[Current Mainland Chinese Movie 2017] Once Upon A Time 三生三世，十里桃花

[girl_group_lover]

If A-Li really were to inherit features of both a dragon and a fox, he'd look something like the dragon from the Studio Ghibli film, Spirited Away. Unlike other dragons, he had the head of a wolf (with horns) and the body of dragon. And it looked like his body was covered in white fur as well. I think that's what A-Li would have turned out to look like: a fox's head with horns, a dragon's body covered in white fur.

 

[El Lieu]

On 8/6/2017 at 8:01 PM, mooninpisces said:

 

In my part of the world, we don't get much in the way of Chinese entertainment news. I hesitate to ask, but I'm curious... what is it that people are saying to trash Yang Yang so badly?

They were saying both artist acting was trash..yang yang future is ruined due to this series (mind you some people didn't even watch series ). .. that his expressions were retarded...etc etc...bunch of harsh uneducated mainland Chinese ...

The first day they started the movie they already criticized like no tomorrow....

 

 

 

 

[mooninpisces]

21 minutes ago, El Lieu said:

They were saying both artist acting was trash..yang yang future is ruined due to this series (mind you some people didn't even watch series ). .. that his expressions were retarded...etc etc...bunch of harsh uneducated mainland Chinese ...

The first day they started the movie they already criticized like no tomorrow....

 

 

 

 

 

sorry to hear that...

[mooninpisces]

1 hour ago, girl_group_lover said:

If A-Li really were to inherit features of both a dragon and a fox, he'd look something like the dragon from the Studio Ghibli film, Spirited Away. Unlike other dragons, he had the head of a wolf (with horns) and the body of dragon. And it looked like his body was covered in white fur as well. I think that's what A-Li would have turned out to look like: a fox's head with horns, a dragon's body covered in white fur.

 

 

The third image is particularly beautiful (and believably "accurate" for a fantasy dragon/fox mix)

[mooninpisces]

I just bought my tickets for this Friday's release of the movie in my city!

I haven't watched a 3D movie in ages! Looking forward to seeing the special effects.

[girl_group_lover]

On 8/6/2017 at 8:01 PM, mooninpisces said:

 

In my part of the world, we don't get much in the way of Chinese entertainment news. I hesitate to ask, but I'm curious... what is it that people are saying to trash Yang Yang so badly?

From what I've seen on Weibo (Chinese equivalent of Twitter), I saw more complaints about the plot sequence more so than the acting. Since the novel was told through Bai Qian's perspective, it was basically a series of flashbacks and the timeline was slightly messy. The movie kept a similar order so people were saying how it was confusing to understand (if you're not a fan of the drama or the novel). And for people who were in fact familiar with the story, they felt like everything was too choppy and the overall transitioning was badly executed. They also didn't like how they re-wrote the story and cut out some of the characters. But I feel like it's unfair because some people seem to forget that this is a movie (less than 2 hrs) and not a drama anymore. There's no way they can introduce all the characters and keep all of the plot. So obviously the main focus is on Ye Hua/Bai Qian. No Feng Jiu/Di Jun. No Bai Qian/Li Jing/Xuan Nv love triangle. 

I've also seen other complaints about the styling and costumes used in the movie. They said a lot of them were horrendously and uselessly extravagant. Especially Bai Qian's wedding gown and head gear. Others were not too satisfied with Zhe Yan's costume (they thought it was way too colorful). And they complained that Bai Qian's costumes weren't "goddess-like". In the drama version, Bai Qian wore layers of silky-smooth + thin robes. When she moved or flew around, the costume flowed with the air, giving the audience a strong "goddess vibe". Meanwhile the movie version Bai Qian wore bulkier and heavier costumes. They also didn't like the fact that the costumes were a fusion of Chinese and Western influences. Some of it looked too modern and more like something you'd see in a fashion magazine.

