Chinese Paladin

This drama about diamond-in-the-rough Li Xiao Yao (Hu Ge) and princess-in-hiding Zhao Ling'er (Liu Yifei) starts off lighthearted and hilarious. With the main cast consisting of wholesome young characters, I didn't expect it to turn deadly serious, featuring substantial lessons about Daoism, religion and love. The CGI is subpar, but technical flaws don't bother me as much as character flaws. I was ready to rate this at least an 8, until Xiao Yao falls for another girl while on a quest to save the princess. A male lead who switches allegiance that fast invariably ruins a drama for me.

This is the first movie of Hu Ge's I've watched and I can see why he made quite a splash when he started in showbiz. Aside from his good looks, his acting was commendable. I love the ending song "June Showers" he sang.

This is the youngest I've seen of Liu Yifei and she was truly a beauty and a talented actress.