this is such a funny photo to me.
pangzi: it's not what it looks like
xg internal monologue: i told you two to stay put. why are you messing with the coffin. i looked away for two seconds and here you are doing weird things again.
xg: 😐
Wu Xie: Pangzi, what is this nonsense you've packed?
Also Wu Xie: immediately uses it because it's actually really helpful
Let's be real. Nowhere you three go is normal.
Ooh pretty! But also in the middle of a cursed forest so probably going to try and kill them all
No one eat the cursed food!
Pangzi! No!
Okay, even though the actor is young I feel like 'let's just watch and see what happens to the dude who ate the food' is something post-Sha Hai Wu Xie would do. Tianzhen Wu Xie would definitely have tried to stop him.
Pangzi knows what franchise he's in
OH SHIT PANGZI IS EATING THE FOOD
Wait, that looks like Wu Xie. Is this a hallucination?
Ah, there we go. Well, it wouldn't be DMBJ without at least one hallucination
YES SAVE HIM
They both took a part out of the van to stop anyone being able to steal it but neither knew the other had done the same. God, they are so married I love them.
God, I love how extra Xiaoge is. Decides to drink the cursed wine so he can see the ghost that's attacking them but instead of just picking up a cup he stabbed it with his sword.
Who are you going to call? Xiao Hua and Hei Xiazi are in Russia, your two husbands are with you. That basically leaves your Ershu, Wang Meng or Kan Jian. Ooh, you should totally call Kan Jian. He must be a child at this point if Wu Xie is this young
That is delightfully creepy
If you want to live?
I love group shots of them
SNAKE! Now I know it's a DMBJ movie
NO DON'T SPLIT UP! :( On the plus side this is an improvement from the last movie where they kept leaving Xiaoge behind with barely a second thought.
I was just thinking we haven't seen any of Wu Xie's incredibly out of character flips and kicks that we saw in the last movie. I guess that's the end of that. Thankfully.
ZOMBIE! They're bringing in a lot of the classic DMBJ monsters I see
I think some weird editing happened here. I had to skip back to check and we don't actually see Xiaoge cut his hand. He just holds it up to the door and the vine things disappear. And when the old dude says 'what happened to your hand' Xiaoge has a glove on and then all of a sudden here it's gone. Presumably he used his blood to clear the door but who knows
I do enjoy it when he gets to be a smug little shit
Pangzi clearly enjoys it too
Okay, I know it makes sense to have someone watching your back but you literally just reunited and now you're splitting up again
At least Pangzi is also grumpy about being left behind
Right, I've hit the image limit again. See you in part 3!
got to watch the misty creed dmbj movie and! it's good! and better than the first one (aka conjuring curse)! shocking coming from me i know
it's never going to be on par with the books because i don't think anything will ever be (except maybe a donghua adaptation since the qinling bronze tree donghua stays to this day the most faithful dmbj adaptation) BUT both of these movies make a genuine effort at capturing the vibes the books have
misty creed in my opinion is better than conjuring curse mainly for the plot being more focused on the iron triangle and for wu xie especially. i didn't dislike jing yanjun's performance in conjuring curse per se, but i did find him a bit bland for a post sha hai wu xie, so he ended up mid tier for me despite the spirit being there. in misty creed it's clear he's better found the character because misty creed's wu xie is far more believably post sha hai wu xie in all his cunning and ruthlessness mingled with the human empathy he can never entirely shed even if he's still unfortunately the weakest link of the triangle. his performance isn't perfect nor is it 100% of what i'd expect from post ten years wu xie, but he's made good progress all the same and it deserves mentioning
the plot is more personal for the characters, and xiaoge and pangzi are both high tier for dmbj live action as a whole. and unlike a number of other things i can think of, while it's not perfect, both of these movies slot into the book timeline well enough, or at least the setting is ambiguously post ten years later enough that minor details aside they don't clash terribly with any of the main plot
the cgi is also very decent which. very shocking i know but the stylistic choice to conceal and suggest rather than show fully was a perfect one. it allowed for any flaws to be glossed over and managed to give off the eerie and unsettling tone the movie was clearly aiming at
overall nice and fun, distinctly book-oriented in terms of plot setting and characterization (so yes, if there are inconsistencies with the dramas specifically, then consider that might be the drama's fault actually), would def recommend
also possibly unpopular opinion but chen yesheng is a very good xiaoge and i'd argue he's one of the best if not tied as the best but that's a topic for another time 🍵
Question: Working together for the 2nd time, were there any changes in the relationship between the three of you?
