The Legends: Spoiler-Free Mini Review
- Aug 5
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 8
Title: | The Legends (2019) |
Platform: | Viki, Youtube (free), iQIYI |
MDL Rating: | |
Genre: | Period Idol Fantasy/ Romance/ Wuxia |
Episode Count: | 56 |
Parental Guidance Rating: | TV-14: Violence, Blood, the Wuxia works |
Staring: | Bai Lu (The First Jasmine) Xu Kai (Wonderland of Love) Dai Xu (Love Between Lines) Xiao Yan (Melody of Golden Age) Liu Yu Qiao (Melody of Golden Age) |
RBTS Rating: | 2.6/5 Stars (A barely passable Wuxia/Xianxia hybrid that has a romance with good chemistry that was cancelled out by bland acting, choppy editing, and a plot that got bored with itself). |
Synopsis:
After being ambushed by the ten immortal sects while trying to steal the Wanjun Sword, Lu Zhao Yao dies, believing her ally, Li Chen Lan, the demon king’s son, is responsible. Five years later, Li Chen Lan becomes the Wanlu sect leader, and Zhao Yao, now a spirit, possesses Qin Zhi Yan's body to seek revenge. As she trains under him, her feelings for Li Chen Lan change. Meanwhile, ambitious Jiang Wu aims to kill Li Chen Lan. Zhao Yao must decide between vengeance, love, and her quest for power. @MDL
Spoiler-Free Mini Review:
The Legends is a Xianxia/Wuxia mashup set in the mortal realm, focusing on sect rivalries, a "demon's son" falsely accused, and a sect leader's spirit out for revenge. The story was fun, with a touch of one sided enemies to lovers, but the drama is one that probably makes for a better book. The editing was choppy, the acting subpar, and the graphics were real bad.
On the bright side, this is the most chemistry Bai Lu has ever had with a co-star, and that's an acheivement in itself. The romance of the leads was the spark that kept my attention thoughout the drama and got me over the finish line. Mo Qin is a lovable, devoted, and misunderstood ML, who really drives home the point that blood doesn't define you, what matters the most is what you choose to do in life. Allowing people to have choices and making the "right" choice were prevelant themes. Oh, and the ML had blue hair for no reason, so that was fun.
Bai Lu was Bai Lu, I have gone on ad nauseam about how lifeless her acting feels, and its no different here. But she is great at action scenes and her character wasn't annoying. I do wish they'd give her less fake hair though. She's so petite, how does her neck not hurt?
The plot lost momentum and dragged for too many episodes to say that it was worth watching and I didn't really care about the side characters.
Story=2.5 , Acting=2.5 , Production Quality=2.5, Rewatch Value=2, Ending=2.75, Enjoyability= 2 (Essential straddles passable & below average across the board).
Trailer:
Director: Steve Cheng (Wonderland of Love, The Untamed)
Screenwriter: Yang Qian Zhi (Only For Love)
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