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Thread: Review : The Chronicle of Four Guardian Gods of The Great King

  1. #1
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    Unhappy Review : The Chronicle of Four Guardian Gods of The Great King

    Title : Taewangsashingi(The Chronicle of Four Guardian Gods of The Great King)
    Starring :
    Bae Yong Joon - Jesus "rip-off" and Damduk The Great King
    Moon So Ri - Gi Ha
    Yi Ji Ah - Soo Ji Ni
    Synopses : A $45 million Lord Of The Ring wanna-be fantasy epic starring Bae Yong Joon.

    Review . Produced at the cost of $45 million(Yup $45 million US dollars, $6 million of which goes to Yon-Sama's pocket), The Chronicle of Four Guardian Gods of The Great King attempts to be the Asian Lord Of The Rings like the movie "The Promise" was. So does it succeed? Not really.

    Starting from the stone age, Yon-sama starts off as a Jesus like figure(complete with transfiguration) who comes down from heaven to start his own Kingdom of Heaven on earth named Korea(cough cough, More like Hell on Earth to me), but watches his kingdom destroyed and his earthly woman die during an epic struggle against the fire witch. Saddened Yon-sama decides to return to heaven, promising that he would return to earth again to rebuild his kingdom of heaven. Yon-sama does return to earth 3,000 years later, reincarnated as the Great King. Also reincarnated are the fire witch, Yon-sama's lover, and his old enemies and new enemies(namely the Chinese) to destroy his Kingdom of Heaven once again, and Yon-sama must battle them.

    Make no mistake, this drama is pretty indeed, almost movie-quality and on a par with previously mentioned "The Promise". You probably never get to see something like this on TV screen elsewhere except for Hollywood fares. Then what's wrong with it? First, the show elevates Yon-sama to the rank of god, along with his three guardian gods(I don't know where the fourth one comes from). Surely Yon-sama must be a god to the cult of Yon-sama fans who made him a $100 million man, but it is just too much for regular TV viewers. Secondly, the producers of this show claim that they are trying to counter what they claim to be Chinese historical distortion, but this drama is a 100% fantasy that pretends to be "history". A fantasy by itself is fine, but mixing fantasy with historical persons and then claiming to be "history" isn't. Lastly, the nationalist agenda behind this show(Korea's Kingdom of Heaven on earth? Whom are they kidding.) sucks.

    Do watch the show if you are into fantasy tales and are a Yon-sama fan, but this show's obvious nationalist agenda is too disturbing for my taste.

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    Senior Member tweety365's Avatar
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    First off, I'd like to thank you, JonDoe, for continuing your reviews. I've read a few and they did help me decide on whether to watch a drama. Or at least give me an idea of it's quality before venturing in.

    I have to admit that I am a devote Bae Yong Joon fan and was really looking forward to the Great King. Afterall, it is his return to the small screen after several years' absence and the budget involve

    Now, I'm hesitant about watching this long drawn out drama. How long is it, btw? Still, I might just watch it for the sake of the acting. Based on the plot, it is not really my cup of tea. What a shame. It could have been an awesome drama....

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    Quote Originally Posted by tweety365 View Post
    Now, I'm hesitant about watching this long drawn out drama. How long is it, btw?
    23 episodes.

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    Senior Member tweety365's Avatar
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    wow, only 23 episodes? i thought it was like 40+. and it cost $45 mill? damn! the special effects must be awesome then. the producers surely wanted to make the package pretty...

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    Senior Member tuoimongmo2007's Avatar
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    i think it's 24.. saw the first 2 ep.. not my cup of tea.. dont like actresses.. they are not attractive enough for me..hahahhi like chinese historical dramas more...always been more fascinating for me

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    Quote Originally Posted by tuoimongmo2007 View Post
    i think it's 24.. saw the first 2 ep..
    Episode 00 doesn't count. It is just some preview special.

    not my cup of tea.. dont like actresses.. they are not attractive enough for me..hahahhi like chinese historical dramas more...always been more fascinating for me
    No hot actress wanted to be attached to a project like this for three years. Shooting movies and dramas are unprofitable; shooting commercials are.