And as for the acting and character portrayal, they complained about how the movie is missing that "touching" and "emotional" element. They didn't feel like Ye Hua's love was sincere enough. Instead, they felt like the movie was basically Ye Hua trying to pick up and flirt with a hot chick he just met (aka Bai Qian). Some said Yang Yang did a good job, while Liu Yi Fei didn't do well. Others said Liu Yi Fei did a good job but Yang Yang didn't do well. It's a lot of mixed reviews. But I guess everyone's just way too brainwashed by the drama version. They need to realize that they shouldn't make too many comparisons between the movie and the drama because they are separate productions. Based on the same novel but different takes on it. They should only judge the movie accordingly to the novel, not the drama. If I edited the drama version into a 2 hr movie, there's no way it'd be as touching and emotional as it originally was. 

Many said they did not like or understand the ending. And that the only thing worth watching from the movie is Mi Gu and A Li (since they're funny and are basically in charge of all the humor) and the CGI scenes, since they said it was really well done for a Chinese film. They said a lot of the scenery was really pretty but that's about it. But honestly, I'd like to see for myself. I'll be watching the movie with two of my cousins next week (at the theaters). Neither of them are familiar with the drama/novel, so I'll ask if they like it (I hope they do) or agree with any of the statements above.

[mundane9]

anyone who loves vengo Gao - aka DongHuang DiJun in 3L3w can watch him in a new wuxia series Xuan Yuan Sword: Han Cloud - looking kinda hot in dark long hair. May not look like him in GIF but it is. Series started today. Will give it a try....

[El Lieu]

11 hours ago, girl_group_lover said:

From what I've seen on Weibo (Chinese equivalent of Twitter), I saw more complaints about the plot sequence more so than the acting. Since the novel was told through Bai Qian's perspective, it was basically a series of flashbacks and the timeline was slightly messy. The movie kept a similar order so people were saying how it was confusing to understand (if you're not a fan of the drama or the novel). And for people who were in fact familiar with the story, they felt like everything was too choppy and the overall transitioning was badly executed. They also didn't like how they re-wrote the story and cut out some of the characters. But I feel like it's unfair because some people seem to forget that this is a movie (less than 2 hrs) and not a drama anymore. There's no way they can introduce all the characters and keep all of the plot. So obviously the main focus is on Ye Hua/Bai Qian. No Feng Jiu/Di Jun. No Bai Qian/Li Jing/Xuan Nv love triangle. 

I've also seen other complaints about the styling and costumes used in the movie. They said a lot of them were horrendously and uselessly extravagant. Especially Bai Qian's wedding gown and head gear. Others were not too satisfied with Zhe Yan's costume (they thought it was way too colorful). And they complained that Bai Qian's costumes weren't "goddess-like". In the drama version, Bai Qian wore layers of silky-smooth + thin robes. When she moved or flew around, the costume flowed with the air, giving the audience a strong "goddess vibe". Meanwhile the movie version Bai Qian wore bulkier and heavier costumes. They also didn't like the fact that the costumes were a fusion of Chinese and Western influences. Some of it looked too modern and more like something you'd see in a fashion magazine.

And as for the acting and character portrayal, they complained about how the movie is missing that "touching" and "emotional" element. They didn't feel like Ye Hua's love was sincere enough. Instead, they felt like the movie was basically Ye Hua trying to pick up and flirt with a hot chick he just met (aka Bai Qian). Some said Yang Yang did a good job, while Liu Yi Fei didn't do well. Others said Liu Yi Fei did a good job but Yang Yang didn't do well. It's a lot of mixed reviews. But I guess everyone's just way too brainwashed by the drama version. They need to realize that they shouldn't make too many comparisons between the movie and the drama because they are separate productions. Based on the same novel but different takes on it. They should only judge the movie accordingly to the novel, not the drama. If I edited the drama version into a 2 hr movie, there's no way it'd be as touching and emotional as it originally was. 

Many said they did not like or understand the ending. And that the only thing worth watching from the movie is Mi Gu and A Li (since they're funny and are basically in charge of all the humor) and the CGI scenes, since they said it was really well done for a Chinese film. They said a lot of the scenery was really pretty but that's about it. But honestly, I'd like to see for myself. I'll be watching the movie with two of my cousins next week (at the theaters). Neither of them are familiar with the drama/novel, so I'll ask if they like it (I hope they do) or agree with any of the statements above.

