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During the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, a man searches for a new sect after his is destroyed leading him to create the art of Tai Chi.
Written by Mengmeng Huang and Huan Niu and directed by Siyu Cheng and Zhenzhao Lin, the film creates and builds a universe in which the lead can evolve, meet new allies, face new challenges, and become all that he can be. This may sound kind of cheesy, but it all works here and makes for a rather entertaining film. The story is well done and well written while the direction works well to bring it to the screen while creating some magic for the viewers. There is a whole lot of fantasy here with some wuxia and a whole lot of adventuring. While the pacing is a bit off here and there, the overall story works quite well. Unfortunately, the version provided for review has subtitles that flyby much too fast at times making it difficult to keep up with them. However, the story is easy enough to follow that missing a few lines of dialog at the start and then here and there in the film is not the end of the world.
The cast here is led by Yue Wu as Zhang Sanfeng who gives a fun and entertaining performances with some nuances but not too much. This isn’t a subtle film, so the performance given here fits the story and the film itself. Joining him in a lot of the film is Yan Liu as Yue Er and her performance is fantastic. She steals the show here and really makes the most of each and every scene she gets. She’s a solid reason to check out this film on her own. She’s mesmerizing, charming, and talented, exactly what this film needed as a leading lady. The cast beyond the leads is good here and they work really well with CGI elements that come and go (and won’t be spoiled in terms of what they are and what they mean to the story).
That CGI is unfortunately rough in spots and looks quite dated showing that it perhaps would have looked great a fitted in well in an early 2000s film, maybe an early 2010s film, but not a 2022 film. This CGI is frustrating as the design of it is good and even adorable at times, but the execution feels rushed and like an afterthought for the film, one that is filled with special effects. Of course, some of the CGI that doesn’t involve fully rendered characters works well. The effects here work better when they are simpler and less invasive. Outside of the CGI, the film looks stunning with great cinematography by Yubin Zhuang that really elevates the story and the settings, making it all look like a beautiful epic of a film.
Overall, The Tai Chi Master is an entertaining bit of fantasy wuxia action adventure with a good cast, a leading lady who steals the show, and sadly subpar CGI at times. There are some issues with the subtitles here and there, but nothing too bad to keep one from enjoying the film. And that is the main point here, the film is enjoyable, it’s entertaining, and it’s a whole lot of fun with a few more emotional moments.