    So you have a movie actress(The fire witch) who has no commercials to shoot, and a newbie who is desperate to break into the industry.

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    Junior Member WhiteHairedMaiden's Avatar
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    I for one am deff not a "Yon-sama" fan and don't really like the k-dramas he's in either, while I like a great number of other ones, but your dislike ofr him seems to come through too much here to the point that it affects your whole review of this series. It seems like prejudice to me. Keep to the point: the story it's telling. It's a damn good story and your review is no doubt putting ppl off seeing it already, when it seems to be nothing but based on prejudice. While there certainly are some parallels to be found (i.e. Jesus-like figure, which is how I saw it too), it certainly doesnt cheapen the plot in neway as far as Im concerned.

    The Lord of the Rings certainly didnt cross my mind once when I was watching the first episode which has many fantasy elements in it. I think far more ppl would disagree w/ you about it being a "Lord Of The Ring wanna-be fantasy" than those who would.

    "Yon-sama does return to earth 3,000 years later, reincarnated as the Great King." You got that wrong. Its not the man from heaven that returns as the Great King - they're just using the same actor. (why? dont ask me, i dont like it myself)

    This drama doesnt claim to be history from what I've heard. It's just a real good fantasy series based on history (or set in historical setting nehow, including historical characters, whatever). All that distorting Chinese history is rubbish since it'shalf fantasy and half history, so who's gonna believe the parts that obviously cant be real.

    "the show elevates Yon-sama to the rank of god" puhlease. now thats reading too much into something. dont blame the show for pete's sake. if you hate yon-sama - or Bae Yong Joon as is his real name - so much, or the hype surrounding him nehow, esp. with Japanese women (which I certainly dont understand) then rave on about that, not put down a good drama in order to do it. just coz he's playing a god-like character doesnt make him one or make neone think he is, unless they're still in elementary schoold, and if you're referring to his increasing fame and already high status as an actor...well, take it up w/ the ppl who see him that way. i tell you a great number of ppl, mainly women, seems to feel that way about him regardless of what roles he plays, so it hardly makes a difference. they worship him neway. And as for the rest of us more sane ppl, we dont care what role he takes and don't see him any differently for playing that character. i for one am not in awe. as for him making big bucks... well he does so in any one series or other.

    what nationalist agenda? please dont kid yourself that no nation doesnt like to think or say that they're the coolest or display some sort of pride or other. not to say they do always think so. altho in some cases they do, like with a lot of Kiwis Ive seen in NZ...which is my best example for I live here. They say stuff like "new zealanders are the best" and act in ways that convey such thoughts/feelings, and no one accuses them of being pig-headed. i suppose its OK so long as its relatively private? and i remind you that this is fantasy. i for one dont feel any big pride thru this drama "teaching" me that i belong to a heavenly society on earth.

    "Lastly, the nationalist agenda behind this show(Korea's Kingdom of Heaven on earth? Whom are they kidding.) sucks."

    Its just for fun dude. They're not trying to kid neone and certainly not bright ppl like yourself. I assure you that no Korean believes they are some high and mighty chosen descendant of a man fromHeaven. OK? And just to tell you, yes Im a Korean, and Im not a patriot, I'd be the first to laugh if neone suggested sumthin like that beyond a historical "fantasy" movie, I dont even have a fave Korean actor/actress, and I think you're taking personal feelings against an actor too seriously and letting it affect how you perceive this new series....(one which is well on its way to being a big hit and rightly so).

    Your loss, and hate it if you want to, but as one who's enjoying it greatly so far, I dont appreciate the way you're discouraging ppl from watching it by magnifying your personal impressions (and prejudice it seems) of it too much.

    One thing I agree with you on tho is about how so much of it does seem to revolve around Bae Yong Joon. Ive nothing against him but I dont see why he should stand out the way he does. And I think they could've chosen a better female lead, which a lot of ppl agree w/ me on.

    Please dont let my reply colour your view of all Koreans now. If you find me unpleasant, I assure you that I simply like to speak up every now and then about things I happen to like. You should've seen the way I once defended The Legendary Siblings by Gu Long against another user here who..might've been from China or Taiwan, not sure (and I take it you knkow where Gu Long is from).



