I saw this last week in a packed cinema that positively sighed when Greg Han Su ("Li Tsu-Wei") came onto the screen. A handsome youth, he and his childhood sweetheart "Huang Yuxuan" (Ko Chia-yen) fall in love and move in together. All seems idyllic until she has to go and work in Shanghai. Can they make a go of their long distance relationship? Well that doesn't really matter because somewhere along the line, we discover that a tragedy has interrupted their dream life. Something that (now I didn't quite get this bit) involved them both half way up a building under construction. Anyway, it seems that there may be redemption - a way of altering this devastating solution - and that all revolves around a tape-recording of a song. Thing is, any alternative permutations this may deliver just seem to further complicate matters. It seems that re-writing history is no simple matter! Soon friends - whom possibly haven't even met, or might meet, or did once - are drawn into this enjoyably crafted time shift mystery. You do need to concentrate on it, and some of the story does stretch the imagination just a little - but the performances from these young actors is remarkably assured and the romantic element doesn't overwhelm the quirkiness of the thing. It's not without some humour too, especially as some people take quite a bit of convincing that everyone here is not just delusional. It is well paced, and has a charm to it. Doesn't need a cinema screen - unless you are the sighing sort - but is certainly worth a watch, I'd say.
Someday or One Day
2022 [CHINESE]
Action / Drama / Fantasy / Romance
Plot summary
In 2009, 28-year-old Li Zi Wei and 17-year-old Huang Yu Xuan met each other. These are two innocent and unaffected lives that could each feel like marks from their past and present lives. However, they could not find sufficient proof to fill up the emptiness at the bottom of their hearts. An accident let them fall into another Mobius loop that had already happened countless times. Only then did they realize that in different times and spaces, they once had a deep, true love that had passed through countless timelines to search for each other with no regrets. But in that story, their deepest love came at the highest price. If they could start again, would they choose to meet by chance in ordinary life or be scarred by the memories etched in their heart and bones? Or perhaps they can choose to hurt and love all over again, betting on a different ending?
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
May 27, 2023 at 03:08 PM
Director
Top cast
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Someday or One Day
Series is phenomenal, movie failed to have same effect
I absolutely loved the 2019 Someday or One days that predates this movie. It was prefect in it's plot, character development and acting. I watched it twice because of the complexity of the time travel element. With that, I was also very saddened when the series ended and wanted more. When this 2022 movie was announced, I was full of anticipation, thirsting for more of these characters and possible endings-sadly, and as I sensed, this movie was not at par with that of the series.
Here are elements that I feel that made the movie subpar and disappointment:
The series was a perfect story that meticulously weaved itself through time and came to a very good conclusion. As you watch the series, you become extremely invested in each of these characters and their story in through dimensions. The issue lies here in this: we want more because it's as such a well told story. At same time, due to it it being a completed storyline, it is hard to continue the story onwards without potholes being formed. The movie created a lot of plot holes and became so confusing that it became hard to follow.
All in all, I did enjoy the movie but it is disappointing in comparison to the series.
Should have left the drama series alone
Xiang Jian Ni was one of my favourite drama series in recent years. I was excited and intrigued when the movie was announced. I assumed that the leads signing on to the project meant some form of quality assurance.
In the end I was let down. The writers could not decide whether to write this for fans of the drama series or for new fans, and they settled for some kind of in between. It involves the same characters, same mechanism for time travel and same mystery involving someone falling off a building, but otherwise it is sort of a new story not connected with the original
story.
A few glaring plot holes aside, I vaguely get this new-ish story, but it wasn't well executed. While I was rooting for the main couple to succeed in the series, here they just exist to service the plot lines. The script felt rushed, some explanations were left out, and one who have never watched the series would probably be quite lost midway with the jumping timelines and the multiple characters played by the same actors.
What saved the day would probably the actors, who are still charming to watch and really made the best out of this script that probably needed a few more drafts. Ultimately they should have just left the drama series alone.