Jing Yanjun: We got closer.
Wang Bowen: More passionate.
Chen Yesheng: I think there can be more a bit more distance.
Video Editor: I messed up. Take 2!
W: For 3 actors to work together so well and to do that twice, it's actually a rare opportunity.
J: That's right.
W: Plus, our relationship on set is always good. Even during the first time we worked together. I think most importantly, we're happy to still be able to work together on the second one.
On screen: Warning: High Octane Ahead
W: Now it's already- we won't- that-
VE: Stop asking, it's good enough!
W: Say, the relationship between people-
VE: What other changes can there be!
W: Like what? Marriage?
J & C: Dage, what are you talking about?
W: Can't do that. Just the relationship between two people- It's not like he can bear me a child, right?
J: Ge? I'm portraying Wu Xie, not Wu Yu (means "speechless").
W: So, these things, how to put it-
J: Ge? What are you talking about
J: Not hearing it
C: Not seeing it
Okay, either Pangzi is in the process of getting possessed in which case SAVE HIM or he's faking to expose the old man as being evil
Love Xiaoge casually throwing Wu Xie across the room to get him out of harm's way
This is a fun fight sequence. Wu Xie is capable but is mostly defending himself and he's definitely not flipping around like Xiaoge
Ooh plot twist! The old man is the baby from the opening flashback. Didn't see that one coming.
Hey, I think Pangzi deserves a Golden Rooster for that performance. I was worried!
I am very much enjoying plot device not even present Xiao Hua
Ooh so this whole thing has been a trap for Xiaoge from the start. Love it. I mean not the trap but that it's actually tying into the DMBJ lore.
Noooooo! Pangzi needs saving! Again!
Pangzi gets to be the damsel in distress this time. Wu Xie and Xiaoge had better give him lots of kisses when this is over.
It wasn't magnets this time it was spores
When Xiaoge makes any sort of facial expression you know things are bad but when he looks angry things are REALLY bad. This dude is going to regret trying to sacrifice Pangzi
I legit just gasped. HAS XIAOGE FORGOTTEN THEM AGAIN??
I do like that Wu Xie doesn't even hesitate. Pangzi is in danger and even though that danger is from Xiaoge he attacks
This has very different vibes to the time Wu Xie was hallucinating and attacked Pangzi in Reboot.
OH SHIT XIAOGE STABBED HIM! Okay, anyone who knows me knows that I do not like Pangzi whump. He deserves love and hugs and blanket forts. That being said I am literally on the edge of my seat during this
Oh he's possessed! That's better than amnesia I think. Also, I am feeling some feelings about Pangzi lifting Xiaoge up off the ground like this despite having a hole in his shoulder and Xiaoge being super strong
Oh shit he sliced up Wu Xie too. I'm already having Ideas about writing the aftermath of this depending on what happens in the movie
Oh he's not possessed at all! It literally isn't Xiaoge. That's almost disappointing. There could have been some excellent 'I hurt my two husbands while I was possessed' angst
Lines like this is why I love this stupid franchise so much
The dynamite: is right there
Wu Xie: runs past it and stabs the mushroom with a knife
Wu Xie grabbed the dynamite on a whim and Pangzi grabbed the detonator. Once again they are so married
Whaaaaat? Xiaoge was the the one who told the old man to sacrifice Xiaoge? Skin mask? Another Zhang who looks like Xiaoge? Actually Xiaoge and he then forgot? I have so many questions
!!!!!! BATHING TOGETHER JUST LIKE THEY DO IN THE NOVEL
Who is this dude who works for Xiao Hua? I want to know more about him
Nothing says sorry for nearly getting you all killed than a nice new sword for Xiaoge
Why is it not good?? So many questions!
I'm not going to be fooled again. There was a mid-credit sequence last time and I bet there's another one
A HAH!
Even more unanswered questions
OOOH the thing that started it is now going to continue it
I loved that. WAY better than the first one. This actually felt like a DMBJ movie not just any old action/adventure with characters that happen to be named after the Iron Triangle.
New trailer for Misty Creed, the sequel to Conjuring Curse. The movie should be released today, we will see.
I loved Conjuring Curse, the Iron Triangle there was awesome and they actually spent the whole movie adventuring together. Hopefully, the sequel will offer us more of the same!