    Quote Originally Posted by JonDoe View Post
    Title : Taewangsashingi(The Chronicle of Four Guardian Gods of The Great King)
    Starring :
    Bae Yong Joon - Jesus "rip-off" and Damduk The Great King
    Moon So Ri - Gi Ha
    Yi Ji Ah - Soo Ji Ni
    Synopses : A $45 million Lord Of The Ring wanna-be fantasy epic starring Bae Yong Joon.

    Review . Produced at the cost of $45 million(Yup $45 million US dollars, $6 million of which goes to Yon-Sama's pocket), The Chronicle of Four Guardian Gods of The Great King attempts to be the Asian Lord Of The Rings like the movie "The Promise" was. So does it succeed? Not really.

    Starting from the stone age, Yon-sama starts off as a Jesus like figure(complete with transfiguration) who comes down from heaven to start his own Kingdom of Heaven on earth named Korea(cough cough, More like Hell on Earth to me), but watches his kingdom destroyed and his earthly woman die during an epic struggle against the fire witch. Saddened Yon-sama decides to return to heaven, promising that he would return to earth again to rebuild his kingdom of heaven. Yon-sama does return to earth 3,000 years later, reincarnated as the Great King. Also reincarnated are the fire witch, Yon-sama's lover, and his old enemies and new enemies(namely the Chinese) to destroy his Kingdom of Heaven once again, and Yon-sama must battle them.

    Make no mistake, this drama is pretty indeed, almost movie-quality and on a par with previously mentioned "The Promise". You probably never get to see something like this on TV screen elsewhere except for Hollywood fares. Then what's wrong with it? First, the show elevates Yon-sama to the rank of god, along with his three guardian gods(I don't know where the fourth one comes from). Surely Yon-sama must be a god to the cult of Yon-sama fans who made him a $100 million man, but it is just too much for regular TV viewers. Secondly, the producers of this show claim that they are trying to counter what they claim to be Chinese historical distortion, but this drama is a 100% fantasy that pretends to be "history". A fantasy by itself is fine, but mixing fantasy with historical persons and then claiming to be "history" isn't. Lastly, the nationalist agenda behind this show(Korea's Kingdom of Heaven on earth? Whom are they kidding.) sucks.

    Do watch the show if you are into fantasy tales and are a Yon-sama fan, but this show's obvious nationalist agenda is too disturbing for my taste.
    Last edited by WhiteHairedMaiden; 09-20-07 at 09:53 AM.

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    Junior Member WhiteHairedMaiden's Avatar
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    oops posted twice
    Last edited by WhiteHairedMaiden; 09-20-07 at 09:49 AM.

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    Junior Member WhiteHairedMaiden's Avatar
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    deleted out
    Last edited by WhiteHairedMaiden; 09-20-07 at 09:48 AM.

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    but your dislike ofr him seems to come through too much here to the point that it affects your whole review of this series.
    This is a Yon-sama show, the entire show designed specifically for Yon-sama, not the other way around. How else do you think the producers were able to dump $45 million into single series, when even an outstanding series like "The Hour Between Dog and Wolf" cost $6 million to produce?

    While there certainly are some parallels to be found (i.e. Jesus-like figure, which is how I saw it too). it certainly doesnt cheapen the plot in neway as far as Im concerned.
    Episode 01(The stone age episode) didn't need to be in the series.

    The Lord of the Rings certainly didnt cross my mind once when I was watching the first episode which has many fantasy elements in it.
    Then the producers failed their jobs, since that was their intented goal.

    "Yon-sama does return to earth 3,000 years later, reincarnated as the Great King." You got that wrong. Its not the man from heaven that returns as the Great King - they're just using the same actor. (why? dont ask me, i dont like it myself)
    No, the Jesus rip-off figure and four guardian gods do return 2000 years later(sorry, it's 2000, not 3000), reborn as humans.

    It's just a real good fantasy series based on history
    That's what's so bad about it. If the whole series was a pure fantasy like The Promise Or The Empress's Flower(aka Curse Of The Golden Flower), I wouldn't raise an alarm, but this series is in same vein as "The Hero" delivering a hidden politically motivated message under the disguise of a fantasy.

