Best Legend of the Condor Heroes Version?

[Wu Nianci]

I only watched the 2008 version, so I can't really judge. Btw, these are not all the versions of the book. But these are the most known ones.

[odbayarb2000]

I have only seen 2003 version which I didn't like that much. I hated the Huang Rong's voice. The unworldly coarse voice of her was huge turn off. Since I haven't watched other versions I am not in a position to judge. I have little feeling that LOCH 2008 wasn't that great.

[wkeej]

I did not watch the 2008 version. I like both 1983 (Felix and Barbara) and 2003 (Ya Peng and Zhou Xun).

[Yuet Thi]

I have seen all three from the poll plus the 1994 version with Julian Cheung and Athena Chu. Despite the later ones having better quality and effects, the 1983 version still remains my favorite. The cast is unbeatable.

[Trien Chieu]

LOCH 1983 all the way. The cast is the best and hand to hand combat is better than the cheap special effect.

[ChanceEncounter]

Where's the option to vote none of the above?

[Virak Pheng]

I have seen all three! agree with unfit Huang Rong in 2003! The 1983 and 2008 is my favorite! 83 is sure had the unbeatable casts, but the chemistry of Hu Ge and Ariel Lin from 2008 is the best, from what I think!

[mideel]

overall the 1983

but i don't know why the most enjoyable is the 1994 julian cheung athena chu version even though the costumes looked like a clowns...

[jadebunny9]

I enjoyed 1994 the most.

[tape]

I think '94 handled the beginning of the story really well. The Qiu Chuji and 7 Freaks scenes were really good.

[Ken Cheng]

I think '94 handled the beginning of the story really well. The Qiu Chuji and 7 Freaks scenes were really good.

LOCH '94 is held down by two flaws: Hong Lung 18 Palms was not represented well, and Gwok Jing did not participate as a combatant in the Second Mt. Hua Sword Tournament (which is pretty thematically important).

I might have given this remake a chance if TVB hadn't screwed those two things up.

[Tam_Nguyen]

I like LOCH 94 the most. It was pretty faithful to the novel, the cast was great. I think Chilam and Athena did a very good job, very faithful, they were so cute together. Gallen Lo didn't have the Prince's look like Michael Miu, but it was still okay. Emily Kwan was not beautiful enough to be Mu Nian Ci but her acting was not bad. She was a pretty strong Mu Nian Ci. I think the fightings were well done (I don't like too much special effects in a wuxia series).

The 83's version were also good, the cast was pretty strong and they did a good job too but in terms of faithfulness...well, some side stories were developped and some details were modified. This version was pretty long: 59 eps.

In Hu Ge and Ariel Lin's version, the actors were somehow hotter lol Yuan Hong got the Yang Kang's looks. Liu Shi Shi's Mu Nian Ci was prettier than Ariel's Huang Rong in my opinion (Ariel is more cute than beautiful for me). Hu Ge and Ariel's performance was not that bad, but I think Hu Ge is better at playing roles like Li Xiao Yao or Jing Tian...I don't really like how he plays dumb...he was not always natural. Ariel's Huang Rong got the young look but she was not smart enough? She seemed too normal sometimes.

As the 2003's version, I think a lot of people love this version...but personnally, I've never liked it. Since the first time I watched it, I didn't like the leads. Li Ya Peng (no offence) didn't portray a dumb and heroic Guo Jing...he was playing an retarded Guo Jing...he was in his 30s and he looked like that...(no offence, I have not seen any other series of him but he may suit LingHu Chong better than Guo Jing?). As for Huang Rong, she killed the Huang Rong of my heart...When watching LOCH 2003, I have tendancy to become a Huang Rong's hater...She didn't make sense...and Zhou Xun's face was always the same...She kept the same facial expression for a long moment and then suddenly laughed and started to "act cute"....welll that's my opinion...

I think I should read the novel again...it may be because of the version I read that I found Zhou Xun not fitting this role at all...I know a lot of people who loved Li Ya Peng and Zhou Xun's version...

