AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Seraherrera The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

kluseba I have seen the original three movies as a child and I have kept very positive memories about it. These movies were atmospheric, artistic, mysterious, mythological and romantic. From the imaginative fighting scenes over the profound emotional parts up to one of the best movie soundtracks ever done in the history of cinema, these movies introduced me to Chinese culture and until today I have remained fascinated by this diversified and colourful country.I am aware of the fact that remakes often fail to be on pair with the originals and I think that a remake of one of these untouchable movies shouldn't have been made. They had already done a comic adaption of the story in 1997 and now they have released some sort of remake of the original film even though both films have a slightly different story line. This movie may be dedicated to the brilliant late Leslie Cheung but in reality it's a question of business to revamp these series in times of Twilight and similar movies that are popular around the world. This movie is definitely for younger audiences and not for those who have grown up or liked the first three films. If this movie had a different title, it would maybe be worth seven points but as it's directly related to the original by its title, it wouldn't be worth more than five points. In the end, I think that my six points are a quite fair rating for both points of view.This revamp of the series focuses a whole lot on special effects. There are too many of them, they look very artificial and they are miles away from the innovating techniques of the original movies. These CGI effects don't fit at all to the beautiful landscapes, the traditional clothes, the old fashioned countryside villages and the mythological elements of the movie. It's as if you put aliens in a western and I always thought only Hollywood would do this kind of things.The actors in this movie do a good job but they really can't mess with the original cast. Yu Shaoqun isn't on the same level as Leslie Chung because he fails to add his own note. Louis Koo comes quite close to the original performer Wu Ma and has some strong charisma that pleases me very well. Liu Yifei gives her very best to portray a charming and innocent ghost but I really liked the supernatural grace of Joey Wong better. The supporting actors could have been more developed in this film but at least the guide and villages fool was quite addicting. I thought he was rather funny because he reminded me of a person I had met in real life.The story is close but on the same level as the original feature. I would even say that the last third of the movie and the final battle scenes were maybe even better than the original. The problem for me was the ending that I didn't like at all. It felt a little bit random and rushed. I was expecting an epic ending or a happy end but any development got suddenly aborted. I think that this ending wasted a lot of potential.In the end, modern movie fans will like the special effects and fighting scenes of this movie and the popular love story. Personally, I think that the new version lacks depth, development, magic and uniqueness and doesn't come close to the original feature that had been a true milestone for Hongkong cinema. Fans of the original shouldn't waste their time with this movie even though it's rather entertaining. They will be disappointed comparing this to the original. Those who liked this film should immediately try out the three original movies and get a lesson in truly well crafted cinema. Fans of popular movies that mix monsters and romance in the key of Twilight might though really enjoy this film.

KineticSeoul The main reason I wanted to watch this movie is because of the fact that it's directed by the guy that directed the first two "Ip Man" movies. Plus this also has the pretty Chinese actress Crystal Liu Yi Fei. Now I heard this is a remake, but I don't know how closely it ties in with the original. But for this movie itself, it bombarded by a lot of low budget CGI. And a lot of these Chinese fantasy movies that has a lot of cheap CGI in it tends to be bad or even awful. Watching this flick is like watching a Chinese version of Van Helsing. Except this has a demon hunter/taoist hunting down succubuses with a naive young tax collector(most annoying character in this flick, something about his presence is just flat out irritating. Maybe because he is a whiny and dumb character although kinda pivotal to the plot) caught in a awkward relationship with a succubus. And the plot revolves around the 3 characters past and relationships. And a conflict ensues because of the 3 characters awkward relationships in a place called Black Mountain. With few other opposing threats along the way. With succubus hunting action thrown in. Actually I guessed this about 20 minutes in and was mostly on target. It's simply a very cheesy and predictable and forgettable movie. Despite the fantasy and supernatural stuff going on, the plot and characters actions just doesn't make any sense. It felt like I basically just sat through this movie just so I could finish it. It's a easily forgettable flick that can be forgotten in a day. I would say few hours if the plot wasn't so narrow and simple. The romance aspect of this movie I thought should be the strong point in this Chinese fairy tale. But even that is poorly developed and cliché. The direction and everything was just bland, not terrible or awful but bland. This movie as a whole is just unintentionally downright silly. And far from being emotionally absorbing or even moving. The best part about this movie is Crystal Liu Yi, she is really good at playing the pure and innocent characters even when she is playing the role of a succubus. And the flying sword tricks was cool.5/10

kemo_d7 This movie is a piece of art and people should not compare it to the original movie. Today's generation will enjoy this movie in a whole new way just as my generation did when we saw the original back in the 80's. As we get older we tend to change our taste in what kind of movies we like. Unless you adept to the ever-changing cultural and social changes in art you'll not be able to enjoy its treasures. This movie is an classic already just like the original was but like I said before - don't compare it to the original. Look at this movie as a whole new love story that will create a great memory for all the people who see it for the first time. Sometimes we judge things based on how they made us feel without realizing that emotions are personal and art is unique. I saw this movie last night and was inspired by its beauty. I'll cherish this memory just like I did with the original one for years to come..

