Jue ji

Personally... I've enjoyed the movie. Also, if this a crap movie?! Obviously most people don't know what an actual crap movie is. Truth to be told, there are so many bad, and I literally mean bad movies out there. This is nothing compared to a bad movie.

I kept checking IMDb for reviews for this but lo and behold, none. So that makes mine the first review. Which also makes me the first sucker to review this on IMDb, despite advance negative press for this film. Firstly I'd like to let you know that I didn't spend good money on this film but my god what a turdcrap it was. Where to begin? As can be seen from the trailers, it's overpaid and underwhelming Chinese super-stars dressed up from head to toe in CGI. I wasn't sure whether I was watching the next Final Fantasy installment, or why i was watching Final Fantasy on the big screen in 3D.

The 3D ( surprise surprise) added nothing to the lack of story, and because the effects were so cheaply done ( see my final fantasy metaphor), And the acting? What from these lame-o characterless, dull, Chinese stars who are too busy looking expressionless, and assuming Japanese manga-style poses? Let's just say that the CGI made it even worse ( if that's even possible ) I have absolutely no idea, how this film got made, but from one Chinese movie fan, to another, please, don't waste your time.

You read my title, spend your money elsewhere. The movie story line is so convoluted, I got instant migraine just from watching it. The opening scene give some back ground about the fantasy land of the story, but that's about it. as the story progresses I keep asking myself, who is this character and why should I care about him? and as new character appears, the same questions repeat it self. Who is this new character and why should I care about it? and after 30 min I began to ask who is the protagonist who is the antagonist of the story? and as more characters with no background keep being added to the story. My interest in the movie just completely over. 1 hrs into the movie the only thing I get from the movie is there are bunch of guys and bunch of girls who meet and fight each other for I don't know what is the reason. What the hell am I watching? and the ending is a complete non ending. who won? who lose? So it's a bunch of guys who meet and fight and no one is winning and no one is losing? WHO WRITE this stuff? 3 year old baby? Whoever write this story need to go to school and stop bringing misery to movie viewer. Here is a basic story writing : Opening, Content, and Conclusion. and the 3 D animations, sure it capture the face of the movie star into 3 D CG, but they fail to capture any expression from their face, it's like watching a doll house. Even in death their face is expressionless. Trust me your money is better spend watching other movie. I want my money back! too bad Chinese theater don't give refunds.

The storyline seemed somewhat jumbled but the accompanying computer graphic imagery and action sequences were very pleasing. The concepts weren't run-of-the-mill. Definitely worth a watch if you enjoy animated films.

L.O.R.D. the movie is a pretty confusing situation. Whereas many stories in the action/fantasy category get tied down because of their lack of plot, L.O.R.D. has a great plot, but tells it poorly. There are actually a lot of things going for it, but in the end it's a bit of a muddled mess. For example, The acting was better than expected, especially with the amount of screen presence of Cheney Chen who I love to bits but has never been the strongest actor. The visuals are great (when the technology is working the way it should be). The general plot is interesting and creates a lot of room for character development and relationships.

The biggest issue is the way the story is told. There are many characters, and if you've read the books they are easy to identify, but if you haven't the movie will leave you confused about who hates who and why. The animation, though more advanced than most films, is really hard to watch sometimes, especially in the fight scenes. The English subtitles, are manageable but by no means palatable.

Despite all this I'm giving it at 7/10 because I did actually enjoy the movie as a reader of the books. I just feel bad for people who haven't.

Guo Jin Ming has muddled his books with sub-par direction and screen writing. If you've seen the movie and you like the premise of the story, I'd strongly recommend reading the book which you can find in English online. To find them translated you will probably have to look on fansites.