Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre

Cast
Steven Ma as Cheung Mo Kei/ Cheung Tsui San
Cecilia Yip as Chiu Min/ Yan Soso
Kathy Chow as Chow Chi Yerk

Intro

This series is the final part of the Condor Trilogy. Before the death of Kwok Jing and Wong Yong in the "Legend of the Condor Heroes", they rewrote two manuscripts: the Hung Lung 18 Palms---9 Yang Gen Jing and Mo Muk Wai Shu. They then melted Yang Guo's sword into two swords: the Dragon Saber and Heavenly Sword. The Hung Lung 18 Palms---9 Yang Gen Jing was hidden in the Heavenly Sword and Mo Muk Wai Shu was hidden in the Dragon Saber. Kwok Jing and Wong Yong hoped that one day someone would possess both swords and help free China from Mongolian rule. The Mongols conquered China and established the Yuen dynasty after Kwok Jing's and Wong Yong's death. Time passes by and a man by the name of Cheung Mo Kei becomes destined to possess both of the treasures. The acting wasn't spectacular and the scenery was horrible. I didn't find any positive comments about this series except Kathy Chow's performance and the theme song.

What about the story

Most likely everyone is familiar with the story of "Heavenly Sword Dragon Saber" (HSDS) and so I won't retell the story. However, there are some differences in the series than the actual story. The ending is a little different and the series lacks the ancient kung fu theme. Chiu Min's character cries too much and Mo Kei is too weak. Mo Kei lacks the charisma that Tony Leung in HSDS 1986 portrayed. Another change in the story is that Mo Kei's love interest changes. Watch the series and you will see what I am talking about. The most fatal flaw in this series is that in the end, I wanted Chiu Min dead and Mo Kei to go with Chi Yerk. Chiu Min is supposed to be clever and quick-witted but here, she is more of a drama queen. This is most unfortunate for Louis Cha; he should reconsider letting Taiwan produce adaptations to his stories.

What about the cast

Well, this was the worst adaptation I have every scene in the Condor Trilogy. Yes, even worst than HSDS 2000. First of all, Steven Ma did not fit Mo Kei's character. He didn't look handsome and innocent enough to play the part. Steven also lacked chemistry with Cecilia and Kathy. Steven just doesn't cut it as Mo Kei. Secondly, Cecilia's character was changed too much, making her lack Kitty Lai's portrayal of Chiu Min in HSDS 1986. Cecilia just wasn't as clever as Kitty. She cried over the littlest things. The most important part of this series was supposed to be Cecilia's and Steven's chemistry, I just didn't see that. On the other hand, Kathy gave a great performance as Chi Yerk. She fitted her role to perfection. In the end, Steven should have left Cecilia and go with Kathy.

Scenery, special effects, music

The scenery wasn't too great. I find it redundant. Too many scenes occurred on the same set. Big mistake! The fight scenes were okay. In the entire series there was only one good fighting scene and that didn't even involve Steven! The costumes were poorly done. I only liked Kathy's costume. Steven had a weird hairdo that made him look funny. The best thing about this series is the music. The theme song was very romantic and fitted the series perfectly.

Best supporting actor
None

Best supporting actress
Kathy Chow as Chow Chi Yerk

Worst character portrayal
Cecilia Yip as Chiu Min

Watch it or forget it
Don't even bother. If you like the Condor Trilogy watch other versions like "Legend of the Condor Heroes" 1982, "Return of the Condor Heroes" 1995, or HSDS 1986.