Qing Ya Ji
2020 / 132m - China
Mystery, Fantasy
3.5*/5.0*
The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity poster

Watches

April 17, 2021

3.5*/5.0*

It's nice to see China is finally getting competent at CG, making films like The Yin-Yang master a lot easier to stomach. This elaborate mystery, set in a fantasy universe, is quite a spectacle. It's still not quite ready to compete with the better films in the genre (Legend of the Demon Cat comes to mind), but it's very welcome filler alright.

The plot is relatively intricate, following Qing Ming who goes to Tiandu to fulfill his master's last wish. Once there he gets involved in a pretty dark mystery involving the princess. At the same time, the structure of the film is pretty basic, with gradual reveals that uncover a lot of hidden drama between the main characters and leave no mystery behind.

The sets and costumes are lush, the cinematography is beautiful and the score has some excellent music. The problem here is that the drama is a little too heavy-handed and plentiful for a film like this, which creates some pacing issues. Other than that, a fine film, it's clear Guo feels at home in this genre.