Category: Movie Reviews

Categories
Drama Movie Reviews

So We Have Finally Watched Pitch Perfect (And It Is Good!)

It all started with one of my friends in Google+ and his YouTube sharing of Anna Kendrick’s live performance in the David Letterman show.  I remember Anna in the Twilight Saga.  I had no idea that she can perform a cappella while playing with a cup.  And she looks so socially awkward in front of the public.  Adorable!

Our dear friend TK has watched Skyfall.  I sort of regretted not attending the blogger event that showcase a full private home theater setup playing Skyfall.  In any case, Cynthia and I can watch that 007 show with no babes and gadgets later (so I’ve been told).  We really wanted to watch Pitch Perfect.  So, the three of us watched that on late Friday.

This movie lasted for 110 minutes.  I couldn’t feel that.  The story ends so soon.  I want more!  I don’t even like GLEE.  But this one is hilarious.  The core set of all-female a cappella group comprises of a team of unique characters.  All bizarre in their own ways.  One called herself Fat Amy who totally embraces her physical appearance.  A girl who looks like a man.  An uptight leader who tends to puke a big way under stress.  A rather voluptuous girl.  A co-leader with a throat problem.  A Japanese girl who whispers all the time, even when she performs.  And finally, the socially awkward Anna Kendrick.

The plot is predictable.  What makes this movie exception are the lines and the songs.  I like it that the scriptwriter has given each of the core team member an equal character development opportunity.  To quote Cynthia, “I really love this show!”  If you have the chance, check out the soundtrack too.  It is amazing what artists can do with their mouths making sound, beats, and all.  I mean, you really have to be pitch perfect in order to pull those stunts.

If you are into Spanish, Cynthia has written a post in her website.

Categories
Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

Taken 2: Entertaining Albeit Less Intense Than Previous Installment

A group of us at Google+ – though not everyone has met everyone in real life – have at least two things in common.  We love the movie Taken and we live in Singapore.  So, when one of us suggested a Taken 2 movie outing, we have decided to make it yet another Google+ real life hangout.  It was fun.  We have a great time and followed through with an Indonesian dinner buffet.

I have almost forgotten how I felt about Taken until I read my post written three years ago.  Our movie buddy TK with his superhuman memory at the end of the show commented that Taken 2 has a slightly slower pace.  Now that I have read what was written, I agree.  But that doesn’t make Take 2 any less entertaining.

Initially, I was skeptical on this sequel.  In Taken, the daughter was taken.  Liam Neeson’s character has killed everyone in the story and saved her daughter.  In Taken 2, the parents are taken.  Relatives of the deceased are now seeking revenge.  What can an untrained daughter do?

Turns out that the daughter does have a role to play in saving her parents.  Clever script the film has.  Is that realistic?  I would say for someone who was been taken before, the survival instinct must have kicked in.  The backdrop of this installment is Istanbul.  To those who have yet to see the country, this backdrop looks exotic.

The challenge Taken 2 has is that there is little surprise when you have already watched the previous installment.  The only cliffhanger to me is that knowing Luc Besson, he may let the hero dies (like in Léon: The Professional).  The intensity then comes not from the would be surprises but the clever execution of the rescue mission.  To me, Taken 2 is a worthy follow up to the original movie.  It looks as though there will be Taken 3.  Now, it would be great if this Google+ real time hangout group continues to keep in touch and have a Taken reunion for the next installment.

Categories
Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

Premium Rush – These Are Mad Cyclists!

I can’t quite pinpoint why I am not too hot about this generally positively reviewed movie.  Maybe I just don’t like to see Chinese getting beaten by a White guy throughout the movie.  Or the stereotype of Chinese again being the ones running illegal gambling joints and involved in all sorts of mafia related activities.  Maybe I just don’t feel right to see glorified mad cyclists risking their lives and the lives of others for something they enjoy doing.  I then ask myself: There are mad motorists in the movies too so why not mad cyclists?  I don’t know.  I have nothing against cyclists as I was one back in UK.  Here in Singapore, I have seen mad cyclists going against the direction of traffic (just like this movie), cutting through lanes in town during rush hours (just like this movie), and even diving into a slip road leading to a highway.  When the bad cop in the movie said to Joseph Gordon-Levitt the mad cyclist, “This whole city hates you”.  I wanted to leap up and cheer.  Momentarily, that zero is my hero.