    All that distorting Chinese history is rubbish since it'shalf fantasy and half history, so who's gonna believe the parts that obviously cant be real.
    This "fantasy passed off as history" strategy is identical to the communist government sponsored movie "Hero", which turns the history of Qinshihuangdi the first emperor and the founder of Chinese nationhood into a good(In terms of story and visual) fantasy tale in order to justify the sacrifices of little people and ethnic minorities for the "greater common good". The Hero is a good, purhaps a great, fantasy movie for sure, but it is very disturbing if you can read what they are implying under the lines. The same is true of "The Chronicle of Four Guardian Gods of Great King". It is a good fantasy drama, but with a disturbing hidden agenda beneath all the prettiness on screen.

    "the show elevates Yon-sama to the rank of god" puhlease. now thats reading too much into something.
    But that's exactly what the show says, "The son of god from heaven."

    I assure you that no Korean believes they are some high and mighty chosen descendant of a man fromHeaven. OK?
    I hope they don't, but you will be shocked. Such faulty extreme nationalist beliefs produced this very show.

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    this sounds quite familiar to me. Is it the one Kind and I?

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    Senior Member Surferket's Avatar
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    This series is out in Singapore as The Legend. I'm watching up to Chapter 10 and it's pretty good. A bit like Jumong.
    The 4th Guardian is actually the Heart Stone Creature of the Fire Witch.

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    Senior Member Jilly's Avatar
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    I'm at ep 20 now... 4 more episodes to go.

    I have to agree with WhiteHairedMaiden. The Legend is a fantasy series with a good storyline, so I don't let the hidden nationalist agenda or casting choice bother me. I actually like the actress who plays Sujini. I've read other comments on this thread that the ending is really bad though, so I'm kinda dreading it now...
    Last edited by Jilly; 03-04-08 at 04:45 PM.

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    Senior Member Jilly's Avatar
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    Finally finished watching it.
    Now I know why many people said the ending is a dud coz it's very confusing!
    I don't understand what really happened at the end

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    Senior Member Surferket's Avatar
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    I've put up the opening, ending and main love themes on Youtube.

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    Senior Member tweety365's Avatar
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    Thanks for putting up the clips, surferket. But how come there are no sounds?

    Anyway, from other clips I've seen online, the production team really went all out. The setting and costumes really are top notch. Just plain beautiful and conveys the feeling of grandeur. BYJ looks so heroic and hot .

    But I don't see any pretty female characters. BYJ doesn't seem to have much chemistry with the women (this is only based on the clips I've seen online). I hate bad endings to a good series, so I most likely will give this a pass.

    Surferket, how do you feel about the series? A little review would be greatly appreciated.

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    Senior Member Surferket's Avatar
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    Haha ok didn't realised that the clips didn't have sound when I ripped the dvd

    There are 2 female love interests but not exactly beautiful or great looking. Both are passable.

    The storyline has a strong fantasy/magical element with 2,000 years old prophecies coming true. I've not reached the ending which I am told sucks but what I've seen is pretty good and riveting to hold my interest.

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    Senior Member tweety365's Avatar
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    I’m a fan of BYJ and consider him to be a great actor, but I think the producers should have paid BYJ less and used that money to hire better actresses.

    Surferket - when you're done with the series, I'd like to know what you think of it on a whole.

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    Quote Originally Posted by tweety365 View Post
    I’m a fan of BYJ and consider him to be a great actor, but I think the producers should have paid BYJ less and used that money to hire better actresses.
    It was nearly impossible to find actresses willing to commit to a project for two years.(Far more profitable to shoot commercials and ads than to shoot dramas and movies) Most actresses won't commit for more than 6 months maximum.

    The actress who played Fire Witch was a seasoned play actress who didn't give a damn about commercials(A rare exception), while the actress who played Sujini was a total newbie desperately looking for her first break-through work.

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    Senior Member tweety365's Avatar
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    I'm sure actresses can still film commercials during certain breaks between shooting the scenes for the drama. With BYJ the main lead, I would think most scenes involve him anyway. The people involve just need to do a little scheduling. With the right incentives, most actresses would commit to the project. Perhaps the storyline and or less money did not appeal to them rather than the time issue.

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