Movie Digest
The main characters in this movie are Mu rong and He Lian. Mu Rong serves as a general a well-respected and honored man in his imperial army. He and his forces in the imperial army were successful in capturing an assassin. Mu Rong however fell in love with a woman who he did not realize was a ploy by the enemy sent to relieve the assassin captured in their base. Struggling to come to terms with how easily he was enamored and taken advantage of Mu Rong vows to get back at the He Lian. The two of them cross paths ears after the incident. How will their relationship turn out? What are the new motives Lian has for Mu Rong? Do they eventually fall in love?
The Feel Good Part
This movie uses the trope enemies to lovers in its storytelling. Mu Rong’s success and respect in the imperial army forces being brought down because he was defenseless, was witty to see unfold on the screen. He Lian as a character played the conventional trope of hoodwinking by seduction very well. The banters between the characters are enjoyable and funny. He Lian using poison to render Mu Rong defenseless was albeit not ingenious but shocking to discover that she was an undercover spy for the enemy base. Since the plot makes use of the trope enemies to lovers, most stories with this trope rarely fail to make the mark as it is always enriching to see two characters with opposites eventually intersect and meet up in the middle. The costumes were beautiful and both the main characters had chemistry.
The Disappointing Factor
The main criticism reserved for this film is its choppy editing and plot holes that are not addressed ever in the movie. It is not to mention that the enemy-to-lover trope is overused in the media, but eventually, if the story has no originality in the way, it executes its vision, then it will always become predictable and a one-time watch. The focus of the film was too much on the two main characters and their banters, fights, and aggressions after the betrayal. The script had no depth in it and that is one reason why it made this film a little less enjoyable. The camera work failed to help the viewers immerse themselves in the setting, the main requirement if one needs a good reaction from the audience. The transportation technique just cannot be applied to this film’s viewing.
In-Depth Analysis
The enemy-to-lover trope needs to be used in a very compelling and interesting way for it to work its magic on the audience, this is mainly because this is one popular trope that is seen in loads of books, series, and dramas, globally. Naturally writing an enemy-to-lover trope requires little to no effort as the story writes itself. But with the over-saturation of it in popular media, for scriptwriters and movie directors to execute an unforgettable story, they must elevate the story through multiple other aspects, so good cinematography and editing are one where this film falls flat. The BGM is too out of place and seems like it is there just for the sake of it. All the elements of filmmaking such as lighting, camera angles, editing, BGM, and shots have to interact with each other to make a film immersive and enjoyable. ‘Fall in love with my king’ has the main cast with good chemistry and they play their roles well as best as the script and direction allow for it.
Star Power
Deng Kai plays the role of Murong and is an extremely talented actor with his mettle proved in this film. His chemistry with Pali who plays the lead actress in this film is also good. Both actors are from mainland China. Considering how new they have been in the industry, especially in the case of Pa Li, who just debuted in the year 2017 they were able to make the script work with the collaboration on the screen.
Overall Opinion
This film is good to watch if you need something light to pass time and not get heavily invested in the story. Mainland China drama and movies, in particular, don’t follow the subtle acting that we are used to in Hollywood movies, the actors are very animated in their expressions. So, this might look comical to some people who are new to drama or entertainment media in this industry. It has moments where it gets a bit lost, but there is a plot twist to look out for in the film. The movie would have done well with a better script. It seemed very watered and toned out because of how unimaginative the trope of the enemy to lovers is used. Nothing new is brought to the screen, it banks purely on the mettle of the main cast and the popular trope.