Cynthia picked Premium Rush because she wanted to see Robin in action.  TK couldn’t remember who Joseph Gordon-Levitt was.  The Dark Knight Rises?  Inception?  (500) Days of Summer?  I like Joseph Gordon-Levitt in (500) Days of Summer.  From the acting performance point of view, Joseph did a great job in Premium Rush.  The bike stuns he performed are jaw dropping.  There is close to no romance in this movie.  The entire movie is about a couple of cyclists rushing packages from one end of town to another.  Timeline is altered backward and forward very much like How I Met Your Mother.  This keeps the plot interesting throughout the movie.  The bad cop – the only villain played by Michael Shannon – is pretty hilarious to watch, albeit borderline psychotically scary.  Some scenes are totally unnecessary (like the mobs towards the end) and the entire story from beginning to the end, to me, is rather pointless.  A bad cop has killed someone and that’s OK, no hard feeling.  He needs the money badly to pay off his debt so he has decided to steal from a woman.  A woman needs to transfer a vast amount of cash from point A to point B via an underground bank.  A few cyclists who are caught in the middle of all these strange activities.  Having said that, the story is rather original, told in a rather unusual way.  I can understand why some would enjoy watching Premium Rush.

Categories
Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

Resident Evil: Retribution (IMAX 3D) – A Prequel or What?

It was our buddy TK’s childhood dream to watch an IMAX 3D movie.  In this dream of his, the theater would have a dome shaped ceiling.  We would lean back and watch the movie projected high above us.  That visualization reminded me of my childhood memory inside a Space Museum in Hong Kong.  So I said yes to a S$22 door ticket – double of what I usually pay – for a movie that is likely to suck.

There was no dome shaped ceiling.  For future reference, it would have been called OMNIMAX instead.  The screen was gigantic though.  The image was crisp.  The color seen through the cheap 3D glasses at Shaw Cinema was surprisingly vibrant.  In one particular scene, Milla Jovovich entered from the far side of the tunnel, where the light source was.  The tunnel was long, dark, and the floor was wet.  The 3D effect was so good that I could feel the depth of the tunnel.  As though the silver screen was eaten by a giant black hole.

In fact, the 3D effect of this zombies infested movie was so good that I could not sleep well that very evening.  Mind you, these are not household zombies.  These are mutated zombies with four large and gruesome tentacles coming out from their mouths.  Die zombies.  Why don’t you just die?!

And hence the problem.  Zombies don’t die easy, if at all it dies.  I have no idea what would kill a zombie.  The violence taken towards the zombies are extreme.  From close quarter combat to close range shooting, it is violence to the power of violence.  I was so concerned that Cynthia could not take it.  To my surprise, after the show ended, she exclaimed, “This is actually good!”

And she added, “Girl power!”

Perhaps that is what makes Resident Evil: Retribution entertaining to some: Girl power.  Come to think on it, this genre is quite rare.  Blood the Last Vampire is one.  The Thai action movie Chocolate is another.  I love seeing girls taking the leads on an action film.  Not the type of action like Charlie’s Angels.  But real action like Resident Evil.

The problem I have with Retribution is that the story line has become too simplistic and unrealistic.  It was a straightforward rescue mission.  Alice (played by Milla Jovovich) is captured by Umbrella Corporation.  A squad is sent in for the rescue.  And then we have Ada Wong (played by Li Bingbing) who would have been great had she actually become Alice’s true sidekick and stuck with Alice.  But she disappeared halfway.  Alice has to fight against the artificial intelligence Red Queen who commands an army of zombies.  Now, why does Umbrella Corporation so hellbent in eliminating mankind while, I suppose, they profit from selling weapons to the human?  I have no idea.  Retribution is one bizarre movie.  I don’t even know how the film title was derived.

