Er dai yao jing (2017) Reviews

• The film is not as childish as it looks like, it's a Satirical film

  thefrightofrealtears2018-08-01

  First of all, I give it a ten because the score is way too low from what it really deserves. This story looks like a cliche, childish legend that is simply moved into a modern framework. Well Hanson and the Beast contains many interesting, ignored, and even taboo subject matters in the modern Chinese society. One most obvious cynicism goes to the portray of the villain, Yun, who looks like a demon Hitler advocating pureblood against human intermarriage. However, if you look closely, his policy is more than for pureblood but for ideology control. That's it. The BOT is a metaphor of China's censorship bureau. They filter positive news outside the wall and spread negative rumors toward their imagined enemies. They prohibit interaction because it threatens their power legitimacy. The human world is depicted as a place filling with "ignored those," of those who are often dismissed and not to mention in the official narratives. The protagonist is indebted; his father has been mentally mad and hospitalized, which is still a rarely-mentioned taboo in most Chinese families. He attends arranged-marriage meetings with new money, who got rich via the compensation payment for house demolition. He meets lesbians, who cannot come out of the closets, have to fake marriage, and must have to bred to fulfill their parents' wishes. Another gay hidden in the set is when Xiao Bai serves in a karaoke pub. The man does not act like a hacker at all. He is obviously a gay hesitating about his own orientation, and thus comes to find girls with his butterfly-demon sister. Both the indebted protagonist and his debater are ordinary extras holding dreams of becoming actors, the lowest layer in pyramid of film industry. The film have two major fights, both of which adopt a satirical way to finish the conflicts between the week (protagonist's side) and the strong ones (BOT). The protagonist is an actor, and the film also highlights a reality-in-fake frame to conceal the conflicts. Actors and filmmakers apply their weapon-the ability to act and the knowledge of film- as the keys to escape, to sneak in, or to break out of the prison. The method is funny and kinda deconstructionism. Moreover, this is also a strategy that the film takes, that is, to use a satirical attitude against those tough social realities.

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• Brilliant mix of modern and legendary in Shangai!

  M1racl3sHapp3n2018-03-28

  This movie has found a way to breakthrough a lot of stereotypes and present a fantastic comedy where the so called regular reality and the fantasy world run parallel but only a few are allowed to see it. Ultimately, it's a story about love; modern love which goes beyond any barriers you could possibly imagine. The acting is brilliant and totally convincing. If you like fantasy garnished with a pinch of sense of humor in a sci-fi/ fantasy environment, you shouldn't miss this movie: entertainment granted!

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• Transfigurations and morphing love!

  babyjaguar2018-01-11

  This film is unique, one can tell that there was a lot of passion by the director, Yang Xiao (there was enough action plus CGI with it). I feel that there were some gaps maybe due to edits with the love narrative. Its a long film, running close to 2 hours and explores taboo themes, from sexual transgressions, trans identity to shadow governments, in the film there is the B.O.T that regulates transmorphing or "transfiguring" animal gods with ordinary humans. If you are open-minded with this film; it can serve you great entertainment. Xiao had a lot of requirements for actors, to look ordinary or stylized. The strongest part is the main protagonists getting away from villains on a film set, kind of a film within a film idea.

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• Entertaining

  petteri_e2018-05-01

  It looks like it was written and directed by 12 years old kids, but I believe it comes from Asian culture of movie making. The demonic world is interesting and its make me giggle a bit how the the main bureau characters are posy. But what really makes me love this movie are cute animal sounds. Also, if you like furry romance or unnatural jumping, you can add star from each.

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