moviexclusive The Tsui Hark production "A Chinese Ghost Story" is without a doubt a seminal classic of Hong Kong cinema, successfully blending some of its signature elements like over-the-top action, overwrought emotions and a dizzying mix of various genres- in this instance, romance, comedy and horror. It is a tall task then to attempt a reinterpretation of it, but "Ip Man" director Wilson Yip has boldly attempted to go where no Hong Kong director has dared to tread.It seems however that this reluctance has been for good reason- despite Yip's efforts at mimicking the hallmarks of the earlier film, his 2011 remake is a slapdash product with little actual merit. The ineptness of Yip's version is indeed appalling- especially considering his solid, if not outstanding, work on the two "Ip Man" movies- and in almost every respect proves to be inferior to Ching Siu-Tung's original. That is, except for its end credits- and only because it rehases the late Leslie Cheung's classic theme song.Right from the beginning, one can sense that there is something amiss with the movie. A hastily-told prologue tries to establish- but fails to do so with any resonance- the doomed romance between demon slayer Yan Chi Xia (Louis Koo) and Nip Siu-Sin, or Xiao Qian (Liu Yifei) as she is more popularly known. Apparently, Cia Xia didn't have the heart to kill Siu-Sin when the time came for him to do so- instead, he erased her memory of their relationship and set her free, thereby also falling out with another demon slayer Thunder (played by Ip Man regular Fan Siu-Wong).Fans of the original would already suspect the difference between the two, and true enough, the focus of Yip's movie seems to have shifted to the character of Chi Xia- in the process, setting up Leslie Cheung's Ning Cai Chen (played here by the terrible Chinese actor Yu Shaoqun) as a romantic rival instead to Chi Xia for Siu-Sin's affections. Cheung's classic character turns out to be the scholar a water-impoverished town turns to for assistance, and it is to solve their water woes that Cai Chen ventures into the mountains, meets Siu-Sin and lands up at Lan Tze Temple.As with the original, the trio's common enemy is the Tree Demon, to whom Siu-Sin's spirit is enslaved to and with whom Chi Xia and Cai Chen will eventually battle against in a CG-heavy action-packed finale. The latter has Yip demonstrating the sure hand he had with the action sequences in "Ip Man", and is easily the best thing the movie has going for it. Complementing the fluid martial arts choreography (among the choreographers veteran Ma Yuk-Shing) is the impressive visual effects- done post-production in Korea- which only goes to show that the China film industry can very well handle CG as competently as its Hollywood counterparts.Unfortunately, the hour before this climactic battle is one tedious slog, no thanks to a dreadful script by Cheung Tan (also equally guilty for the Chen Kaige dud 'The Promise'). Not only is the dialogue god-awful and filled with moments of unintentional humour, there is close to little characterisation- be it Chi Xia, Cai Chen, or Sui-Sin. Yip compensates for Cheung's bad scripting with a somewhat frenetic pace, but that's not enough to distract his audience from its flaws and repetitive scenes. Most importantly, the romantic triangle also fails to take off, and remains stuck in cutesy scenes (what's up with the feeding of sweets) that belong in a teenage fantasy. And because one never quite comes to believe in the star-crossed romance between human and demon, the finale also lacks the poignancy of the original.Equally uninspired is the acting- or rather, the lack of it- on display. Louis Koo attempts to emote as one half in an ill-fated romance, but doesn't quite succeed. Yifei has the beguiling looks to go with her part, but lacks conviction. But the worst of the lot is Mainland actor Yu Shaoqun, who proves time and time again that he simply cannot act (if you've seen last year's Kung Fu Wing Chun, you'll agree too). His portrayal of the shy soft-spoken and good-hearted romantic lover is simply ingratiating and an utter insult to Leslie Cheung's nuanced performance. Ditto for Louis and Yifei, whose acting can't hold a candle to Wu Ma and Joey Wong's in the original.There are however exceptions- Kara Hui is gleefully campy as the Tree Demon, while Elvis Tsui, who also starred in the original, offers some welcome comic relief as the chief of the village Cai Chen visits. Yet these are little consolation for a movie that never justifies its existence, paling in every respect to Ching Siu-Tong's classic. And the horror of it all? The filmmakers had the audacity to think that their efforts were worthy enough for them to dedicate this film to the late Leslie Cheung!