#sure was a movie that existed

[areuils]

Creation of the Gods 2: Demon Force Review (Contains Spoilers)

Given I’m unsure of what is considered major spoilers or just expected of the movie given it’s based on a Ming Dynasty novel, I will just say you have been warned

Plot summary: It’s the traditional siege(s) of Xiqi plot line. Lead by Deng Chanyu (best known for bullying Huang Tianhua and Nezha with a rock) and then later Wen (taishi) Zhong (best known for having a lot of friends), they try to break through Xiqi’s defences and capture Ji Fa and get the fengshen bang. The four Mo brothers are also there and dies to super Yin Jiao who got resurrected by Kunlun and absorbed Yuanshi Tianzun’s power. Deng Chanyu turncoats over to Xiqi after Ji Fa talks to her about her motivations for combat and together, along with Jiang Ziya’s advice, beat Wen Zhong and one of the ten absolute formations he set in place (the one that seals souls).

Plot wise, overall it’s fine. It’s basically what I expected after the director said that the sieges of xiqi was going to be one big battle. What I didn’t expect was that the only ones of the Kunlun disciples that actually fight are Leizhenzi and super Yin Jiao. The funniest thing ever was when Nezha, yes that Li Nezha of Chentang Pass who will commit 1700 killings, saying killing is prohibited by immortals. Later on, Yang Jian says drinking is prohibited, so maybe they’re just really careful of rule following in case they end of going against the way of heaven. I would’ve liked to see Wen Zhong hit people with his sticks instead of doing the Jie Sect classic: formations, but given the actor is old, too much active and violent movement is probably bad for him.

Okay time to address the biggest issue in the movie (outside of horrendous cgi but I’ll get to that). The strange romance subplot between Ji Fa and Deng Chanyu. I’ve taken to calling this movie a high budget costume cdrama movie entirely because of this subplot. For those who don’t know, the strong independent who needs no man woman having a badly written romantic subplot with the protagonist who makes bad decisions due to falling in love is almost a key corner stone of cdramas.

Ji Fa I know you’re nice and all but all of Xiqi got their souls sealed and is currently getting massacred by Shang soldiers (thinking back why were you affected little lotus root? It’s one of your key advantages in the book too) and you’re hesitating to kill Wen Zhong because it’d also kill Deng Chanyu. Deng Chanyu had to go help you while she was bleeding out because you were that hesitant. What happened to you! In the beginning of the movie, you’d rather die than let the people of Xiqi suffer and now you’re willing to sacrifice all of Xiqi (and the world) because of a woman whom was your enemy like 3 days ago and you don’t even know very well! Ji Fa stop reminding me of the version of you from The Legend and the Hero 2. It’s not a good look.

On a lesser note, the horrendous cgi! Well it’s mostly fine except …

This monstrosity. Trust me it looks worse in motion. This is what I’ve taken to calling super Yin Jiao. Given that he and Leizhenzi are the only ones who fight a lot with cgi, you’d hope it looks good. It does not and every time he came on screen I wanted to burst out laughing. Please note this movie had been delayed due to cgi reasons. If this was the best that they’ve got, I just hope less of super Yin Jiao in part 3.

About the kunlun disciple shaped mascot in the room: Nezha and Yang Jian. What they do in this movie is mainly stand around and watch things happen. They help out with protecting the citizens of Xiqi during Wen Zhong’s attack, though ultimately fails to the soul sealing moonbeam lasers (Book Nezha: ???) and that’s it! Oh wait, Yang Jian also rescues Jiang Ziya once after Jiang Ziya called out water escape several times as a gag. Speaking of which, eight-nine technique, nine turns technique, what’s that? All Yang Jian knows is the 5 methods of escape. He literally does nothing but that and rescue people and calls them out too.

Also I think they ended up taking out a romantic subplot involving him because he was offered alcohol, denied due to reasons above, and then purposeful accidental kissed by the woman who handed it to him. As one commenter said, which of the four words of Qingyuan Miaodao have to do with love? He later rescues her and she tries to say something but he just goes off to save more people. Nezha gets a better showing with huntian ling and blots out the sky to stop the moonbeams from hitting people. Truly the mascots to bait people who had no interest previously but do have interest in one or both of these characters into watching. Unfortunately I’m a Huang Tianhua fan too so I’m just eternally suffering.

Characterisation wise, outside of Ji Fa, everyone important is fine. Ji Fa’s characterisation aside from the strange romance subplot is workable? He’s way too self sacrificing, especially as King Wu, but outside of that being annoying, just acts like part 1’s version.

Given what I remembered of Nezha and Yang Jian’s personalities and roles in the first movie, it was to be expected they be passive rather than how they acted in the book (missing Nezha’s violent personality and Yang Jian’s love of viewing the scenery and being a smart asshole). Group together because they are basically a set.

