Film Name: 烈陽天道 / Lie Yang Tian Dao
On the day it premiered, I watched “Lie Yang Tian Dao” in fits and starts, then rewatched it carefully over the weekend. My overall impression? What the heck are you talking about? I don’t know how others felt watching it, but my immediate reaction was that the film lacks strong narrative cohesion. It feels like it’s treading water, with a chaotic plot structure. Of course, we can see the creators aimed for rich thematic depth, but cramming in too many elements without seamlessly weaving them together leaves the story feeling disjointed and cluttered. Perhaps this is because the film is part of a series, and some plot holes need filling in the sequel.
Throughout the screening, one question kept nagging at me: What if I were a complete newbie, someone who’d never encountered Super God or the Legion of Heroes? What would my experience be as a casual viewer? Trying to block out prior knowledge, I concluded: This film is pure fan service for Super God devotees, because a newbie would have absolutely no clue what’s going on. Exploiting fans is one thing—in this era of rampant IPs and fervent fan exploitation, it’s hardly unheard of. But shouldn’t your work at least be worthy of the audience you’re milking?
Let’s break down what “Lie Yang Tian Dao” actually tells us, using standard cinematic narrative structure. The inciting incident: The Underworld River forces launch a massive invasion of Earth. Earth’s super warrior Sun Wukong is tasked with forging the newly formed Elite Corps into combat-ready warriors to confront the crisis. The rising action: While preparing for battle with the Elite Corps, Sun Wukong encounters Lena. Suspecting the Sunfire forces—who invaded China 1,400 years ago—are making a comeback, he becomes wary of Lena and the Sunfire faction behind her. The climax unfolds in two parts: ① After a fierce debate and confrontation with Lena aboard the Giant Canyon, Sun Wukong travels to the Tiandao Star System to seek verification. There, he engages in a major battle against the guards of the Liangyang Heavenly Gate and Xuantian Ji, only to be severely beaten by Lena, who arrives later and blows through his chest armor; ② The Battle of the Milky Way erupts. Sun Wukong, Lena, the Elite Corps, and others confront the Tàotie, destroying its invasion flagship before turning to a showdown with Lena. The clash proves evenly matched, with both sides sustaining injuries yet holding back their full power; ③ Xuantianji exploited the chaos to ambush Sun Wukong successfully. Despite his severe injuries, Sun Wukong fought Xuantianji and defeated him, with Rena ultimately decapitating Xuantianji. The conclusion sees Sun Wukong clearing his misunderstanding about Rena, and the two becoming true comrades-in-arms.
At first glance, this storyline seems flawless—all the necessary elements are present. Yet the issue lies in its pacing and structure, or rather, the relationship between Sun Wukong and Lena fails to align with these plot developments. Viewed as a standalone work, “Lie Yang Tian Dao” clearly lacks maturity.
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