The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity: Movie Review

A bonafide and over-the-top spectacle, "The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity" was an "Avengers" style romp through Chinese folklore. While this mixed identity surprisingly works if judged through its entertainment factor alone, the overly-complicated narrative was no fun at all.

Every few hundred years, a powerful serpent awakens to wreak havoc on Earth. Feeding on people's fears and desires, this snake slumbers but can never be killed. Increased demonic activity indicates that the serpent is once again awakening. Four masters are summoned to the Imperial City by the Empress - the priest Quing Ming, the warrior Bo Ya, and two other masters - all of whom are tasked to stop the serpent's rise and contain its threat at all costs.

With a daunting story at its helm, "The Yin-Yang Master" was a very hard film to follow and understand and for us this was its biggest downfall. Until the very last moment, when the film finally unveiled all its threads and secrets clearly, we were mostly lost and clueless and we just couldn't comprehend what was happening on film - even if we were seeing it through the lens of a fantasy-based narrative. Worse, the end game was just not worth it at all and there was a tendency for the writing to complicate to no end. Surprisingly, for a CGI-filled experience, we found ourselves quite entertained. The mix of modern graphics akin to what you see in a superhero film against an ancient Chinese backdrop was weird but works. The fight scenes were choreographed and shot beautifully. And the film's production, set pieces, costumes and even make up were top notch. Unfortunately, its story was not interesting at all and this will be a film that, even with all of its grandeur, you'll likely forget the moment the credits start to roll.

Rating: 3 reels

Why you should watch it:
- it was like watching a Marvel superhero spectacle but in ancient China
- the fight scenes were a hell lot of fun to watch

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- eventually finds its footing in terms of its narrative but waits for the very last moment to tie loose threads
- we found ourselves confused,lost, and clueless most of the way