Another problem I have with Retribution is that most main characters, except Alice, speaks in a one dimensional voice.  Like robots.  Like zombies if zombies could talk.  I read that Li Bingbing is a good actress.  It does not show in Retribution.  That was a disappointment.

Retribution reminds me of Twilight 4.  The whole movie is somewhat depressing.  Just when something exciting happens, just when I could smell the advent of an epic plot, I was slammed with ‘the end’.  Or rather ‘stay tuned’.  I gasped in disbelief.  TK turned around trying to comfort me, “Resident Evil never ends.  It is like that!”

I have thoroughly enjoyed the IMAX 3D effect (though TK highlighted to me that most scenes are not presented in 3D) and at the same time, I was thoroughly disappointed by the plot and the presentation.  This movie is a half-half for me.

Categories
Drama

Step Up Revolution – Orgasmic!

Are you a fan of dance entertainment?  Are a fan of So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD)?  Are you in love with Kathryn McCormick of SYTYCD?  Well, if you do, you ain’t going to get a better treat than this.  Step Up Revolution got my heart racing inside the theater.  I so wanted to step up and move my body.  I have drooled watching Kathryn on screen.  Cynthia too.  So I guess that was fair play.

Now, before you rush out and buy a ticket to watch this orgasmic dance movie, there is something you must know.  Story-wise, there is nothing to cheer about.  Still, the plot seems to be better than what I have expected.  A bit cheesy?  Yes.  A bit over the top?  Certainly.  But the feel good factor is there.

Also, key acting scenes are pretty awkward to watch.  I suppose great dancers aren’t necessarily great actors.  One scene, I can tell that it was baked from many takes so much so that it was rather disturbing to watch.  That, or the film editor has done a not too good enough job.

These are the only two criticisms I have on Step Up Revolution.  For those who are new to SYTYCD, contestants are expected to dance a variety of genres.  Also, due to the show’s voting system, contestants are naturally likable, supremely entertaining.  They tease the audience with all sorts of appeals they have.  Some of the dancers in this movie come from SYTYCD.   Hence, you can imagine how sizzling hot this movie is.

The story of Step Up Revolution is based on the flash mob concept.  What these passionate dancers can do is truly amazing.  Each dance scene is unique, choreographed with a special theme in mind.  What Kathryn can do on screen reminds me of how gifted she and the rest of the SYTYCD contestants are.  One may say that if you have seen one Step Up, you have seen it all.  True.  However, I don’t mind getting entertained over and over again.

Categories
Comedy Movie Reviews

TED – What A Naughty, Naughty Teddy Bear

Finally, TED has arrived in Singapore.  I have been anticipating this film for ages.  Courtesy of omy.sg, Cynthia and I had a real good laugh watching TED in a preview screening session.  What’s there not to love about Ted the teddy bear who talks bad, takes drug, and gets drunk?  It’s hilarious.

Think on it, this film could have gone wrong in so many different ways.  Two grownups and a talking teddy bear living in our modern day society?  Miraculously, this film pulls through as something ‘believable’.  Thirty years ago, a boy made a wish for a teddy bear as a Christmas present.  That wish came true.  Later on, he made another wish that the bear would be able to talk.  Lo and behold, because magic could exist, we have a living and breathing teddy bear becoming the little boy’s new best friend.  The teddy bear has become headline news.  Alas, like all things in life, novelty wears off.  Thirty years later, no one cares for a talking teddy bear.  Life moves on.

The story then begins with the little boy John now grown up (Mark Wahlberg) and so is Ted.  John has fallen in love with Lori (Mila Kunis).  But will a man who still hangs out with his teddy bear be able to truly love another person?  Well, that is where the drama begins.

