The Supernatural Fantasy Epic Taking Off On Netflix
While fans of mystical worlds brought to life in shows like The Witcher and The Umbrella Academy wait patiently for the next seasons of their favorite shows to drop (thankfully, Henry Cavill appears to be recovering from that on-set injury), they should consider filling the temporary void with the Chinese film The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity, one of the hottest supernatural fantasy epics taking off on Netflix.
As Variety notes, The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity is a theatrical adaptation of the Japanese fantasy novel series Onmyoji (1986), written by Baku Yumemakura. The story follows the adventures of the mystical Yin-Yang masters, and the South China Morning Post says the film depicts how the four best masters are called to the Imperial City to kill a powerful serpent demon that awakens every 100 years to feed on the greed of humanity. Yup. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Yin-Yang masters must also solve a murder mystery and contend with a conspiracy between the city's princess and the head of the royal guard, who are working to claim the eternal life of the serpent demon for themselves — textbook political corruption.
The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity is full of drama, martial arts action, period-piece costumes, and fantastical CGI elements, so it's got a little something for everyone. According to IMDb, the movie was written and directed by Guo Jingming, who told Variety, "The strong [Asian] aesthetics of the film might be appealing for international audiences. In the meantime, the story is universal and accessible to anyone."
Netflix has the exclusive rights to this Chinese epic fantasy
The epic, action-packed fantasy debuted in China last December on Christmas Day, but as the South China Morning Post notes, it was pulled from theaters because of accusations of plagiarism. The controversial director, Guo Jingming, who is perhaps most famous for his successful romantic dramas Tiny Times and Tiny Times 2, has been accused of stealing elements from Tsui Hark's Detective Dee films and movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most noticeably the final battle in Avengers: Endgame, for his film.
Netflix acquired the rights to release the movie on its streaming platform through Fortissimo Films, according to Variety, and it became available Friday, February 5. The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity stars Taiwanese actor Mark Chao Yu-ting (Qing Ming), Allen Deng Lun (Bo Ya), Olivia Wang Ziwen (the princess), Jessie Li (Long Ye), and it has a running time of 2 hours and 12 minutes. The film was produced by Black Ant Film, Hehe Pictures, ZUI, Thinkingdom Pictures, and the state-backed Shanghai Film Group.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Yumemakura's fantasy novel has inspired dozens of interpretations, including comic books, television shows, video game adaptations, and other movies in Asia, since it was published more than three decades ago. If you've already watched The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity, the publication notes that Netflix has a fairly good selection of high-quality Chinese films that are in a similar vein, including The Wandering Earth, Us and Them, and Animal World.