This magical fantasy of luscious Chinese romanticism, corporate machinations, and criminal drama intersecting two-time periods provides a wonderfully beautiful and elegantly choreographed script that captivates a patient audience. This Chinese television series has one of the most rousing and romantic musical themes on television introducing the soft, captivating, and creative opening and closing credits to this series. The careful use of music is crafted into many scenes, enhancing the moments with a splendid choreography. As a Japanese American reviewing this movie, it's important to know that the Japanese in this movie aren't very nice in it and it probably reflects how the Imperial Japanese of the time treated the Chinese very poorly. Interestingly enough, this movie reflects the older refinement of the thousands of years of Chinese tradition in their behavior and culture.
There are some great creative plot twists and ingenious explanations in order to get out of perilous situations. The intellectual quality of the thought going into most of the series' script is very high and there is a pleasant and amazing dramatic consistency with the story and all the characters. This series executes the extremely difficult balance between (1) Ally McBeal (1997) starring Calista Flockhart (Golden Globes Winner) and her charm, wit, humor, and even the quaint animation which becomes less and less prominent as the series continues on but not completely fortunately and (2) and a serious mystery thriller and drama. One of the principles characters, Wang Lin has a striking similarity at times to the fun and sometimes loopy character of Nao Yoshikawa Good Morning Call (2016) though Nao doesn't get a lot time to grow up in her experience in her series.
There are also great moments with a patient focus on in-the-moment involving the relationships between child and parent, especially those that have passed on. Additionally, there are long extended scenes when it comes to two people taking time to just be together, almost so leisurely as to become boring in the American perspective. Careful use of the visual element is prominent in this series as it was with the contemporary silent movie, best picture Oscar movie, The Artist (2011). Nevertheless, such scenes seem to capture a feminine mood, a contemplative and timelessness that most American movies are too impatient or deem too risky to include in their romance movies. This movie offers a good look into the importance emphasis of the parent-child relationship in China sometimes missing in America culture. The series also reveals an apparent importance of hugging and a female's bare ankle of Chinese culture, a lot more so than in America.
The tiny weaknesses in the series appear to be the obvious special effects, especially fire and one episode which struggles to balance the audience's disbelief that several characters withhold crucial information from each other for which appears to be more for the sake of the script and drama than authentic character depictions. Within Episode 23 one of the primary character's actions and motivations and another character's suspicions and doubts seem somewhat thin and both are somewhat stretched almost to the breaking point. Then towards one climactic scene, it becomes a bit overly-chaotic and seemingly missing some additional valuable details. But in almost every instance, however, great care and some crafty wisdom has been taken with the script to offer up in either nice flashbacks or other devices as mental thoughts spoken aloud or privately, some clever explanation for a current scene when some question might arise on the audience's part. Furthermore, the corporate machination portion of the movie seems to eventually lose it potency as the movie moves towards its end. Finally, the last several episodes seem to lack the same pacing, energy, and drama of the earlier series yet it allows for a soft but appreciative ending that nicely wraps up the series. (Added commentary) - Two more intrusive issues arise as to how the Chinese culture restrains the female characterizations more so than in American movies and the final episode attempts to rise above the typical American ending but in doing so creates its own confusion and introduces its own continuity problems. Nevertheless, this is one of the few theatrical events that such problems while missing out on perfection, still can't diminish the overall breathtaking accomplishment of a superlative production along with great performances.
Surprisingly, this television series has a remarkable number of associated counterparts that are also worth looking into including: Fringe (2008 TV series), The Magicians (2015, television series), Sliding Doors (1998), My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (2010), Simply Irresistible (1999), World of Tomorrow (2015), Angels in the Snow (2015), Tomorrowland (2015), Einstein's God Project (2016), Slaughter-House Five (1972), What Dreams May Come (1998), If Only (2004), August Rush (2007), Before I Fall (2017), and The Chronicles of Naria: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (2005). And in a few places there are the haunting musical strains that echo one of the best haunting period movies of all time Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975).
The remarkable patience and the evolving development of the characters is outstanding. Instead of the American impatient screenplay, the storyline here acknowledges the stubborn persistence of human behavior over time. The story arch is tenderly and almost authentic realized as the principle characters only slowly change of time. The director also spends a delectable amount of his efforts with time, using luscious amounts of it with panned and facial shots that seem to capture the slow emotion of love and sadness in the moment. Prepare for a lot drinking of alcohol, especially by a female in particular. Prepare for brief scenes of brutality and evil. Prepare for a lot of crying. And prepare for a lot of hugging and moonlight. And prepare a lot for the sometimes frustrating inscrutability of Asian mental thoughts that can drive American's almost crazy.
https://www2.dramacool.movie/drama-detail/shuttle-love-millennium
