Movies
Another condensed Chinese fantasy epic. Should you wonder where they keep getting these films, Lord Eagle is an adaptation of a web novel. It's a handy source that helps to set films apart from more pervasive classic Chinese literary influences but broadly offers the same appeal as their predecessors. In other words, it's more of the same, but different. Two rivaling clans have it out for each other. Four skilled magicians and warriors are brought together to face off with the rival clan and bring home some captives. They begin their long and arduous journey, picking up a stray girl along the way. It's not much of a plot, then again, that's all a film like this needs really, the rest is just cruft anyway. The CG is slightly above average, which is quite something for a film of this caliber. That's not to say everything looks slick, just that nothing looks too off. The performances aren't that great and some parts do feel a bit rushed, but the film delivers on its fantasy, action, and adventure appeal and does so in a pleasantly short span of time. Good fun.Read all
A bit of simple iQiyi filler. This is another one of those shorter fantasy epics that tackles a slice of Chinese folklore (or at least lends royally from it). While the quality of these releases has increased visibly over the years, most of them have trouble shaking off that filler vibe, no doubt because that's exactly what they are. Chen Nan is a young boy with exceptional spiritual powers. He is cast down to Earth by an elder and loses his memory. He arrives in the Chu Court, where he is taken prisoner by a stuck up princess. The court of Chu is under attack as the Sima family wants to take over the reign, Nan decides to help them out, while trying to find out more about his past. The mix of martial arts, fantasy and folklore is a staple of the Chinese film industry, the pacing is pleasant, the runtime short and the entertainment value is there, but the film lacks the necessary polish. Some subpar CG and lack of stand-out elements makes this decent but somewhat forgettable filler. Read all