King of the streamers. He's one of the most prolific and talented directors of low-budget Chinese epic fantasy action cinema. If you love slick and condensed genre flicks, Dai Yilin is by far one of the best contemporary options.
Movies
Not your typical biography, but what did you expect with Dai Yilin in the director's chair? This is another one of his budget fantasy spectacles. Short, fast-paced, loaded with lore, and heavily reliant on functional CG. It's a good thing then that the art direction in his films is always well above average. I'm not sure I've seen anything from the Meng Po story before, but the more you watch them, the more you'll find that these stories are all very much alike (it's not that much different from Greek mythology either). It's a good thing then that the focus lies on flashy, fast-paced action scenes, not so much on the plot and characters. I had good fun, but that's because I love this kind of thing.Read all
In many ways, this is Dai Yilin's best film to date. It's the one where he seems to be leaving his streamer roots behind, upping the overall quality of the production. And he doesn't disappoint, only now that he is playing with the big boys, the competition is getting way tougher. And that's where the film falls just a little short. The costumes are superb (flashbacks of The Banquet), the cinematography is nice and the action is on point. But it lacks the grandeur and the excess of the best films in the genre, and because it's a more serious film, it's not quite as snappy and fun compared to the streamer flicks. Yilin has talent though, so just give the man more time and an even bigger budget, and he'll get there in the end.Read all
More IQiyi genre fluff. Keep your expectations realistic, and their back catalog offers an incredible wealth of genre films. Reincarnation Land is another one of their action/fantasy hybrids, a continuation of the 90s Hong Kong films that topped the genre. Not quite up there with the best, but if you're looking for some fast-paced entertainment, this one delivers. The CG is subpar, though that's only a real issue at the very start of the film. The sets look pretty nice, the action is fast-paced, the fantasy elements are properly executed, performances are amusing, and the plot is fun enough. It's nothing you haven't seen before, but the short runtime and skillful execution turn this into tasty filler.Read all
Dai Yilin is one of my discoveries of 2022. Not that he makes the greatest films, but his quality is consistent, his output is insane and practically all his films are prime genre filler. His take on the Painted Skin legend (quite popular in Chinese cinema this past decade) is exactly what I expected from it. There isn't too much action here, instead the film focuses more on fantasy and romance. The costumes are lush, the sets are great and the little action there is in done well. CG is still subpar and the extra 20 minutes don't really add much, but I had a good time with this latest Painted Skin adaptation. Yilin is the man to look for if you want to breach Chinese streamer genre cinema.Read all
Forbidden Martial Arts: The Nine Mysterious Candle Dragons
A fine mix of fantasy and martial arts. The more I see of these recent Chinese genre films, the more I feel lost in the endless maze of releases. They all feel like they're part of bigger franchises (and I guess many are based on fantasy novels), but for an outsider like me there's just no way to tie everything together without guidance. The cinematography is beautiful, sets and costumes are lush and the action choreography is pretty impressive. The dragon lair is a bit of a bummer though, relying quite heavily on subpar CG to create a high fantasy setting. Performances are pretty decent and the short runtime is a definite plus. All in all this is great genre fare, the kind I can keep watching. It's a good thing then the market is being flooded with these films.Read all
Dai Yilin strikes again. After having seen countless of these Chinese streamer films, I'm still struggling to make sense of the scope and magnitude of this niche. The only director who stands out for now is Dai. Not only is he extremely prolific, but he is also one of the most consistent directors of the bunch. Monster Hunters is just more proof that he can deliver fun and fast-paced entertainment. The CG in these films is mostly functional, the nice thing about Dai's work is that he at least has the rest of the styling down. Settings, costumes, and props look good, and so do the camerawork and other practical effects. The pacing and length of the film are perfect. Good fun if you love the mix of fantasy and martial arts.Read all
The Chinese streamer scene is a complete maze, still, especially when it comes to directors. There's just one name that jumps out so far, and that's Dai Yilin. His work is usually pretty consistent, so when I noticed he had a new film out I was ready to give it a shot. It's not his best work, but it's a pretty decent addition to his oeuvre. With Dragon Hunting King, Yilin returns to the tomb-raiding genre. I figured it had died out somewhat over the past year, but apparently, there's still room for a couple more films. Dragon Hunting King isn't quite as spectacular as it needed to be though, and the little extra drama felt a bit unnecessary. But if you're just here for the genre thrills, this film won't disappoint.Read all
More tomb raiding fun, though this time we're going even more fantastical, with even some minor sci-fi elements thrown in. And a Lara Croft lookalike, so you won't be mistaken where this film got its inspiration from. The result is pretty amusing, though, as is often the case with these films, let down by some pretty poor CG. It's nice to see a bit more variation in plot and genre elements, but in the end their impact is rather minimal. The film feels a bit too fluffy for a bona fide adventure, and the CG can really get below acceptable quality levels. Still, thanks to the solid pacing and short runtimes, films like these are hardly ever boring. I just wish they paid a little more attention to the details.Read all
Chinese historic war cinema on the cheap. It was only a matter of time before China would hark back to the glorious war epics that graced the screens almost two decades ago. The biggest difference with Knights of Valour is scope and budget. While director Yilin is used to making do with little, it's not easy when working in this particular niche. The CG is a little dodgy and the lack of massive battlefield scenes is hard to miss, but the focus on a small infiltration team is smart and the film looks pretty solid beyond its budgetary limitations. And so Knights of Valour is pretty decent filler, much like all the other short streaming fodder. Not bad, just don't expect it to stand out.Read all
Mojin is one of the most prominent tomb-raiding franchises, an immensely popular subgenre in China. With Dai Yilin behind the camera, I had some expectations, the problem is that his style isn't particularly fitted for longer films. When things get a bit more serious, the appeal starts to wither fast. Yilin's films are fun because they're short and punchy. The added 30 minutes of runtime is spent on pointless conversations, bland character development, and build-ups that lead nowhere exciting. It's still a decent enough genre film, it's just that he's made better films with far less effort.Read all
Not great. This is just another tomb-raiding adventure, including the token giant mutant spiders. Dai Yilin is credited as chief director (not sure what that credit means exactly - my guess is that he probably wasn't too involved in the day-to-day work, but he acted more like a mentor), but it's clear the film isn't up to his usual standards. Pretty cliche, with few redeeming qualities. I'm getting rather bored of giant spiders (especially when the CG is poor), the tomb raiding elements aren't too exciting either and the action is pretty dull. It's short and fast-paced genre fluff, and in that sense it's watchable, but there are 10 films just like this which do a much better job.Read all
Another take on the Journey to the West saga, this time by streamer king Dai Yilin. With a longer runtime and (presumably) larger budget, Yilin has a lot more trouble getting this film on the rails. The result is a gaudy CG fest that never impresses the way it's supposed to. It just goes to show that some directors benefit from imposed limitations. Like most other Monkey King films from the '10s, the CG is a real eyesore and kills most of the film's fantastical appeal. The background story The Pig King provides isn't all that interesting either unless you're really invested in these characters. Not the film I was hoping for, Yilin has made much better ones under more stringent circumstances.Read all