TED is a joy to watch, all credit to two ingredients.  First, the teddy bear on the big screen does look realistic and appears to interact with the actors well.  Remember Star Wars I when Jedi Liam Neeson couldn’t see eye-to-eye with Jar Jar Binks?  Ted the teddy bear seems very much alive in the movie.  Second, the script coming out from Ted’s mouth is hilarious.  At some parts of the film, the scriptwriter has established a pattern so well that the audience would laugh even before the line is out.

Fun stuff aside, TED is a heartwarming film.  There are some tearing moments.  Above all, the chemistry between Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis is convincing.

TED is about changes in life that upset the status quo.  It is a story of growing up and learning to live with someone new.  On a separate note, watching TED reminds me of a novel written by Clifford Chase called Winkie.  In that book, the story begins with Winkie the teddy bear arrested for terrorism because he happens to be at the wrong place in the wrong time.  That book too is hilarious, more so in a dark comedy’s way.  I think I may pick up Winkie when I have the bandwidth to do some reading.

Categories
Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

The Expendables 2 – Now, That Is Entertainment

Watching The Expendables 2 has reminded me what I love about The Expendables.  Its non-stop entertainment value.  The big guns, loud explosion, over-the-top sequences, head-shots, enemies blown up into pieces, and more.  You name it, you have it.  And then, there is this casting full of stars.  Even Arnold Schwarzenegger took a break from his day job and acted a few scenes in this movie.  I’ll be back.  I am back.  And more I’ll be back.  Yes, Mr. Governor.  We love the fact that you are back.

I did have one complain about The Expendables.  The lack of female presence in that team of mercenaries.  As though Hollywood has read my mind, in The Expendable 2, Jet Li is out.  As he jumped out of the plane for a permanent vocation, he promised, “You’ll find another minority.”  And so, the Chinese actress Yu Nan is in.  Now, what I found strange is that she is not credited on the posters.  Yet, she has played as big a part as Jet Li did on the previous installment.  I found Yu Nan charming.  Though my friend TK may not agree with me.  Beauty is only skin deep my friend.

There is not much point talking about the plot.  It is the Rambo style of blowing things up.  The lines are cheesy as ever.  But that is part of entertainment.  Hearing actors poking fun on each other, making references to their past successes, I laughed out loud throughout the movie.

The one-on-one fight between Stallone and Van Damme is exhilarating.  That is how men should fight.  I wish that scene lasts much longer.  I was so overwhelmed that after the movie, I said to TK and Cynthia, “Now, how I wish the fight between Batman and Bane is as epic as this!”  Both of them simultaneous gave me that you-are-an-idiot look.  I should have known better not to provoke a Batman fan.  Or two at the same time for that matter.  Interestingly, the filming of The Expendables 2 may have damaged the population of bats in one Belgium cave. It is a true story.  OK, that is totally random and unrelated.  Forget that I have mentioned the bats.

Rumor says that there may be an all-female Expendables.  Who would you like to see?  If I was the producer, I would want the following in my movie.

  • Carrie-Anne Moss
  • Uma Thurman
  • Kate Beckinsale
  • Angelina Jolie
  • Milla Jovovich
  • Scarlett Johansson
  • Lucy Liu
Categories
Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

The Bourne Legacy – A Rather Average Film

I am not sure why this film is worthy to bear the Bourne title.  It is like watching a Spiderman movie without Spiderman.  Or Lord of the Ring without the ring.  Jason Bourne is nowhere in this movie.  OK, a photograph of his has shown up like a couple of times.  The beginning of Bourne Legacy is – if I remember correctly – the ending of Bourne Ultimatum.  Jason Bourne was swimming underwater.  That’s it.  If Jason Bourne has indeed left a legacy, I can’t find it in Bourne Legacy.

