One reason I look forward to weekends excitedly is that I usually have a set of films lined up to watch. This particular CineTV Twitter Prompt inspired me to write a review of a captivating action fantasy adventure animated movie I watched on Sunday.
I had watched L. O. R. D: Legend Of Ravaging Dynasties (2016), being the first film in this franchise, sometime last year and hurriedly searched for the sequel which should have been released but was not due to political reasons. Imagine my excitement when I heard the sequel was just released.
The L.O.R.D franchise is a Chinese computer animated action adventure fused with fantasy, written and directed by Guo Jingming. It is a tale of seven epic warriors called dukes, empowered by soul masters, hidden behind glass screens, to protect the Odin Mainland.
The first film focused on an orphan, inn boy named Qi Ling who is trained to become the disciple of Yin Chen, Duke 7 (played by Kris Wu). This training came at a tumultuous time when orders were given by one of the soul masters, Silver Priest, leading to a battle of soul powers between the dukes.
The end of this battle became a revelation for Yin Chen, duke 7 as he discovered that his master (former duke 7) was alive in a prison. The sequel focused on the adventure of searching for this imprisoned duke 7 and the reason behind it.
My Review
Apart from Yin Chen (duke 7) played by the handsome Kris Wu, hehe, one character I admired in this franchise is Lady Nox (duke 4). She was a mean villain in the first part but her cause changed in the sequel when she undertook the mission to expose the Silver Priest's misuse of power.
This franchise is captivating so far with violent fighting scenes that pump adrenaline. I enjoyed both films and commend the animation works, though the animation of the sequel is improved. The characters seemed real and life-like.
However, I had issues with the film plot. The plot is obscure and has lots of loopholes that leave even the most brilliant minds with questions while average minds would simply be confused.
After watching the sequel, I had more questions, the main one being: what is the ultimate goal of this action fantasy franchise? I mean, the soul masters empowered the dukes and punished those who would be curious to reveal their true identity but to what end?? Why would Yin Chen go blindly after his supposedly dead master to save him from a prison riddled in a time loop, thanks to Zillah, the time duke?
Well, I don't mean to give spoilers here or discourage viewers but I hope Guo Jingming will answer these questions and more in the next part. I'll say Guo Jingming has a creative imagination but the scenes of the sequel were not logically arranged. The addition of flashbacks in the latter part of the film to explain some of the riddles only served to confuse me more.
I understand this film has a novel and probably reading it might shed more light. L.O.R.D is a fantastic franchise with a great plot in my opinion but the director has more work to do to relay this message to viewers.
I recommend this film to all action fantasy lovers. You will enjoy it! Has anyone watched this franchise? What's your take on it?
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