I've already watched the other Yin-Yang Master film on Netflix, and while this one is definitely prettier I feel like the characterizations are stronger in the Deng Lun version than in this one aside from one - Qing Ming. For me, Qing Ming is very much a "fuck around and find out" character, and Chen Kun embodies that entirely. There's something about him that feels very chaotic in the most interesting kind of way.

The visuals are definitely where this film shines, specifically in the scene and set design. The character work still has some of that plasticine feel of CG, but the worlds feel really exceptional, particularly the Demon Realm, Qing Ming's Courtyard, and the Yin Yang Bureau. Fight sequences fought in these sets feel otherworldly, displaced outside of reality in the way of good fantasy.

The story drags a bit in the later acts. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why, it just feels like a much longer movie than it actually ends up being.


TL;DR: Visually, the spectacle is 100% -- and I really love the characterization of Qing Ming here.