To give credits to the actors, Edward Norton plays a fine antagonist.  His primary role – I think – is to shutdown an operation by killing off their agents on the ground who rely on a regular intake of some super power pills to enhance their physical and mental ability.  Jeremy Renner plays the main character.  He looks like someone who is ready to take over the helm of 007.  Unfortunately, Jeremy Renner is no Matt Damon.  He just doesn’t seem to radiate the same level of mental intelligence like Matt Damon does in the last three Bourne movies.  When I look into Matt Damon’s eyes, I see a smart agent.  When I look into Jeremy Renner’s eyes, I see someone who is ready to fight instead.

If there is one thing that Bourne Legacy has exceeded the previous Bourne movies, that would be the on-screen chemistry of the main character and his love subject.  The 42 years old Rachel Weisz has bettered my expectation.  She has a better role to play too.  Her character as a scientist has some major contribution to the plot.  Not always the case for the previous installments.

This time, the scriptwriter of the previous movies, Tony Gilroy, has moved onto the director seat.  First 30-45 minutes of the film can be rather confusing and uneventful.  There seems to be a constant escalation of situation but I had no idea what it is or what it really does.  Had Bourne Legacy been a TV-series, it would have been a dead series.  But like some good storybooks that are utterly boring in the beginning, once passed the halfway mark, Bourne Legacy gets exciting.  Especially when the backdrop has moved to Manila.  It is action, action, and more action, without the shaky camera effect like the last Bourne movie.

The core of the story is about the blue pills and the green pills.  One boosts physical ability and another one boosts mental ability.  To keep the agents loyal to the agency, they have to receive a constant dosage throughout their missions.  Or they will face degeneration.  This idea does not sound original to me.  I have seen a similar story in Limitless.  There is a twist to this story too.  As in, there are ways to permanent lock the enhanced ability.  That is when the scriptwriter lost me.  It trivializes the entire plot making me wonder what they are fighting for in the first place.  I also found the need to separate the blue and green pills due to some plot twists rather unsatisfying.

A rather average film that would have done better had they lost the Bourne title.

Categories
Drama Movie Reviews

Magic Mike – Tastefully Done

There are two types of audience for the male strippers movie Magic Mike, I think.  The ones who like to stare at men’s near naked body down to their bare butts.  Or men who bring their girlfriends or wives to watch this film hoping to get them horny.  I, on the record, have vehemently said no to this movie.  But Cynthia insisted and kept on saying the magic word ‘Magic Mike’ every morning.  Magic Mike, Magic Mike, Magic Mike.  I gave in, on the condition that my buddy TK would agree to watch a male strippers show.  It was almost a flawless plan.  No way he would agree to it.  Except, TK had no idea what Magic Mike was and eagerly said yes, a tad too fast on Whatsapp.  The rest was history.

In the opening sense, when the perfectly oiled body of Matthew McConaughey came on stage and danced in front of a house full of cheering girl and as he slowly peeled away pieces of his costume one by one leaving only the – I presume – buffed up crotch garment on, I almost fainted.  STOP, right there!  Fortunately he left that essential piece of clothes on, like Adam and Eve and the hanging green leaves.

To my surprise, I enjoyed watching Magic Mike.  The story is original.  McConaughey plays Dallas who runs a male strip club.  One day, Mike (Channing Tatum) introduces Adam, a 19 years old teenage heartthrob played by Alex Pettyfer to the business.  Dallas dubs Adam as The Kid and Adam is an immediate success.  Money, women, and a sense of freedom – to a slacker like Adam who has thrown away his football scholarship, this new lifestyle is irresistible.  I can sense that Mike can see a younger version of him in Adam whenever he looks at Adam.

Meanwhile, there is another side of Mike who sees being a male stripper is only a mean to an end.  But to what end?  It is one man’s journey to finding his worth.  Meeting Adam’s sister  Brooke (Cody Horn) may have awaken something within him.  Dallas’s club is going big hitting Miami.  Adam being the new kid in the block has now become Dallas’s new favorite threatening Mike as Dallas’s right hand man.  What is Mike going to do?

