Also known as Legend of the Condor Heroes.

One of Jin Yong’s most beloved martial arts stories comes to screen again in the highly anticipated new drama The Eagle Shooting Heroes. Having played star-crossed lovers in The Little Fairy, Mainland heartthrob Hu Ge and top Taiwan actress Ariel Lin (It Started with a Kiss) strike pitch-perfect chemistry as the newest generation of stars to take on the classic roles of Guo Jing and Huang Rong. Julian Cheung and Athena Chu, Li Yapeng and Zhou Xun, and most memorably Felix Wong and Barbara Yung are just a few of the big names to have previously headlined this timeless tale about the adventures and romance of a noble, naive swordsman and a petite, clever heroine. The Eagle Shooting Heroes is produced by Lee Kwok Lap, director of the popular trendy period drama Chinese Paladin which first launched leading man Hu Ge to fame.

Forced to flee the Central Kingdom after troops wiped out their village, Guo Jing and his mother settle in the Mongolian grasslands with a tribe led by Genghis Khan. Their quiet life on the steppes is interrupted one day by seven strange masters from the south who have come to take Guo Jing as their pupil. Eighteen years later, Guo Jing (Hu Ge) is now skilled in martial arts, but still every bit as naive and kindhearted as he was as a child. On his masters’ orders, Guo Jing leaves the grasslands for the first time and encounters the cute and crafty Huang Rong (Ariel Lin). Together they embark on an epic adventure of myriad dangers and fateful encounters.

The Eagle Shooting Heroes brings together a star-studded ensemble cast from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong including Yuan Hong (The Young Warriors) as Guo Jing’s cunning sworn brother Yang Kang, Leung Ka Yan as North Beggar Hong Qigong, Elvis Tsui as the power-hungry Ouyang Feng, and Kathy Chau as Yang Kang’s mother Bao Xiruo. The most exciting addition though is probably the casting of acclaimed Hong Kong actor Anthony Wong as eccentric martial arts master Huang Yaoshi.

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Ratings: 2 out of 5

I really don’t like the way the story was very much changed around. The only good thing about this adaptation was casting Hu Ge as Guo Jing. Li Ya Ping’s retarded version ruined what would have been a great effort.

Everything was wrong about this version from Ariel as Huang Rong to Anthony as Huang Yaoshi

What was aceptable was Yang Kang who did a commendable job albiet one that was too favourable towards his character. Ou Yangke is also very good except for the changed script of him falling deeply in love with Mu Nianci and finally killing kimself when she rejected him. Now that’s not the Ou Yangke that I know and expected. Another grouse is the cheap sets that looked as though they were just put up yesterday and ready to be dismantled anytime. Colour depth was another problem as everything looked washout. Oh how I longed for Zhang Ji Zhong’s epic feel of his aaptations.

Watched this very enjoyable Korean comedy. While the fat suit has been done to death already this is still a very fun movie to watch mainly because of the newcomer Kim Ah Jung who portrays her character with a mixture of very potent innocence and hot sexiness. She bears a striking resemblance to the Taiwan actress Shu Qi.

In this comedy, Kim Ah Jung (Hanna) is a grossly overweight ghost singer for a popular Korean singer who has the looks and body but cannot sing. Hence, Hanna sings behind the stage while she lip-synced. Being fat, Hanna is constantly put down by the singer and while Hanna has feelings for her manager she dares not tell him the truth.
One day she overheard him telling the singer that he is good to Hanna because her voice is making sales for his company. Sad and depressed, Hanna disappeared, and then make a mess of a suicide attempt.
As a last resort, she blackmailed a very good plastic surgeon to give her a total body make-over. She re-emerged in a lithe and beautiful body and love her new “shell”.
One funny scene is when a traffic policeman asked to see her driver’s license and looking at the old fat Hanna and the beautiful and slim girl standing in front of him he just couldn’t make the connection and kept looking from the picture back to the person.
Hanna, with her new stage name Jenny managed to become a new and rising star in her old manager’s company and as well as winning his heart.
Another funny scene is when they were trying to make out and he put his hand on her breast and she immediately pushed it away as she feared he’d feel the silicon implant there. And when he put his hand on her buttocks, she again pushed his hand away. They ended up talking to each other on other side of the recording room until daybreak.
With all her new found fame and acceptance Hanna is not happy as she feels she’s living a lie. She denied her own father because she did not want others to know she is really Hanna and not Jenny.
Finally, at her first live concert she couldn’t keep living the lie as she saw the security guards drag her father away from the stage. She told the truth to the thousands of concert goers. She said she wants to be Hanna and not the fake Jenny. She explained why she became Jenny; to sing, to be accepted, to be loved.
The crowd was moved by her sincerity and screamed back their acceptance of her.

So Jenny the singing sensation became Hanna the singing sensation.

Enjoy the video clip on the right. It’s a good rocking song titled Ave Maria from the movie’s sound track.

Byul Song

It’s no wonder this movie is so big in Korea. It’s fun, it’s flighty, it’s a screwball! Kim Ah Jung presents a sexy but naive persona. The woundtrack is freaking awesome.