The Four 3 (2014)

an uninspiring political intrigue blended with martial arts elements

note: The Four III might also be have other English titles, such as Kingdom of Blood, The Four: Final Battle

the 1st installment is more of wuxia elements blended with court intrigues, while this 3rd installment is more of court intrigues blended with wuxia elements. this film unveils the conspiracy plot and offers more character developments with a few short light comedic elements. it is recommended that you watch the 1st and 2nd installments before watching this 3rd installment. there is nothing surprising about the storyline and plot which are uninspiring and linear. this final installment is slightly more enjoyable than the 2nd.

generally, the acting/performances of some of the returning casts are slightly better in this film compared to the 2nd installment. for example, Liu Yifei's performances improve in this 3rd installment, though i still feel that she is not the most
suitable actor to play this role/character. there are segments where her performances standout, there are also segments where her performances are unconvincing. in this installment, the chemistry between the two lead characters has improved a bit than the 2nd installment.

in comparison, veteran actor Anthony Wong as Zhuge Zhengwo performs arguably consistently in all 3 installments. Zhuge Zhengwo is easily my favorite character in all 3 installments.

the martial arts choreography is average in most of the fighting scenes. what truly stands out in all of the fight scenes is the string-fu and props. the use of CGIs and special effects are evident in all of the fight scenes. the quality of the martial arts choreography stands out only during the second last fight scene. this film also offers more frequency of projectiles and explosions

i think this film might be for you if,
+ you have nothing better to do, or you want to space out
+ you are a big fan of Deng Chao and Liu Yifei
+ you have already watched 1st and 2nd installments, so might as well, right? :-)

//turnoffs//
- the voice actor for Wu Qing (Liu Yifei) is not the most suitable choice
- although Liu Yifei performs better here compared to prior installment, i still think that there are better actors who can perform this character more convincingly
- storyline and plot are uninspiring and predictable
- dialogues are average
- segments editing and segments flow can sometimes be a bit rough
- minimum usage of natural environments. natural environment as background scenery is more evident in the 2nd half of the film.
- parts of the minor grievances i have with this film and the first and second installments have to do with the director's judgment/decision/vision/approach, and then the director's guidance/direction for/to the actors
- the ending and the ending logic of the main antagonist is lame-o-mo.

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