Til We Meet Again

The benchmark for Chinese fantasy films. It integrates a lot of elements, but it still handles it very well. The two main lines represent love and hate. Every move is the attachment to obsession. There is no right or wrong, only letting go or not.

You could call this a romantic film but you can also call it a fantasy. Either way, it's a great one and a nice try for Taiwanese film. I have watched the director's and the two protagonists' films from You are the Apple of my eyes, our times. Both of them are typical, touching teenager love stories,this one reaches out to the afterlife and reincarnation,a recreation of the another world. And it also includes some vulgar and erotic jokes, just like the director's first and signature one. All in all, it's moving, refreshing, genuine and a good one.

While staying interesting and never boring, Till We Meet Again's rushed narrative only makes it feels more like a summary than a feature film with a complete arc. As result, the film suffers greatly from underdeveloped characters and undercooked plot points. The genre-changing is also a tad abrupt instead of organic. The premise probably will be fleshed out better as a series instead of a film.

This film is like Taiwan version of Along with the Gods, but more simpler. I can see the visuals, and the editing is OK. I don't understand why the director included the joke during a touching scene, it totally ruined my emotions.

The story is terrible. The creativity does not compensate the bad storytelling. Ko cannot balance the storyline of the afterworld and the love story, it feels like there are so many to express but completely loses its focus. However, I can say the leads are great in this film.

Yue Lao is by absolutely no means perfect, nor can it even be considered well filmed, well scripted or even well acted, but I am absolutely in love with it. There are definitely some awkward moments earlier in the film, but as the film goes on you realize its tremendous world building. It's so rare to see a Chinese fantasy film's world created in such a manner, and that is kudos to Nine Knives. Combined with what Taiwanese film makers are best at, love stories, the film is an instant classic. The film also has taken so much from other genres, from traditional horrors, Wuxia, etc, it's just such a rare and enjoyable experience.