A Writer's Odyssey

A Writer's Odyssey
Theatrical release poster
Traditional Chinese刺殺小說家
Simplified Chinese刺杀小说家
Literal meaningAssassinate the Novelist
Hanyu Pinyincìshā xiǎoshuōjiā
Directed byLu Yang
Written by
  • Lu Yang
  • Chen Shu
  • Haiyan Qin
  • Yu Yang
Based onA Writer's Odyssey
by Shuang Xuetao
Produced byNing Hao
Starring
CinematographyQiming Han
Edited by
  • Lin Zhu
  • Liyun Zhu
Music byJed Kurzel
Production
company
Distributed byCMC Pictures
Release date
  • February 12, 2021 (2021-02-12)
CountryChina
LanguageMandarin
Box officeUS$159.9 million[1]

A Writer's Odyssey (Chinese: 刺杀小说家) is a 2021 Chinese action-adventure fantasy film directed and written by Lu Yang and produced by Ning Hao. The film was released February 12, 2021, on the Lunar New Year. The film is based on Shuang Xuetao's novel of the same name, and its sequel Godslayer.

Plot

The film follows Guan Ning as he searches for his daughter, believing her to be kidnapped by human traffickers. Soon, a powerful corporation contacts him and offers to find his daughter if he assassinates Lu Kongwen, a young novelist. The plot of his novel involves a young hero attempting to overthrow Redmane, their tyrannical ruler. Somehow, the novel appears to be impacting life in the real world, and the CEO, who suspects it as his bane, wants Lu dead.

Cast

Special appearance

Production

Post-production lasted over two years.[2][3]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 93% based of 14 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10.[4]

Harris Dang of The AU Review gave the film 3.5/5 stars and wrote: "Overall, A Writer's Odyssey is an entertaining thrill ride that provides enough wild action, energy, creativity, and visual splendor to satisfy audiences."[5][6] Richard Kuipers of Variety said "Odyssey is packed with stunning sights including a 50-ft., four-armed CGI villain but is let down by a script that fails to fashion promising story elements into a consistently compelling whole."[7]

Narayan Liu of CBR.com gave the film a positive review, praising its visuals, while noting the weak characterization.[8] Lim Yian Lu of Yahoo! Singapore gave the film a positive review, describing it as a "a great action film to watch."[9]

Tay Yek Keak of Today Online gave the film a more negative review, describing it as "basically a viewer's ordeal."[10]

Accolades

Date Award Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result Notes
2021 34th Golden Rooster Awards Best Director Lu Yang Nominated [11][12]
Best Cinematography Han Qiming Nominated [11][12]
Best Sound Recording Wang Gang, Liu Xiaosha and Xiong Yi Nominated [11][12]
Best Art Direction Li Miao Nominated [11][12]
Best Music Yu Fei Nominated [11][12]
Best Editing Zhu Libin and Zhu Lin Nominated [11][12]
15th Asian Film Awards Best Production Design Li Miao Nominated
Best Visual Effects Eric Xu, Allen Wei Nominated

References

  1. ^ "Ci Sha Xiao Shuo Jia (2021) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "A Writer's Odyssey Trailer Brings a Novel's Action-Packed Tale to the Real World". CBR. 2021-01-21. Archived from the original on 2021-01-22. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  3. ^ Berra2021-02-12T13:41:00+00:00, John. "'A Writer's Odyssey': Review (Lunar New Year release)". Screen. Archived from the original on 2021-02-13. Retrieved 2021-02-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "A Writer's Odyssey (2021)". Archived from the original on 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  5. ^ "Film Review: A Writer's Odyssey is a visually astounding fantasy thrill ride". The AU Review. 2021-02-13. Archived from the original on 2021-02-18. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  6. ^ "Movie Review - A Writer's Odyssey (2021)". Flickering Myth. 2021-02-14. Archived from the original on 2023-08-14. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  7. ^ Kuipers, Richard (2021-02-12). "'A Writer's Odyssey' Review: A Chinese New Year Tentpole Attraction Blends Fantasy and Reality With Mixed Results". Variety. Archived from the original on 2021-02-12. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  8. ^ "REVIEW: A Writer's Odyssey Is an Engrossing Epic". CBR. 2021-02-11. Archived from the original on 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  9. ^ "A Writer's Odyssey review: A thrilling fantasy adventure". Archived from the original on 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  10. ^ "A Writer's Odyssey Review: Reality Meets Make-Believe In This Confusing And Exhausting Fantasy Spectacle". TODAYonline. Archived from the original on 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  11. ^ a b c d e f 第34届中国电影金鸡奖公布完整提名名单. qq.com (in Chinese). 29 November 2021. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d e f 第34届中国电影金鸡奖完整名单. qq.com (in Chinese). 30 December 2021. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2021.