Peridot83
Great Premise, Builds Addictively, But then . .
How can you tell the difference between true justice and unjustified revenge? When is it OK to forgive?
The Rise of Phoenixes stays strong for the first 40 to 50 episodes or so...so many hours of entertainment that I can forgive the show for boxing itself into a corner and then spinning its wheels on how to finish. The premise is so intriguing, and so puzzling (how can they pull this off?) that it keeps you on the edge of your seat.
The characters are compelling, though there are far fewer characters than other historical dramas. The main characters are great. Ning Yi does mildly overact/do an eccentric sort of Johnny Depp type performance. Feng Zhiwei has plenty of personality and backstory, and the actress brings it to life. There is a lot of electricity between the two main leads in small gestures and looks, which had a really nice build. The friendship between Ning Yi and Xin Ziyan is also very well done.
The music works with the show, and there are definitely scenes that I will rewatch, though I'm not sure about watching it straight from beginning to end. There are many scenes that I like to revisit again.
I have other criteria I score by:
Complex Themes - 9
(The main theme of the show is forgiveness, justice and revenge. When do ends justify the means? When is forgiving someone betraying other principles?)
Character Growth -9
(The great tension of the show is how the characters rise to the challenge at first, how they become better coordinated, better leaders, smarter and more calculating, and then how they hit walls that cause their faith to shatter. Unfortunately, the show ends up getting stuck far before the finale and the growth stops)
Nuanced Women -6
(Feng Zhiwei is a great role - but she is it. There are very little other women in the show that act as more than plot devices or have much screen time).
Cinematography/Production Values - 10
(The costumes are really innovative, use beautiful textiles and fabrics, the sets are lavish, and there are some good exterior shots as well. There isn't as much martial arts as some, more army movements/storming a building/special effects of collapsing buildings)
The Rise of Phoenixes stays strong for the first 40 to 50 episodes or so...so many hours of entertainment that I can forgive the show for boxing itself into a corner and then spinning its wheels on how to finish. The premise is so intriguing, and so puzzling (how can they pull this off?) that it keeps you on the edge of your seat.
The characters are compelling, though there are far fewer characters than other historical dramas. The main characters are great. Ning Yi does mildly overact/do an eccentric sort of Johnny Depp type performance. Feng Zhiwei has plenty of personality and backstory, and the actress brings it to life. There is a lot of electricity between the two main leads in small gestures and looks, which had a really nice build. The friendship between Ning Yi and Xin Ziyan is also very well done.
The music works with the show, and there are definitely scenes that I will rewatch, though I'm not sure about watching it straight from beginning to end. There are many scenes that I like to revisit again.
I have other criteria I score by:
Complex Themes - 9
(The main theme of the show is forgiveness, justice and revenge. When do ends justify the means? When is forgiving someone betraying other principles?)
Character Growth -9
(The great tension of the show is how the characters rise to the challenge at first, how they become better coordinated, better leaders, smarter and more calculating, and then how they hit walls that cause their faith to shatter. Unfortunately, the show ends up getting stuck far before the finale and the growth stops)
Nuanced Women -6
(Feng Zhiwei is a great role - but she is it. There are very little other women in the show that act as more than plot devices or have much screen time).
Cinematography/Production Values - 10
(The costumes are really innovative, use beautiful textiles and fabrics, the sets are lavish, and there are some good exterior shots as well. There isn't as much martial arts as some, more army movements/storming a building/special effects of collapsing buildings)
Was this review helpful to you?
