Reviews

Andy Lau has so many talents and this quiet, rather odd film for hi shows many of them. The acting, script, production and cinematography are all superb.

I don't mind it being on down beat, life can be like that, and the main actor shows dementia how it really is.

But the ending! He definitely died and unless it is some weird dream there he is alive and well and back to his old self. So instead of a great tragic love story tou keep thinking WTF was that about. Dragged the score right dow for me.

I enjoyed a lot of this series; the idea of someone coming back from the dead after 12 years was intriguing and the settings were interesting. But there were too many faults.

Firstly 20 ep was way too long for the material and led to a lot of filler. Aside from the core group a lot of the acting was amateurish. For some reason the fashions were boring and. Lee Yeon-hee haircut!

The music was good. I couldn't follow the 'mythology' of who were the dead returnees. Did they all have a reason to return and why them ? And who sent them. No one in the show seemed even curious about their origins.

The romances were sweet but soooo slow and artificial even for Asian dramas.

The food bits were good with some useful tips and inviting looking food.

Lastly the ending! Was it a dream or a total cop out. The girl seemed to show no great surprise or joy that he had returned again making me think it was her wish rather than reality.

Up till about episode 12 I was scoring his an easy 10 wit is original ideas and fresh mature comedy. Then something happened and it turned into a rather ordinary spy caper with a big twist you could see from Mars. Only in the final episode did they try and bring it all back with the very cute kids and the KIS squad but the ending as trite and everything was too neat.

The beginning is really original but the producers lost their nerve about half way through.

Starts as a nice romance but keeps building in suspense and palace intrigue until right to the end, The acting of the leads is all very good with. Kim Yoo-Jeong (in her first reengage lead I believe) exceptional. They are helped by some really good character actors.

My only personal criticism is I think the leads ended up with the wrong lovers. The Crown Prince / King already had a beautiful, intelligent Queen. And. Kwak Dong-Yeon died for no good reason and would have made a good husband for. Hong Ra-on who was beautiful and brave but not actually all that bright, Would any King really marry he daughter of a rebel ?

Still this is a good fantasy historical drama with some fine acting, music and the costumes ...

Some reviewers seemed not to have noticed that this is a fantasy drama not a documentary. Much of the acting is way over the top, particularly. Seong-rok Sin (who is big in musical theatre) and. Eun-Kyung Shin, but their parts call for it. All the other actors are good especially. The youngest Princess.

The plot twists are often incredible but did I want to watch every episode - yes - and thats what matters. A few niggles like the comedy was sometimes silly and a few too many side plots. The end dragged a bit as the extended episodes without. Choi Jin-Hyuk seemed lacking his presence.

Still good fun and never lacking in thrills. Enjoyed it a lot.

Korean Sci Fi is lways interesting and full of ambitious ideas. I enjoyed this but the acting nd the dialogue let it down. The production is superb. Especially the post nuclear Seoul (never seen better) and it has a great villain who is explored in depth.

The ending is clever and ambiguous. A good try that nearly made it.

Hiven the number of online reviews this was very popular. Perhaps not really aimed at Western viewers, this completely bypasses WOKE cuture. Let's start with. Park Bo-Young who was born in 1990 but looks about 12 and is several times called 'cute and sexy'. The extensive humour is best described as slapstick with things like 'poo wine' (a rel thing by the way) and a humour I haven't seen since 70's kung fu movies. I found it funny, several Western friends found it silly and turned off. The treatment of the gay characters (I assume the Monk was gay ?) is just offensive.

The central murder mystery / kidnapping, jars against the main romantic comedy and is genuinely creepy at times with gory photographs and a plot out of a slasher movie. But the ending of this plot is exciting.

The love triangle is good and the music is very good. The last episode tied everything up and as a fun epilogue.

It is never explained the origin of her powers, why they only follow the female line or how at the end she can leap off a skyscraper with no damage. Why are her powers taken away when she was obviously tricked by the villain ? All this could have been explored much more.

I enjoyed this but wouldn't watch it again.

If this had been done in say 8 episodes there would still have been faults but the david a Goliath pot would have worked. Instead over 16 pisodes it rambles and the plot holes and unlikely coincidences become too obvious. There is an interesting sub text going on about what sort of cpitalism - peope or power - os best and some good points on loyalty and friendship.

But why is the boss clearly autistic and lets his first love hang around for 15 years (without visibly ageing by the way) and then dumbs her for a girl who is close to being a stalker. Glad to see some diversity in his employees but nothing was ever really explored and were they moonks as well like the boss.

I enjoyed this show except for the ridiculous last three episodes. It made some good points but went on too long. Loved the music.

Ased loosely on the true story of Queen Dangyeong this is a 20 episode biopic. On the positive side the costumes and production are wonderfu with some gorgeous cinematography. The first few episodes of the leads as teenagers re really delightful with Park Si-eun outstanding. Then we go into a very long complicated palace intriques with no humour to lighten the slog.Park Si-eun acts her socks off as the to be deposed Queen and Lee Dong-gun as the mad . bad King but Yeon Woo-jin as Prince Jinseong seems very one note throighout without any real charisma.

The rebellion doesn't start till episode 17 when things star to pick up and the last episode is really moving and well done. But the real Queen's life and how the king tried to re instate he after the deth of his second wife is not even mentioned.

The music was good and it had its moments but the pacing was wriong and I can't see me ever re watching it.