Feng Shen 1: Zhaoge Feng Yun

An absolutely needed movie for Chinese cinematography. Surprisingly edgy and mystical that makes one wonder how did it ever pass the "bar". Many scenes reminded me of the Red Wedding from Game of Thrones, and indeed as many lauded, this could very well be the Chinese version of GOT or Lord of the Rings. At the same time, the film has so many things that is so distinctly Chinese in terms of its value system and culture. No doubt, I hope the sequels gets the green light, as these films could really push our culture and stories forward to a larger stage. Only gripe is that there is still a sense of awkwardness in some of the acting, most specifically with the King. Nevertheless, it is still one of the greatest villains I've seen in a Chinese film and the casting of the younger actors are fantastic, finally some masculinity again!

Since its detonating release in the mainland, this movie was praised as legend among the viewers. Indeed, Feng Shen represents China's highest standard of film production, whether VFX, production and costume design, screenplay adoption, choreography, and performance. Despite the few scenes at Kunlun with questionable green screen utility, the visual effect is much better than that in The Flash, as the extreme wide shots of the coronation or the sacrificial pyre depict architectural grandeur without forgetting the details of men. In terms of bringing one of China's most famed mythology into life, the movie succeeds once more in modifying the intent of Daji the Fox Demon and adding the Army of Hostages; my personal favorites are Nezha's Fire Wheels and Red Sash, which are exactly what I pictured from the original text. Performance wise, Fei Xiang and Na Ran are doubtlessly the best castings for the devious tyrant and the animalistic temptress.

Onto the negatives, the movie seems to portray plot-driven characters instead of having the characters pilot the storylines. Especially approaching the final act, the deaths and arcs of numerous characters, including the protagonist, either appear scripted or simply do not convince me. This could be the result of extensive editing and condensation in regards to the length, which is always an issue for commercial films with adopted screenplay. The work is enough as entertainment, but if the trilogy wants to become classic, it still needs a push.

Can't wait to see the second.

Let's start with the pros. Some of the costumes, art, and casting in the movie are excellent. Fei Xiang's face has a very advanced sense of screen quality, Yang Jian's casting, styling, and action design are bright and eye-catching, Su Daji is more in line with personal aesthetics, and the fox's dynamic expression is very dynamic. Zhaoge and Xiji are each unified in terms of visual sensibility, color, and design language, and from an art perspective, the shaping of the worldview is successfully completed. Zhaoge and Xiji are unified in their visual senses, colors, and design language, and from an art perspective, the shaping of the film's worldview is successfully completed.

The biggest problem is that the script is too weak in literature and has too many contradictory points of logic. The whole movie is boring if you take away the art and special effects. The deaths of Empress Jiang and Bigan were awkward, and the deaths were meaningless.

Absolutely a fantastic movie, the storyline, the acting, the virtual images, the music all made this movie an Epic movie.

Let me talk about the conclusion first: this is the best mythical epic movie in China!

As a fan who read Fengshen Yanyi at the age of seven and re-read the original novel countless times in more than 20 years, I can say responsibly that this movie is definitely not a magic reform! On the contrary, it is the first masterpiece among all film and television adaptations.

Some passages that seem magical at first glance are actually well-founded, and they are the optimal solution after careful research and selection. The adaptation of the movie is very good.

This new story from a contemporary perspective can be called a divine script. It is seamless from beginning to end, and echoes before and after the transition.

Can't wait for the 2nd one!! Highly recommend to everyone!

The original novel was published 400 years ago and have too many memorable moments. So it is very unsuitable for movie use. Moreover, Chinese classical novels, especially this type of novels, (hua beng) do not have the sublimation of characters in modern Western novels, so they are not necessarily suitable for movies. So the director made simplifications and trade-offs here. Many familiar scenes have not been retained. The perspective of the movie is abandoned and the change of a character is the most important driving force for the movie. The visuals have improved a lot. It is already very good to have such a performance.