Channing Tatum plays a charming character.  Not only on stage, but also off the stage.  I know he can dance.  It is good to see that he can act convincingly as well.  I also happen to enjoy Cody Horn’s acting.  So innocent and pure.  Matthew McConaughey has a commanding presence that is a major contributor to the theme of this show.  There is a lot of entertainment on stage.  Some of the dance sequences are hilarious.  There are a fair bit of sex scenes too.  But like the stripping act, they are tastefully done.  Magic Mike is way more than stripping.  You would end up liking every single characters, like I do.  I also like how the filmmakers handle the film’s ending.

Now, if there was a film called Magic Maggie with female strippers and all, I wonder how that would work out.

Categories
Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

Painted Skin: The Resurrection

Cynthia woke up at 9 this morning.  On a supposedly lazy Saturday.  Reluctantly I got out of bed, tempted by that one bowl of hot oatmeal that would soon present itself in front of my computer together with a cup of fresh coffee.  I so wanted to sleep a bit longer.  Last week has been rough.  But I wouldn’t want to miss a hot homemade breakfast cooked by my wife.

Since Cynthia has a facial appointment in town, a few options became available.  I could stay at home.  But do what?  All my video games are getting boring and I have nothing to play.  If you are a girl and cannot relate to this, the next time you open your wardrobe and sigh, “I have nothing to wear”, remember guys also have the same painful dilemma too.  I checked online to see what movies I could watch in an hour or two.  Painted Skin II was the only option.  Since my buddy TK gamed for it, we then have a ‘date’ watching a Chinese film on a supposedly lazy Saturday.

I don’t know Zhou Xun.  TK told me that she is a famous actress.  I do know Vicki Zhao and the primary reason why I didn’t mind watching this one was her.  I have not watched the previous installment.  According to TK, that one is forgettable.  This one is too.  In the last episode, from what I gathered while watching this movie, the 1,000 years old Fox Demon fell in love with a married man.  In the end, the man has decided to go back to his wife.  Somehow, Fox Demon sacrificed herself to save this couple whom I suppose faced some kind of grave situation.  Because of this act, Fox Demon was banished, tortured, and frozen for 500 years as some sort of punishment by the – I guess – Prime Evil.  500 years later, a Bird Demon charmed by the beauty of the Fox Demon (who according to the lore wore the skin of the most beautiful woman known to men) and she broke the ice.  Together, the Fox Demon and the lesser demon, Bird Demon, escaped the frozen prison and into the mortal world hoping to outrun the Prime Evil’s frozen grasp.

Now that is part one of the story and the beginning of part two.  For those who enjoy the genre of Chinese fantasy, Painted Skin: The Resurrection delivers just that.  Nothing exceptional.  Nothing memorable.  There are not many action scenes either.  Mostly drama and bits and pieces of CGI.  Both Zhou Xun and Vicki Zhao are good actresses.  The contrast between the two – cold blooded demon and hot blooded human – is a joy to watch.  Zhou Xun the Fox Demon has little emotion.  No tear even when telling a rather sad story or singing a rather sad song.  Yet she can be coldly seductive when she plays the temptress role.  Vicki Zhao plays the Princess.  She is impulsive and boy, she can cry.  When the two swap their roles, the emotion templates get swapped too.  I seldom see Vicki taking up a lead role.  Hence, I am going to bump this very average movie to a slightly good average movie.

Ya, you welcome, Vicki.

The following paragraphs contain spoilers.  So if you plan to watch this, read no further.  I am writing this down for my future reference.  For sure, I will forget about the story months down the road.  Who knows?  Maybe there will be a third episode?

The backbone of Painted Skin II is a romance story between the Princess and her Guardsman.  8 years ago, the two fell in love.  In that magical moment under the snowy sky, the Princess asked the Guardsman if he loved her.  Knowing his status, the Guardsman hesitated in answering her.  Enraged, the Princess wandered into the forest and was soon attacked by a bear.  While the Guardsman managed to save the Princess’s life, the Princess’s right cheek forever bears the scar of the attack.  After that unfortunately incident, the Guardsman self-exiled to a faraway post while the Princess disappeared and partially covered her face with a mask made of gold.

