Heroes (2022) - Final Review

Final review/rating: Heroes (2022) - True blue wuxia that falls short of greatness 

This is 8.5/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮ from Pandafan🐼

Overall rating:         8.5 Stars Plot:                       7 Stars Acting/cast:            7 Stars Couple chemistry:   6 stars Music:                    7 Stars Re-watch value:      7 Stars Enjoyment factor:   8 Stars

I've been missing traditional wuxia lately.  The most recent offerings have been an alloy of other genres...  For example, the brilliant Sword, Snow, Stride (2021) was definitely wuxia with a xuanhuan /fantasy bent (ie. slow-mo and CGI heavy), and whilst Who rules the World (2022) was marketed as wuxia, it was primarily a political drama with some jianghu thrown in.  

When Heroes (2022) came along, I was therefore very excited by the prospect of some true blue wuxia.  After all, 《說英雄誰是英雄》is one of Wen Rui An's seminal works, and Wang Xiao Shi's part of the story is a prequel of sorts to, and set in the same universe as, The Four Constables 《四大名捕》, which has been the subject of many drama adaptations.  Short of some Jin Yong or Gu Long (who have both been endlessly and not necessarily well adapted for the screen), Heroes (2022) offered the chance to witness traditional wuxia done right.    

Did Heroes (2022) deliver? Yes and no... There is enough fast-paced choreography, compelling characters, and jianghu elements to justify a spot on the wuxia mantlepiece.  The drama is also a visual feast for the eyes, gorgeously shot by a director (Li Mu Ge) who knows how to evoke beauty and atmosphere through his lens.  However, a less then deft mangling of the portrayal of one of the key characters which departs from the original source novel and the somewhat uneven acting by the trio of rookie idol actors meant this fell short of greatness.  

SPOILERS AHEADS

  

Heroes (2022) - Synopsis

 

Drama info:

Title:  Heroes

Chinese title: 說英雄誰是英雄 / 说英雄谁是英雄 (Eng translation: "Speaking of Heroes, who is a Hero?")

Episodes:  38 episodes

Genre: Wuxia, historical

Original network: Tencent

Release date:      23 May 2022 

Airing schedule:  23 May 2022 - 27 June 2022

Synopsis:

In the martial arts world jianghu, two leading sects dominate: the Six and a Half Hall/Liu Fen Ban Tang (六分半堂) and the Golden Winds and Light Rain Tower/Jin Feng Xi Yu Lou (金風細雨樓). The former values profit and business, while the latter values chivalry and honour.  The heroes of the martial arts world flock to both in the hope of making a name for themselves.     

When the innocent young Wang Xiao Shi 王小石 leaves the mountains to travel the world, he is tasked by his shifu with delivering a boxed secret that will determine the future of Jin Feng Xi Yu Lou to the young master of that sect, Su Meng Zhen 苏梦枕.  

Along the way, he meets and befriends the ambitious Bai Chou Fei 白愁飛 and the feisty Lady Wen Rou 温柔, as well as the famous red sleeve swordsman Su Meng Zhen 苏梦枕 himself.  The four become fast friends and the three men become sworn brothers. 

But in the turbulent waters of the capital city's jianghu, Wang Xiao Shi soon discovers that brotherhood and loyalty will be tested by the lure of power and ambition, and in the face of betrayal and heartbreak, he learns what it truly means to be a Hero...