Agree!  Like said previously the movie was similar to the novel in that it started with baiquin jump off the terrace...in the novel u didn't even get to see yuehua sacrifice for her until the author wrote one small epilogue...and so it began with yuehua trying to win baiquin a heart again ..as in the movie...cause she didn't remember anything so yes he had to chase her again....and because the drama was mirrored like the actual novel which was all flashbacks...

 

i didnt feel yuehuas touching love and sacrifice for her nor felt the three lives when I read the novel...it was really not a good novel and thus since the movie mirrored it..so obviously the movie version was lacking in coherency ..since the novel lacked coherency as well...

 

And not really to comparison but the reason why the drama was successful besides the acting was because the director script writer took the novel and made it coherent ...we saw yuehuas step by step love and sacrifice for her..so that is why it was touching..

 

talk about things  don't make sense ...if u watch the recent princess agent ..supposedly a good book and great acting by the leads..but it was such an incoherent drama which made no sense...gees what a waste of a supposedly good drama...

 

I am waiting to see the good version of this movie before I can say anything about the leads acting..I never saw liuyifei acting not even as dragon girl when she first debuted...

 

hahaha but I wonder if she had plastic surgery at the eye area cause I swear her eyes look different now cause the past...

 

 

[Cedric Ong]

I haven't watched yet. Singapore will show quite late...24 Aug.

But i came across this review in youtube.....she did quite a few reviews on china dramas. She didn't watch the movie in cinema only the not-so-sharp version in youtube....so she's quite fair to avoid commenting on the CGI. She also didn't bash too much on the acting. But about the story pacing....and video editing.....she focus on those. 

Spoiler

For a movie that's around 1 hr and 40 mins....to squeeze in the story (basically just the 2 leads, since already removed most secondary chars)....is still abit too much. But the fault is not just about so many story plots to squeeze in....but how each flow from one to another. She mention like one scene would suddenly change to another....and only after a while, u would realise different scene....lack of some transition.

I think some early feedback is also related to that, some viewers mention just when the char's sorrow is building up, with u feeling it....the scene changed...and that feeling disappeared. Maybe all these will also affect the viewers' impression on the acting.

Also like someone mentioned....the movie follow the novel...in the way of flashbacks. I feel it would be more confusing when used in a movie with limited time. I wonder if it'll flow better with the drama format or not.

 

[girl_group_lover]

45 minutes ago, El Lieu said:

Agree!  Like said previously the movie was similar to the novel in that it started with baiquin jump off the terrace...in the novel u didn't even get to see yuehua sacrifice for her until the author wrote one small epilogue...and so it began with yuehua trying to win baiquin a heart again ..as in the movie...cause she didn't remember anything so yes he had to chase her again....and because the drama was mirrored like the actual novel which was all flashbacks...

 

i didnt feel yuehuas touching love and sacrifice for her nor felt the three lives when I read the novel...it was really not a good novel and thus since the movie mirrored it..so obviously the movie version was lacking in coherency ..since the novel lacked coherency as well...

 

And not really to comparison but the reason why the drama was successful besides the acting was because the director script writer took the novel and made it coherent ...we saw yuehuas step by step love and sacrifice for her..so that is why it was touching..

 

talk about things  don't make sense ...if u watch the recent princess agent ..supposedly a good book and great acting by the leads..but it was such an incoherent drama which made no sense...gees what a waste of a supposedly good drama...

 

I am waiting to see the good version of this movie before I can say anything about the leads acting..I never saw liuyifei acting not even as dragon girl when she first debuted...

 

hahaha but I wonder if she had plastic surgery at the eye area cause I swear her eyes look different now cause the past...

 

 

 

Yes I agree! People fail to realize that in the original novel, it was all from Bai Qian's perspective so all she felt was betrayal and dishonesty. Which is why Ye Hua isn't exactly a likable character. The drama fixed that part of the story and we got to see both Bai Qian AND Ye Hua's perspectives. They brought Ye Hua's character to life. Which is why after understanding emotional struggles from both sides, the drama left a stronger impact on us. Because we got to see the entire/fuller story, rather than just 50% of it. 