Jiang Ziya stops being comedic relief and starts doing his job as being the guy who does military strategies and also fills the quota for fish allegories.

Yin Jiao I don’t remember much from the first movie or the book. He gets a lot of people shipping him with absolutely everyone after the first movie so that probably says something about his personality. Standalone, he’s fine. Usual angsty guy out for revenge. This movie actually made me realise Yin Jiao is Taisui Xingjun, hence the form super Yin Jiao has. Super form has 3 personalities as a gimmick and it’s fine, not anything majorly important. Lets me suffer the bad cgi more however.

Newcomers Wen Zhong, Duan Chanyu (and to a lesser important extent, the four Mo brothers).

Wen Zhong, less friends, got a huge power buff. He’s the one who stayed most to the book version. Loyal supporter of the Shang Dynasty, though not to Yin Shou, and comes out of retirement to secure the future of the Shang Dynasty. Didn’t have his condemnation of Yin Shou’s sins here but Yin Shou comparatively has done less sins compared to the book before Wen Zhong returns from suppressing the northern uprising. Dies by getting stabbed through the third eye. Enthusiastic supporter of following the rules.

Deng Chanyu diverges from the book a lot. Her core motivation is to follow her dead father and die on the battlefield too and bring honour to the Deng family name. Her reason for turn coating is due to not wanting to kill civilians because her father never did. Poor Deng Chanyu, freed from Tuxingsun and right into Ji Fa’s hands. She kept her rocks at least.

Brief note on the Mo family. Why can’t they talk and why do they have zero brain cells. That’s all I have to say on them. Yin Jiao kills the remaining three single handedly after they were terrorising Xiqi.

Yin Shou and Daji are in the movie but don’t do much so I won’t talk about them.

Overall

Well I didn’t have high expectations going in after I got spoiled about the romantic subplot and people saying the movie was badly written. It basically matched my expectations. Is it better or worse than the first one? I’d say worse but I’d have to rewatch the first one. I’d say the director achieved their goal of showing what can the average human do against cultivators and giants, though that came to the downside of basically only the normal humans doing the fighting. Hope the third movie is better and no badly written shoehorned in romantic subplot that destroys characters thanks.

[suja-janee]

I’ve been losing my mind over these guys recently

[koschei-the-ginger]

[kinetic-chaos]

Iblis is so back guys

Inspired by one of the memes on this post!

[jojo-schmo]

Hang in there, Tylor Tuskmon…. You’ll find your purpose in this world…

[shallowseeker]

I love when Sam is dumb, Dean is lazy, Cas is mean, or Jack is ruthless. It’s like getting your favorite skittle from a bag.

[giddlygoat]

TRADITIONAL TOAD GARB PEACH LETS GOOOOOOOO

[j-em-g]

Oh and I drew this because I dreamed of this movie for no reason days ago haha

These two are very very adorable. Very tiny, yet very fierce.🗡🗡🔫

[sweaty-toothed-mad-woman]

DEAD POETS SOCIETY GOT ON THE MOVIE LIST IN TUMBLR YEAR OF REVIEW ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ NEW ENTRY 🎉🎉🎉

HELL FUCKING YES IT DID

AND AT NUMBER 25!!!!!!!!!!!

WE ARE AMAZING 🙌

[styrofoamdoor]

the little gay people in my phone are getting out of hand. what are they even saying anymore. why are they talking about a priest turned dinosaur

[brainrotcharacters]

It says a lot about how 2/3 of my top posts happened during the Honda hatefuck

[head---ache]

«'Sonic 4' could include time travel in it's plot: inminent arrival of Silver the Hedgehog?»

Haha they don't know the plot of Sonic CD 🫵🫵🫵

[kanerallels]

Hey what are we thinking about The War Of The Rohirrim movie coming out soon? I haven't seen practically anything about it and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing

[nots0nu]

Posted very sad (aka lazy) traditional art like. two days ago..have this to make up for that well I work on animations..

[beautifulhigh]

Welcome to the next edition of Jen's meta ramblings

I have watched the movie at least once a day since it came out and I kid you not, I see something new every time. The fact that this is Matthew López's first directoral debut is just... I'm in awe. And you can tell how much he loves the story because of the way things like this are set up and played out

In the novel, Henry and Alex are skinny dipping in the lake at night, and so I absolutely got the change in both time of day and also attire. But let's talk about that little island shall we?

No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea

Every single one of us is not meant to be alone, without connection and without a link to someone else. We are parts of a whole and if we lose that... well. It's not good.

Henry is on that island, our prince who belongs to Britain and Henry Fox who thinks he has to belong to himself. The prince is forced into status and circumstance, of appearances and mindless ribbon cuttings. When he does something that means something - like the trip to the cancer ward - then he doesn't do it with cameras. I'd argue he's not the prince there, he's Henry Fox. The man who lost his father to cancer.

