Yue Lao

The movie was advertised as fantasy romantic and I was getting confused after watching the trailer about what expecting. However the thematic afterlife and good review convinced me to watch it.

At the end I was bluffed, this movie has it all.

• Great romance (we got some tears off)
• Has a fantasy, spirits part
• Plot is wonderfully written, you feel sometimes a bit lost, which is what a plot should be. Make you impossible to guess the end. But you will get it all at the end.

• Actors play well
• On top of that, there is high level chinese philosophy even Buddhist/Indu behind the story about reincarnation, afterlife, life, karma, power of the heart and love, animals-human connection and power of metaphysics energies.

This movie is unique, a must watch.

Alan, the main character, is struck by lighting, leading him to the underworld, where he figures his past lives and meet Pinky. With him in danger of being an animal on his next life, he decides to apply as a god of love (partnered with Pinky).

The story provokes the concept of life and death, delving deep into various topics of Chinese Mythology. Concept wise, Allan's dedication and sacrificing nature aches my heart, especially with his neverending pursuit towards Xiaomi, the love of his life. He continues protecting her even afterlife, oblivious to Pinky's blooming love towards him. Though Xiaomi was able to let go of him on the ending, we arrive on the sweet ending of Pinky and Allan meeting again, but as children with no memories of one another.

The main issue with this movie is its pacing. There are a lot of scenes that doesn't make sense, unless you overanalyze it, or perhaps know a thing or two on Chinese Mythology. Despite its issue, it was able to give an emotional resolution for the problem, explaining the past despite its ragged pack of scenes.

Another issue is its romance. I believe they're trying to force the two (Allan and Pinky) of them together, but it really does not work lol. Allan's character is written with love + Xiaomi all over again, its obvious. The ending was its last push to make it seem... less forceful.

Despite the movie's flaw, it's great nonetheless. Still one of my favorite movies due to its concepts. I am a sucker for reincarnation stuff lol.

Yue Lao is by absolutely no means perfect, nor can it even be considered well filmed, well scripted or even well acted, but I am absolutely in love with it. There are definitely some awkward moments earlier in the film, but as the film goes on you realize its tremendous world building. It's so rare to see a Chinese fantasy film's world created in such a manner, and that is kudos to Nine Knives. Combined with what Taiwanese film makers are best at, love stories, the film is an instant classic. The film also has taken so much from other genres, from traditional horrors, Wuxia, etc, it's just such a rare and enjoyable experience.

As long as you can ignore early slapstick moments and some illogical plot holes, you'll be entertained by Giddens Ko's signature romantic drama with unique touch of fantasy, horror and thriller. Hands down to Kai, Gingle, Vivian who tied all the emotional strings handily.

This was definitely not simply a romance genre. It has a little bit of horror in it, and incorporated many references to urban legends, which was pretty well done (if you are raised in Asian culture you made not get them). Story was unique with some nice twists. The acting was nice, the chemistry between actors were great. Hubby and I definitely cried to the movie. Nice theme song. Highly recommend. Fun fact: this movie was the author's tribute to his dog.