Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal

Zhong Kui (Chen Kun) has been trained as a scholar and a demon- hunter; the God Zhang has taken him as a pupil in preparation for stealing the Dark Crystal, which the demons of hell own and use to store stolen human spirits. Zhong achieves that quest, but the King of the demons enlists the aid of Snow Girl (Li Bingbing) to steal the Crystal back. Matters become more complicated when it becomes clear that Zhong and Snow Girl were former lovers, and they still mean more to each other than human and demon should. Will their love save - or destroy - the three realms of Heaven, Earth and Hell?

This is a beautifully striking film, filled with gorgeous scenery and marvelous fight scenes. The film-makers went all out with CGI monsters and other effects, using a number of different companies (including Weta Workshop), although that decision results in uneven effects from time to time. For example, some scenes look more like a video game than a movie. But overall, the spectacle holds up well, although I think I might need repeated viewings to understand the whole thing!

First things first: the cgi is miserable at best. Well I may be too harsh now, which is the opposite of what some may think of my rating. But I wanted to warn anyone thinking about watching this. Having said that, the general cinematography and the landscapes are wonderful. The acting is at least decent, if you don't mind the overdramatic nature of it all.

Of course you also have to dig the fantasy nature, fairy tale like pacing and overall structure of the movie. Good vs evil ... but is it that easy? I reckon the movie has some twists along the way, as to not be as predictable as it seems. Then again, some may even call those predictable twists. A good natured story for the fantasy and eastern (cinema) lover in you

If you love fairy tales, this film is for you. If you are interested by Chinese mythology , this film could be usefull. Because it is easy to blame it when you expect what it is not. And a delight to discover smart and interesting use of CGI for resurrect a fascinating universe. A story of appearences, well crafted , giving beautiful show and nice moral lessons. Sure, it is not a Hollywood blockbuster but it has the virtue to be what you know , if you are familiar with the Chinese films from same genre. It is not a perfect film. But it is a real good one. Maybe, because the purpoise is not exactly to impress for visual force - it does that in many scenes in decent manner - but to propose a great love story and a coherent and interesting story about power and its high price. So, a beautiful fairy tale.

Nothing is what it seems in this cleverly done movie. In this epic adventure, the thin line separating good from evil is often blurred and crossed, leaving the audience wondering about who the true hero really is. The only constant is immortal love. A must watch for those who love this genre, you won't be disappointed!

All movies has it's flaws, but besides that, Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal is a visually-pleasing movie. The CGI isn't perfect, but it does its job. It most certainly is better than other Chinese movies when it comes to the animations.

The story is mostly a drama/fantasy surrounding the subject of heaven and hell, demons and gods. I didn't really enjoy the movie at the start, but I'm glad I watched through the entire film.

The movie itself is good, and the story line stays interesting and entertaining. I would definitely recommend trying this movie out especially if you love mythical creatures.