Sword Dynasty Fantasy Masterwork (2020)

a talent wasted on a characterless show

this is a fantasy mystery show with a bit of actions that is not of the wuxia genre. it just looks wuxia, but it's not. imagine watching a 70s-80s Chinese zombie shows but with better cameras, background sound arrangements, sets, and costumes. and in the middle of it all, throw a decently promising/talented actor. to make it worse, imagine the director and/or the screenwriter are kind of clueless on the kind of show they want to create.

the only redeemable part of this film is Zhao Yuanyuan performing the role as Ye Celeng. this is the 2nd time i've watched her acting. i find her portrayal of Ye Celeng is mesmerizing, especially with the makeup, her facial expressions, postures, non-verbal gestures, the gazes shot from her eyes, and the wuxia costumes she wore. if she was born earlier, and acted alongside the likes of Jet Li in a film similar to the Swordsman (Xiao Ao Jiang Hu / Smiling Proud Wanderer), probably it would have captivated a lot of audience's heart and imagination. i kind of feel bad she has to be involved in this film. but maybe her contract prohibits her from rejecting the offer/role.

plus, i tend to dislike films/series with zombies (jiangshi), living dead (huoshiren), puppets (kuilei), and ridiculous CGIs.

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If you are considering to watch...

it is not a spoiler to say that this has zombies/undead in it.
I like Liu Yi Tong and he did a different character here that he portrayed well. Yuan Zhao didn't disappoint either although there's some scenes that her facial expression were a bit exaggerated. If a good artist role portrayal, wardrobe and sets are enough for you, this can be a possible watch.
The story and how it was relayed or directed got me bored. This is where it failed drastically. Those undead could have been directed better. The fight choreographies are borderline good. The comical scenes weren't funny at all.
The costumes were great as well as the sets for all scenes.
I don't recommend this movie personally but if you are out of selection, it may work to get you through.

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