PS: I love Liu Yi Fei. She actually made her debut in 2002, "Dragon Girl" was a while after. I first got to know her from 天龙八部 (Demi Gods And Semi Devils - 2003 Version) but I didn't think much of her. Then a couple years later, she starred in 仙剑奇侠传 (Chinese Paladin), and that's when I completely fell in love with her. She's known to play characters with "goddess vibes" which is why I thought she was the perfect choice for Bai Qian. I think she's a decent actress but people like to downplay and underrate her acting because she's pretty and they assume she's just popular for her looks. As for Yang Yang, I didn't know much about him until I watched 微微一笑很倾城 (Love 020), and I was super captivated by his portrayal of Xiao Nai. Both of them are actors I like very much. I really look forward to seeing the movie.

[tsubamee]

I just feel that they tried to fit the whole entire story of Bai Qian & Ye Hua into a movie. It's like watching the novel on fast forward x10. Can't feel YH's undying love or his love developement. For someone who never read the book the movie can be quite disjointed and fast paced

I love both actors but the movie was a bit disappointing, not the actors' fault though

[girl_group_lover]

36 minutes ago, tsubamee said:

I just feel that they tried to fit the whole entire story of Bai Qian & Ye Hua into a movie. It's like watching the novel on fast forward x10. Can't feel YH's undying love or his love developement. For someone who never read the book the movie can be quite disjointed and fast paced

I love both actors but the movie was a bit disappointing, not the actors' fault though

Yeah that seems to be the main complaint. I feel like maybe they should have shot more than one movie if that was the case. I remember 小时代 (Tiny Times) had 3 or 4 parts to it. I think they should have done that for this movie too too. Make one movie for each life time (Si Yin, Su Su, Bai Qian), so they can release it as a trilogy (ugh, I wish that were the case).

[girl_group_lover]

I came across this picture and doesn't it look like it's Bai Qian (in her fox form) in Zhe Yan's peach blossom forest?

[mooninpisces]

2 hours ago, girl_group_lover said:

 

Yes I agree! People fail to realize that in the original novel, it was all from Bai Qian's perspective so all she felt was betrayal and dishonesty. Which is why Ye Hua isn't exactly a likable character. 

 

I read somewhere that there exists an epilogue to the novel from the perspective of Ye Hua's point of view of the story which reveals what he sacrificed and did to try and protect SuSu/Bai Qian.

I've searched for this but haven't found it.

Does it exist in the original Chinese version of the novel?

[mooninpisces]

1 hour ago, girl_group_lover said:

Yeah that seems to be the main complaint. I feel like maybe they should have shot more than one movie if that was the case. I remember 小时代 (Tiny Times) had 3 or 4 parts to it. I think they should have done that for this movie too too. Make one movie for each life time (Si Yin, Su Su, Bai Qian), so they can release it as a trilogy (ugh, I wish that were the case).

 

Oh, a trilogy would have been epic! I wonder if they would have made a trilogy had this been produced after the tv drama and they'd seen how successful it was.

Timing, timing, timing...

[mooninpisces]

3 hours ago, Cedric Ong said:

I haven't watched yet. Singapore will show quite late...24 Aug.

But i came across this review in youtube.....she did quite a few reviews on china dramas. She didn't watch the movie in cinema only the not-so-sharp version in youtube....so she's quite fair to avoid commenting on the CGI. She also didn't bash too much on the acting. But about the story pacing....and video editing.....she focus on those. 

 

 

The reviewer mentions the movie's main theme song. I agree that it's a beautiful song indeed.

This song sung by Na Ying is available from iTunes btw.

 

[girl_group_lover]

2 hours ago, mooninpisces said:

 

I read somewhere that there exists an epilogue to the novel from the perspective of Ye Hua's point of view of the story which reveals what he sacrificed and did to try and protect SuSu/Bai Qian.

I've searched for this but haven't found it.

Does it exist in the original Chinese version of the novel?

Yeah it does exist but since it's the epilogue, throughout the entire story, you basically feel little to no pity for Ye Hua. At least that's how it was for me. And then at the very end is when you're like "oh okay, I see". I would have liked it if they incorporated it into the actual novel instead of making it an epilogue. 

