A Writer's Odyssey

I came across A Writer's Odyssey by sheer chance on YouTube, and since I like fantasy films and haven't seen a purely Chinese film in a while, I decided to give this one a go. Throughout the running time, the film reminded me of The Neverending Story (but an R-rating), together with Mortal Kombat and a fantasy version of 96 hours (well, actually only 72 hours). I've always had a bit of a problem with Asian acting, but here it seemed tolerable to the point of being almost sober, which I'll take as a plus point. I also praise the appearance of Lord Redman, even if he was slightly over-digitized, and besides that I was intrigued by the storyline with the red guards, who reminded me of the soldiers of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. The film could have done with twenty minutes less running time, but it is still a noteworthy affair in terms of story, which thematises the intertwining of two worlds against the backdrop of interpersonal relationships and family dramas. (2021.11.27)

A fantasy medieval version of The Lord of the Rings! A dream come true for fans of games, fantasy, intense action, but even fans of original and great stories will enjoy this, it's a blast! Dark Souls, "Sekiro", "Bloodborne", Assassin's Creed all in one!! The story follows a young author of a fantasy novel that has an effect on the real world. There are two different plotlines, and fortunately, each is interesting in its own way. In the real world, a hired killer is after the author, who has an interesting ability. In the fantasy world, we follow a young warrior who faces a tyrant-god with an army of skilled assassins (gorgeous armor!). I don't know what to praise first. The action is absolutely thrilling and grandiose, it has a beautiful video game look, amazing choreography, plenty of blood, perfect camera work, great music, enough emotions, and excellent pacing. Thanks to the two timelines, there are two grand finales (half an hour long!), and I can't remember which movie could boast about that. Apart from the amazing action, the intricate and quite demanding story is also captivating, offering a few unexpected plot twists. Utmost satisfaction. I was looking forward to it a lot and I got even more. This will rank very high in this year's genre rankings. 10/10. (2021.04.12)