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?
