Kûkai

The story is a drag and could have been better...then this movie would have been awesome!..

Chen Kaige's best film since 21th century. As the biggest Chinese-Japanese co-production film ever, Yao Mao Zhuan is very different from the Hollywood cliches. I can feel the flow between each shot, just like traditional Chinese ink-wash painting. And the story structure is very interesting. It splits into two parts, these two parts are like mirrors, you can find same symbols, characters and plots in both sides. And all those things come together, make the magnificent Tang Dynasty comes alive. However, Chen Kaige is not satisfied in telling the greatness of Tang, but also the dark side, the politics and humanity.

Chen Kaige shows a stunning artistic ambition in this Legend of Demon Cat. The story behind the mystery is simply beyond imagination, and the production design, costume, hair & makeup, music score and visual effects along the way are just impressive. This film is a spectacle about Chinese culture and history, and the way it presents them is unique and surprising. Besides the dazzling visuals, believable narratives and characters also help convince the audience that the unfolding fiction is real.

If you like magic and ilusion in a interest fable in a ancient China you will enjoy this movie.

Initially I have to say that "Legend of the Demon Cat" (aka "Kûkai") turned out better than I had anticipated it. Sure, I hadn't even heard about this 2017 movie from director Kaige Chen before now in 2020, when I sat down to watch it.

I read the synopsis and weren't overly impressed. But still, it was a Chinese movie, and one I hadn't already seen, so of course I found the time to sit down and watch it.

The storyline was interesting, and it was a nicely character driven story. Needless to say that the characters in the movie were good, because otherwise the movie wouldn't have worked out as well as it did. And they had some talented actors and actresses on the cast list.

I found the story to be entertaining, although I have to admit that the steam started to seep out of the kettle after the movie hit the 1 hour mark. Then it seemed that the storyline started to clutter and made less sense - or becoming a bit more confusing. Either way, the movie was much more enjoyable in the first hour.

"Legend of the Demon Cat" mixes a couple of genres well together, and makes for an enjoyable and entertaining movie. I am rating it a six out of ten stars.