The New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber

This is a mediocre adaptation of a wonderful story. From what I understand, it was also heavily promoted, featuring rising young stars Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Kitty Lai Mei Han, and Sheren Tsang Siu Man. The supporting cast included Maggie Siu Mei Kei, Simon Yam Tuk Wah, Dodo Cheng Yu Ling, and Margie Tsang Wah Sin. What was frustrating about this series was that it had so much promise, yet it always fell short. Despite talented actors, the casting and direction of the film left much to be desired, particularly during the golden '80s period.

The beginning of the series was memorable; Simon Yam and Dodo Cheng were captivating as Cheung Chiu San and Yun So So. In a short span, their performances ranged from noble to romantic to tragic. I had great expectations for the rest of the series when they died.

Unfortunately, Tony Leung's performance as Cheung Mo Kei was not up to par with his other roles. He overemphasized Cheung's hesitant nature. Although Cheung Mo Kei was naive in matters of love, he was the bold, heroic leader of the Ming Sect. Tony played the role as if he's lost in a daze. Moreover, there wasn't much difference between teenage Cheung and grown-up Cheung. TVB needed a more mature-looking actor who could portray both strong leadership and emotional indecision, like Ray Liu Leung Wai.

Kitty Lai's portrayal of Chiu Man was quite disappointing. She failed to capture Chiu Man's charisma. Chiu Man was very intelligent and her many barbs at Cheung Mo Kei both attracted and embarrassed him. Kitty made Chiu Man look clinging and contrived.

Thanks to Sheren Tsang, the later episodes of Heavenly were still well-worth watching. She was stunning as the complex Chow Chi Yurk. Chow's gentle exterior and calculating actions were subtly and elegantly conveyed, especially her transformation after Cheung "jilted her at the altar."

As for the direction, inadequate screen time was dedicated to the more exciting parts of the series. For example, the scene where Cheung learned the sacred kungfu of the Ming sect was supposed to be an arduous process, yet he mastered it in about two minutes. The climatic scenes where Cheung defended the Ming sect against the attack of the six clans and where he defended his father's sect against the Mongolian minions, were also rushed through. It seems that the directors expended too much time into the development of even minor characters, and then too little time on the major events of the series. Overall, the organization, camera-work, and choreography just lacked the grandeur of an all-time TVB classic.

In spite of these flaws, Heavenly boasts a famous Jin Yong story, a great musical score, and some unforgettable performances. Just seeing what TVB had done with the Demi-gods and Semi-devils and Legend of the Condor Heroes in the 1980's, I had expected Heavenly to be an extraordinary production and it wasn't.