Movie Digest
The movie is set in a historical Era of China which was ruled by the Ming Dynasty. The story begins with several slaves and workers working day and night in constructing the city walls of their town. This project was funded by the wealthiest man in the town, Shen Fu; A smart, brilliant and clever businessman. Unexpectedly, during the construction process, a monster living on the banks of the river nearby irrupted and destroyed the south wall of the city, killing a few and injuring many other workers. After hearing the news, the emperor of the town immediately demands to rebuild the wall over a span of three days. He imposes execution as punishment for those who were responsible for the accident. However, there were things hidden far beyond the attack by the river monster.
The story revolves around solving the mystery of finding the culprit who caused such chaos as well as completing building the south wall before it is too late.
The female role, Qin Luo Yao, enters the scene as one of the workers who was killed during the accident was her brother. To avenge the person behind her brother’s death, she leaves with Shen Fu to solve the mystery.
The Feel-Good Part
The movie showcased ancient and historical aspects of Chinese culture through these fictional narrations. You will fall in love with every lead role since they are all good-looking and did justice to their characters.
The Disappointing Part
The graphics/ CGI parts that showed the town river monster could have been done better since it was quite awkwardly placed in many scenes.
Several elements in the narration were not properly linked with each other and felt abrupt.
In-Depth Analysis
The Cultural representation of ancient China was portrayed well in many scenes. One of the obvious examples would be the portrayal of the river demon/monster, as it showcases China’s old tradition of linking many of its beliefs and practices with demons and dragons.
It is also a great production work when it comes to set-making, make-up and costumes as it takes you back to the historical period this story was situated.
Star Power
The lead roles of Jin Xing Yao [who played Shen Fu] and Wilena Zhu [who played Qin Luo Yao] delivered perfect on-screen chemistry between the characters. Shen’s subtle yet impactful presence in contrast to a bold and strong character played by Wilena [Qin] created an apt Ying-Yang situation.
Overall Opinion
The movie is worth a watch if you are interested in Asian dynasty-based narrations and historical-fictional characters like the river monster or dragons.