But this is not that meta.

Henry has shut himself off, shut himself away. He doesn't date the people he's interested in, he doesn't live his truth (and for very good and valid reasons). He has decided that while Prince Henry belongs to Britain, Henry Fox is an island.

And look who is swimming up to that island. Look who is coming out to Henry, having realised the night before that oh yeah, I do feel forever about him and so Alex swims out to that island.

And the first thing he does? He makes Henry laugh. He is silly and fun and the complete antithesis of the composed and collected Prince of Wales. And then he joins Henry, on his island.

This gorgeous overhead shot shows us that Alex is putting himself on Henry's right (protocol or his good side?) but he's also in the centre of the island. He's not on the edge of it. In the metaphor of Henry Fox's island, Alex is putting himself at the heart of it all. RIght before he lays out his heart to Henry.

The shot that broke our hearts too, along with Henry's. Because we can see the shore in the background now. We're reminded that islands are not - they cannot be fully independent. People cannot be islands and even though Alex is literally and metaphorically planting himself at Henry's side, Henry knows that this island he's formed for himself in his heart and his sense of self cannot stand if Alex is there. If Alex is with him then he is no longer an island. Henry Fox will not belong to himself and the sense of protection and self-preservation we see coming out in the Storming of Kensington is under threat.

So he bails.

The island is submerged, like the mythical Atlantis, because how do you render land useless? Drown it. How do you deal with water? Drain it away. He abandons his island and flees back to the only other space he has left - Kensington Palace - in an attempt to regroup. He drains his life of Alex and what he brings. He has to return to being the Prince of Wales because Henry Fox got too close. Because Henry Fox realised he was being loved by a man who would literally swim out to where he is.

Moment of appreciation for the shot. Matthew, you have a fucking talent and I cannot wait to see what else you do. Because our #imtaller boy looks so small here. So lost. When else have we seen someone look so small and lost?

Oh. Yeah.

When he's curling in on himself in an almost last-ditch attempt to protect himself and his boundaries from what is coming. You can see that he's no longer dry, that Alex's "shower time" has changed him. Alex brought laughter and love and water onto his island and Henry has just realised what this means. This isn't a visitor's visa. This is immigration.

Which is what makes THIS so much more. Back to our boy, drenched from the storm, plaintively asking Henry to talk to him.

Because yes, the Storming of Kensington happens during an actual storm, but by now you know I overead into everything... so once again we have Alex "swimming" out to Henry. He's dived right in and gone are the jokes, gone is the humour. He is here and he is asking to be let in and daring Henry to send him away.

This is Alex, serious and in love and following Henry to whatever landmass he is setting foot on. Henry is trying to be an island and Alex is out here going, "I'll just build another boat you fucker". A true 'ship if you will. He swam out to an island on a lake, he flew to a tiny island across an ocean. He is standing at Henry's borders and he isn't launching an offensive. He's just saying that if Henry wants to be cut off from everything then he needs to do the cutting himself.

Prince Henry felt like he belonged to Britain, Henry Fox felt like he had to belong to himself, and Alex turned up and went "nope. Mine now". (Insert additional historical quip about the English being colonised for once.) But there is still some truth in that: the Prince is part of England, and we should all belong to ourselves even in relationships. Henry just learns that the different parts of him can co-exist. Bit like how water and land can co-exist without one destroying the other.

Henry is Alex's North Star but he's also his solid ground. Insert quip about Alex colonising Henry and claiming him for his own, planting of flag, your innuendo of choice goes here. Pyramus wished there wasn't a wall - Alex straight up scaled Henry's.

There's a divergence between Prince Henry and Henry Fox, but at the heart of them both there's Henry. And this is the man that Alex sees, this is the man that Alex loves. Alex swims out to the island for Henry Fox, Alex pushes through the rain for Prince Henry. Alex holds steady in the storm of talking with King James/Queen Mary and the public.

And it started with Alex literally making his way out to Henry on an island: be that England for the Royal Wedding, a pontoon island on a lake, or knocking down Henry's walls.

To this moment. Which is very hard to grab a screenshot of, but Alex asks Henry to "take a walk" with him. This time it's Henry going to/with Alex. The fact that he's there is one thing (and a rant rather than a meta) but at this point they have each other. They belong to each other. Where one of them goes, the other one follows. Independent, together, co-existing.

Anyway. I'm sure there will be more bullshit ramblings and metas at some point. Follow me if you want more of that (but be warned: blank and empty blogs are blocked on sight) because we are not islands in this metaphorical storm of life. Let us swim out to one another, dry off with one another, and live a life with broken down borders and walls.

ETA: I now have another name to add to the thanks. Stephen Goldblatt, from the bottom of my soul, thank you