But seriously though, I only read the novel after watching the drama, and I gotta say, reading the epilogue made me hate Ye Hua's family even more. The drama version actually slightly watered down the way they treated him. Poor Ye Hua. His childhood made me want to cry.

[mooninpisces]

4 hours ago, girl_group_lover said:

Yeah it does exist but since it's the epilogue, throughout the entire story, you basically feel little to no pity for Ye Hua. At least that's how it was for me. And then at the very end is when you're like "oh okay, I see". I would have liked it if they incorporated it into the actual novel instead of making it an epilogue. 

But seriously though, I only read the novel after watching the drama, and I gotta say, reading the epilogue made me hate Ye Hua's family even more. The drama version actually slightly watered down the way they treated him. Poor Ye Hua. His childhood made me want to cry.

 

I agree that incorporating it into the novel as opposed to an "afterthought" would have been better.

And I hated the Sky Emperor the most of all the characters for how he made Ye Hua suffer and how he was in cahoots with Su Jin (in the drama).

Would you happen to know of an English translation of Ye Hua's epilogue floating around anywhere on the net? I'd like to read it if possible.

[girl_group_lover]

35 minutes ago, mooninpisces said:

 

I agree that incorporating it into the novel as opposed to an "afterthought" would have been better.

And I hated the Sky Emperor the most of all the characters for how he made Ye Hua suffer and how he was in cahoots with Su Jin (in the drama).

Would you happen to know of an English translation of Ye Hua's epilogue floating around anywhere on the net? I'd like to read it if possible.

Unfortunately not. I actually bought and read the English version (To The Sky Kingdom) on amazon since my Chinese isn't impressive and I simply would read faster in English. But only after reading it did I stumble upon the Chinese version and see that there's actually an epilogue. Confused, I clicked on it and realized that they didn't include the epilogue in to the English version. So I ended up reading the epilogue in its original form. Took me a while, but I eventually got through it. 

[shellie_gal]

i think when you adapt a drama (or book that has been adapted into a successful drama) into a movie, it's almost like biting off more than you can chew. i'm going off of my sunshine and love 020 examples. i enjoyed both dramas and loved HXM and yang mi but could not finish the my sunshine movie, try as i might. the love 020 movie was so forgettable that i frankly don't remember much of it. 

the story / plot is already going to be a mess and then deciding to cut off major characters and plots to fit a 2 hour window frame is pretty much a recipe for disaster.

for once upon a time, a lot of people thought the cast was perfect when it was announced so already a lot of expectations were there, though i didn't think they were strong actors. then when the drama was announced with mark, it was already getting criticized that mark doesn't look or fit the ideal image of ye hua so expectations were probably low to start with. 

then when the drama came out and mark blew everyone away along with the more coherent telling of the story and filling in the missing blanks from the novel (because the novel was from bai qian's point of view), there were probably more pressure for the movie to do well.

it doesn't matter which drama gets adapted, i feel it's almost going to be impossible to have a movie version do well. the only ones who are going to even remotely understand the move versions are the ones who have read the books or watch the dramas. anyone else is going to be left in the dark, trying to piece together a puzzle that won't fit. 

with that said, i'm still going to catch this because i loved the book and loved the drama even more. i may not finish but i'm going to try.

2 hours ago, mooninpisces said:

 

I agree that incorporating it into the novel as opposed to an "afterthought" would have been better.

And I hated the Sky Emperor the most of all the characters for how he made Ye Hua suffer and how he was in cahoots with Su Jin (in the drama).

Would you happen to know of an English translation of Ye Hua's epilogue floating around anywhere on the net? I'd like to read it if possible.

 

there is an english translation of ye hua's epilogue. i remember reading it many many months ago and while it would help being incorporated into the novel, it would be impossible because the book is from bai qian's point of view and she would not know those things. i think that may be the reason the author wrote it; to explain some things in between. since i already loved ye hua, it only helped me to understand things from his point of view.

you can find it here: https://www.scribd.com/doc/213958394/Three-Lives-Three-Worlds-Ten-Miles-of-Peach-Blossoms-1

it looks like you'll have to be a member to download it. if you scroll a ways down to page 181 - 183, that is an excerpt from ye hau's epilogue that is visible as a preview.