[tape]

LOCH '94 is held down by two flaws: Hong Lung 18 Palms was not represented well, and Gwok Jing did not participate as a combatant in the Second Mt. Hua Sword Tournament (which is pretty thematically important).

I might have given this remake a chance if TVB hadn't screwed those two things up.

What was wrong with the portrayal of the Dragon palms? I thought it was done pretty well.

It is a shame though that they were quite accurate throughout the whole series and then decided to have a unlocked-his-meridians powerup for Ouyang Feng lets him trounce everyone 3v1.

[Ken Cheng]

What was wrong with the portrayal of the Dragon palms? I thought it was done pretty well.

It was *weird*...like a dozen hands growing out of Gwok Jing's back, then extending slow-motion like Mr. Fantastic's rubbery arms. That's not how I picture Hong Lung 18 Palms at all; Hong Lung 18 Palms should appear more as an explosive force.

[tape]

If it makes it better, they only use sfx for dragon palms once -- all other times it is just normal palms with some smoke and dust thrown in .

[Doc Kwok]

It was *weird*...like a dozen hands growing out of Gwok Jing's back, then extending slow-motion like Mr. Fantastic's rubbery arms. That's not how I picture Hong Lung 18 Palms at all; Hong Lung 18 Palms should appear more as an explosive force.

Apart from that one instance (which I thought was rather lame too), I thought the portrayal in LOCH 94 on the whole was much truer to the novel than the 1983 version - i.e. direct, plain-looking palm strikes. They also spent a fair amount of effort getting the first move 'Proud dragon has regrets' right - something LOCH 1983 didn't bother with. Chilam is no martial artist though, and it shows.

LOCH 1983 on the other hand had lots of elaborate flailing away at thin air before finally getting to hit something, with a ghostly dragon hanging in the air...

[pannonian]

Apart from that one instance (which I thought was rather lame too), I thought the portrayal in LOCH 94 on the whole was much truer to the novel than the 1983 version - i.e. direct, plain-looking palm strikes. They also spent a fair amount of effort getting the first move 'Proud dragon has regrets' right - something LOCH 1983 didn't bother with. Chilam is no martial artist though, and it shows.

LOCH 1983 on the other hand had lots of elaborate flailing away at thin air before finally getting to hit something, with a ghostly dragon hanging in the air...

The playstation adaptation of LOCH has a surprisingly decent portrayal of The Proud Dragon Repents. Circle with one of the hands, although it then goes Street Fighter on us (although you could argue Street Fighter's hadoken was probably inspired by the Dragon Palms).

My favourite adaptation of LOCH is the 2003 version. Huang Rong was played by a genuinely great actress, the adaptation was as close to the text as could be asked of, and most of all, the Genghis Khan was magnificent in every way. Most reviews of LOCH concentrate on the character dynamics between Guo Jing and Huang Rong, but thematically the novel is about Guo Jing and Genghis.

[Doc Kwok]

The playstation adaptation of LOCH has a surprisingly decent portrayal of The Proud Dragon Repents. Circle with one of the hands, although it then goes Street Fighter on us (although you could argue Street Fighter's hadoken was probably inspired by the Dragon Palms).

According to Takashi Nishiyama (the original designer of Street Fighter), the Hadoken was inspired by the Hadouho missile in the anime Space Battleship Yamato.

I think the original intent of the dragon palms was to have a forceful, straight-forward and honest style to suit Guo Jing's character. After all, one of its properties was that even if the opponent knew exactly what was coming at them, they still had no choice but to try and get out of the way. Adding mystical elements (dragons coming out of nowhere) and superfluous, flowery moves tends to detract from that feel, though I guess it might be rather visually boring otherwise. Even Jinyong himself tends to add extra intricacies with each revision (probably succumbing to the very tempting but often incorrect notion that more = better).

[Ken Cheng]

According to Takashi Nishiyama (the original designer of Street Fighter), the Hadoken was inspired by the Hadouho missile in the anime Space Battleship Yamato.

The Wave Motion Missile was actually a less powerful alternative to the Yamato's most powerful weapon, the Wave Motion Cannon, which...well, yeah...it'd be like the cosmic battleship equivalent of the Hong Lung 18 Palms. See for yourself: