The main reason I wanted to watch this movie is because of the fact that it's directed by the guy that directed the first two "Ip Man" movies. Plus this also has the pretty Chinese actress Crystal Liu Yi Fei. Now I heard this is a remake, but I don't know how closely it ties in with the original. But for this movie itself, it bombarded by a lot of low budget CGI. And a lot of these Chinese fantasy movies that has a lot of cheap CGI in it tends to be bad or even awful. Watching this flick is like watching a Chinese version of Van Helsing. Except this has a demon hunter/taoist hunting down succubuses with a naive young tax collector(most annoying character in this flick, something about his presence is just flat out irritating. Maybe because he is a whiny and dumb character although kinda pivotal to the plot) caught in a awkward relationship with a succubus. And the plot revolves around the 3 characters past and relationships. And a conflict ensues because of the 3 characters awkward relationships in a place called Black Mountain. With few other opposing threats along the way. With succubus hunting action thrown in. Actually I guessed this about 20 minutes in and was mostly on target. It's simply a very cheesy and predictable and forgettable movie. Despite the fantasy and supernatural stuff going on, the plot and characters actions just doesn't make any sense. It felt like I basically just sat through this movie just so I could finish it. It's a easily forgettable flick that can be forgotten in a day. I would say few hours if the plot wasn't so narrow and simple. The romance aspect of this movie I thought should be the strong point in this Chinese fairy tale. But even that is poorly developed and cliché. The direction and everything was just bland, not terrible or awful but bland. This movie as a whole is just unintentionally downright silly. And far from being emotionally absorbing or even moving. The best part about this movie is Crystal Liu Yi, she is really good at playing the pure and innocent characters even when she is playing the role of a succubus. And the flying sword tricks was cool.
5/10
5/10