As far as Jin Yong adaptations go, this one is subpar. It does have a few bursts of brilliance, but every time I rewatch it I see more flaws. It’s hard to get past the poorly-written characters and hammy acting.

Lin Yu Shen is a brilliant actor who needs no dialogue. He can convey so much emotion with just his eyes, gestures, and micro expressions. His Miao Ren Feng is both a hero and a victim. Unfortunately, he spends way too much time being a victim, especially of a loser like Tian Gui Nong.

Qin Jun Jie is a bit of a miscast here. He can act, although his smile is less like a hero and more of a rogue. His demeanor is more suited to irreverent roles like Linghu Chong or Wei Xiaobao, but not a straight up hero like Hu Fei. Unlike the cliffhanger in the book, Hu Fei does get closure on his relationship with Miao Ren Feng in a very emotionally-charged scene. I’m ok with them killing off Miao, but I have a big problem with Hu Fei not avenging his death. For someone whose entire journey is about revenge and justice, this feels like a betrayal of Hu Fei’s character.

Hu Fei’s two love interests are woefully underdeveloped. We only get to see the tough side of Yuan Zi Yi but not nearly enough of her tragic backstory, making it hard to understand her motivations and why she would choose nunhood over Hu Fei. Cheng Ling Su is too perfect to be real or interesting.

The screenwriters really don’t know what they’re doing in making “gray” characters, especially with the likes of Tian Gui Nong, Nan Lan and Fu Kang’an. They waste so many scenes trying to show Tian as a family man only to undo it all at the very end, painting him as a flat, irredeemable villain. As for Nan Lan, the actress couldn’t grasp the complexity of the character. Instead of a woman being torn between two men, she just toggles between them like a light switch. And Fu Kang’an somehow gets his own love story which drags out like a boring palace drama.

Then there’s the overacting the nth degree, especially from veteran actors like Peter Ho and Liu Xue Hua. Many of the supporting actors are so exaggerated they might as well be cartoons. The climatic scene with the extras is just cringe because the director somehow decides that extras can act.

The fight scenes are competent, keeping the wirefu to a minimum. But even the best kungfu choreography is no good if viewers don’t care about the characters. Except for Miao Ren Feng, the rest of them are either annoying or forgettable.