Nü yong (2012) Reviews

• Uneven, but fun to watch.

  ebossert2013-05-20

  It looks like mainland China is producing more horror films lately. Over the past year or so I've seen trailers for dozens of titles. "Chrysalis" turned out to be a nice little surprise. After being kidnapped, a young woman awakens (three months later) on the side of a road with no memory of her abduction. Subsequently, she begins to experience psychological episodes that mirror her abductor's persona. During the opening half, this film is a bit uneven in its direction and scoring, and a bit messy in terms of scriptwriting. It just feels a bit rushed and impatient. Fortunately, it gets better as it progresses and contributes a very entertaining second half. The plot and protagonist hold interest throughout, the production values are nice, and there are some genuine surprises to be had. The visuals and overall style are quite good as well. This is a fun watch.

• Over my expectations!

  daffodil1703-386-3055962013-11-05

  It's a love-revenge movie, but trust me, it is way over my expectations, with so many twists and turns, and you cannot predict what will happen. From a Western point of view, it may be over-cooked and has to much melodrama. But from an Asean point of view, I really enjoy every minute of it. I doesn't focus much on fear factor, the horror is more on the bad side/the evil side of people. Of all characters, I really feel sorry for both Wen Guanxin and Anne Dai and the person I hate most is Luo Jia, that Casanona, who wrecked the hearts and souls of these poor women, and cause them do something way over evil. That handsome sweet little prince charming always act irresponsible for everything and runs away from all the mess he does! I wish he end up in hell! Finally, the movie is a gem and I think it will become a hit a China, maybe in all of Asia!

• Thoroughly entertaining , albeit silly as...at times!

  pjqziggy2016-11-03

  Chu-ji Qiu (real name?) has created a genuinely successful attempt at a chiller thriller, as opposed to an out and out horror. Given the restrictions imposed by the Chinese censorship body this is understandable and yet has worked extremely well. For the most part the acting was topnotch. Both lead actresses done a great job. The story line with Artist/Burns Specialist could have been played out more...at least more than the almost imperceptible Luo Jia husband- to-be character who just came across as spineless so why anyone would go to these extremes to marry the toad is beyond me. Not convinced with regards to the editing either which seemed askew. Apart from that my only grievance here is that because of said censorship, relating to supernatural content, we know from the outset that the movie will have human psychological influences rather than anything paranormal. The censorship therefore strips away any possible outcomes other than what is left and makes the end result entirely foreseeable. Would have given higher score but ending was more or less a given thanks to censorship in Chinese film. Hope to see more of "Chu-ji Qiu" in the future.