倚天屠龍記/新倚天屠龍記 (Yi Tian Tu Long Ji/Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre) is a 2009 wuxia series based on Jin Yong's book of the same name. The series stars Deng Chao, Ady An, and Liu Jing. The series runs 40 episodes.
YTTLJ starts off about 100 years after the events of The Return of the Condor Heroes. There are 2 items in wulin (martial world) that can allow you to rule it via your supreme martial arts. The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre. The Dragon Sabre is discovered and the rest of the wulin is out to get it. Wu Dang sect is no expection as they send out the 3rd hero of the Seven Heroes of Wudang, Yu Daiyan. Daiyan and Yin Susu fight for it and Susu wins. Susu sends Daiyan back to Wu Dang. Along the way, Daiyan is injured and crippled. Susu goes and displays the Dragon Sabre in a gathering. Xie Xun shows up and takes it. Susu is there with Zhang Cuishan and they get taken on a boat. But the boat runs into problems that get stranded on a fire and ice island. Susu and Cuishan become wife and husband and give birth to Zhang Wuji. Xie Xun is blinded and becomes Wuji's god-father. But they don't want Wuji to spend his life on the island. So after 10 years, they make a boat and set sail for the mainland so they can find Wuji a mate. Unfortunately, the martial world's problems follows them and Cuishan and Susu commit suicide. Wuji is also kidnapped and injured. This injury is a poison and he will eventually die.
Wuji somehow makes his way to a hidden valley and finds the Nine Yang Manual and learns it. This manual eventually helps him get rid of his poison. A beneficial side effect is that his inner chi is extremely powerful now. Wuji sets back into the martial world and becomes the leader of the Ming Sect.
Wow, what a mouthful. And that summary only covers the first 12-13 episodes. Deng Chao as Wuji is in roughly 28 episodes. The first 12 where back story on CuiShan/Susu and Wuji as a kid.
I zoomed through the first 30 episodes, but took a really long time to finish the last 10. I just lost interest in the story and the characters. However, the last 5 were pretty good and brought everything together. The ending however was a little strange.
How does this compare against the 2002 one? I liked the 2002 one much better because I liked the 2002 actors better and the story was more fluid. The 2009 seemed to spend episodes on a plot lines that I found boring. The 2009 version also censored out Shaolin and Persia. Very strange. I may have to get the Taiwan version to view the uncensored text. The 2002 version had a much lower production value. The 2009 version was made as an "epic", which include beautiful scenery and highlighting the old buildings of China.
Should you watch this? Yes if you are a Jin Yong fan. The story was pretty good and it was "epic" in comparison to the other older versions.
Previous post about the 2009 version:
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