Now that the Fox Demon has escaped, her number one priority is to find someone who is willing to give her a heart so that she can turn into a human.  OK, there is another romance story between the Bird Demon and the Demon Hunter (who is a human and inherit this role from his ancestors).  The Demon Hunter hunts no demons (ya, I know).  And the Bird Demon’s main contribution to the story besides being an eye candy is to vanquish the Evil Sorcerer after she is killed by the Evil Sorcerer who uses the blood of the Demon Hunter that is lethal to the demons.  Huh, you say?  I know.  This is Chinese fantasy.  Making sense out of the story is the last thing you should do (perhaps I should have done the same with Batman).

Call it a chanced encounter or a demonic plot, the Princess saves the Fox Demon from the bandits’ attack.  The Princess does not know that the Fox Demon is indeed a demon.  So she took the demon in as her personal servant whose primary role – I guess – is to entertain the crowd.  The Princess tries to rekindle her relationship with the Guardsman, but without success.  My speculation is that he is part guilty of the past and part charmed by the Fox Demon.  Frustrated, the Princess tried to commit suicide only to be saved by the Fox Demon, of which the true form of the demon is unveiled.  To prove a theory that because the Princess is disfigured and hence the Guardsman is no longer interested, Fox Demon suggests to exchange skin (?!) for one day.  Two beautiful women naked in a pool is sexy.  The process of skin swapping is not.  Fortunately it is done quite artistically.

Vicki’s character – the Princess – with Xun’s skin (hence acted by Xun) managed to make love with the Guardsman.  Therefore, Fox Demon’s theory seems to have its merit (Note: This is Chinese fantasy story and of course she is wrong).  Meanwhile, the Barbarians together with the Evil Sorcerer from the neighboring country demands a marriage deal in exchange for peace.  The Guardsman tries to fight the entire army of Barbarians and buy time for the Princess’s escape but fails.  Because he is no Achilles.  To save the Guardsman’s life, the Princess is willing to marry the Barbarian Chief, who is in fact dead and was killed by the Fox Demon earlier on (!).  It is the Princess’s heart the Barbarians are after for the resurrection of their Chief.

Without knowing that the Princess is going to be married to a dead man, the Fox Demon makes an offer.  Princess’s heart in return for Fox Demon’s skin.  Fox Demon can then be human and the Princess can be with the Guardsman, as a demon.  Agree to the deal, Vicki gives Xun her heart and her skin (!).  Like any good mathematical formula, think net-net, they have switched their bodies.

This secret soon surfaces as the Bird Demon tells it to the Demon Hunter and the Demon Hunter to the Guardsman.  Time is running out because (1) as soon as the Fox Demon (who is the Princess) eats a human heart, she will stay in demon form forever (think vampires) and (2) the Barbarians and the Evil Sorcerer are going to plug the Princess’s heart out (who is the Fox Demon) and plant it into the dead Chief.  The Guardsman looks for the Fox Demon (who is the Princess) and proclaims his love to her.  To free himself from the Fox Demon’s charm he caught earlier on, he blinded both of his eyes in one swift slice of a blade (!).  But fears not.  While our beloved Guardsman is not Achilles, he is quite a Paris and can shoot arrows with his eyes closed, or blinded.

The rest of the story focus on the conflict between the Han Chinese and the Barbarians.  Fox Demon the Princess is paralyzed because she is starved from not having human hearts as meal.  Princess the Fox Demon is also immobilized because she is tied up on a pole by the Barbarians ready for an ancient heart transplant operation when the sun is eaten by the moon.  In one dramatic end, at the dying second of the eclipse, Fox Demon the Princess and Princess the Fox Demon ascend towards the sun and are merged into a single entity (!).  The Princess is now alive, with her skin and her heart.  And her scar is healed too.  But no matter.  The Guardsman will not be able to see her beautiful face because he is now blind.

And they live happily ever after.

PS. Where is the Fox Demon?