fiction a lot but in no time backed off of it because they were slow lifeless reads. All good stories are about the human condition. THREE BODY had the perfect opportunity to explore this very topic because a character within makes a major decision about humanity -- yet -- it barely touched upon it.

(There's a funny irony here. Okay, when I was a kid I was reading a monthly Sci-Fi magazine called ANALOG. There was a story once about a really cool concept but the story itself was dull beyond imagination. It was simply an excuse to share a hard science idea and make anyone go WOW.

The idea was that if man could manufacture a strong enough material that was also very lightweight -- we could build an elevator shaft from Earth and attach it to a satellite in space, hence eliminating rockets. Imagine -- you could have a giant bar in space that people would travel up to for the wildest cocktails ever. And imagine the damn view of Earth and Space!

I forget most of what I read in that magazine over the decades -- except for this. And the same exact concept is mentioned inside of THREE BODY in one episode. And so... I was either reading this Chinese author all those years ago... OR... he was reading Analog magazine, lol.)

3. So many characters just... stood there. It was like COVID all over again where no one was allowed to touch anybody, social distancing, you know? Yes, of course, it's trite to create a love story just to make it like any other Chinese drama -- but this one really needed it. BADLY. If it doesn't matter later in the series, I would have made the ML a FL scientist -- so that -- there would have been some sexual tension between the lead and our favorite cop ever, Shi Qiang (Yu He Wei). That said --

4. -- if it wasn't for this cast I would have walked after six episodes. I knew two of them from other dramas (Yu He Wei, REBEL PRINCESS and he was even better here) and (Johnny Zhang who was better in THE GREAT CRAFTSMAN). I loved being introduced to Chen Jin and Wang Zi Wen, two ladies who masterfully played Ye Wen Jie in two different eras.

5. In general this show literally induces sleep. I'm not kidding but there were about 12 nights I had to fight from sleeping to finish it. Perfect for early day viewing but it's Ambien after 9PM. I'm not being mean, this is the truth. The characters rarely clash with each other, they're often shown in shadows in dim rooms, and there's this droning song at the end of most episodes which could best be described as a Trisolorian Lullably.

6. Okay so our lead dude with the glasses has a special clock that ticks and ticks downward. Was I asleep when it got 'turned off' or did they simply forget to show us where the clock was by the end of his part of the series. I thought our Trisolorians were going to arrive just as his clock reached zero.

I'm happy I saw this and somehow I want to see the 2nd Season of this but I can't recommend it with any enthusiasm. Oh, and I don't give a damn about how good the books are -- because I'm not reading the book. I'm watching a series. If the series puts me to sleep, they either picked the wrong series of books or they've made the series way too long.

A third of THREE BODY should have been clicked and erased to make the rest of this stronger.

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SUPERTRASH. (I'll try not to spoil too much)

I only watched this because of Xin Zhi Lei. My wife and I adore her. The producers of SUPERSTAR, unfortunately, seemed blissfully unaware that her best roles are where she plays strong women.

Here, in this train wreck, she plays a lonely hotel owner. A hotel where we never see her do any work. A hotel with no staff. And here's the best part: you'll never see ONE guest. And the writers didn't even bother to have her say, "Business is slow these days." Nope, nothing. You're just supposed to overlook this because LAZY.

The show is rated 13 and over, but a pathetic relentless flaw like this makes it really 10 and under. And that's an insult to many 10 year olds. And it's not just this mistake.

Our lead male -- Zhang Yi -- is treated like garbage by her. Yet this doesn't make her strong in the viewers eyes but instead a complete jerk. So she sits in her 'hotel' hoping this okay guy will fall in love with her, which is ridiculous because Xin Zhi Lei is one of the prettiest actresses on the planet. Her character should be fighting off constant advances from men (and women) but instead sits in her home cooking and sighing... waiting for her white knight.

Meanwhile our lead is presented with a real romantic prospect, a charming young lady who is head over heals for him. The audience loves her but she might as well be invisible to Yi who really remains only interested in Xin Zhi Lei because it says so in the script. And this fine young actor's worst scenes are with Xin Zhi Lei because neither can figure out why their characters would be interested in the other. It's THAT bad, trust me.

In Episode 1 we learn funny aliens from space have decided to rescue our hero and make him live a virtual life re-do. We don't really know why, though. Like if the aliens wanted to study mankind -- why a simulation? Why not just look down and observe with the tech they already have? And why not use alien 'tech' to manipulate the real players in real situations instead of nuking the dramatic tension with a simulation?!?

These aliens insist our hero achieve great fame to escape the simulation, but why do two aliens from across the galaxy care if this suicidal kid becomes famous in a simulation? And these aliens don't quite give us a way to know how close he's getting to his goal AND WORSE disappear from the story almost altogether.

So really, at the end of the day, this giant piece of trash is just an excuse to have some of the cast singing songs. Which could have been achieved with a simpler and far better premise. This isn't just the worst C-dramas I've ever seen -- this is one of the worst TV shows I've ever seen period. And I started seriously watching TV in 1974.

Sure, I could say the lead was doing a great job. Or that most of the cast is pretty good. But what's the point in a story that makes absolutely no sense. I wasn't feeling bad for our hero. I was instead numbed by the idiocy of the story.

Don't get me wrong. I can enjoy and was actually looking forward to light-hearted bubblegum. For that I recommend MAKE A WISH, also on iQiYi.

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