Right from the project announcement, "Băng hồ trọng sinh" has brought its inherent glory because it is the sequel to the TV "blockbuster" "Sở Kiều truyện" in 2017.
In the movie, the character Vu Van Nguyet who fell into the ice lake in the previous part is renamed Gia Cat Nguyet, played by Ly Quan Nhue. And So Kieu is played by Hoang Duong Dien Diem.
The content continues the ice lake battle: So Kieu is rescued by Yen Tuan, mistakenly believing that Gia Cat Nguyet is dead, desperate, so he begins the path of revenge.
During her exile to Bien Duong, she was repeatedly helped by a mysterious person, gradually realizing that the person she loved might still be alive. In the end, the two reunited, together fighting against Yen Tuan who had turned black and pacified the chaos.
In 2017, "Sở Kiều truyện" was considered a milestone of the Chinese historical drama genre. Triệu Lệ Dĩnh as Sở Kiều is strong and resilient, Lâm Canh Tân as Vũ Văn Nguyệt is cold but profound, along with Đậu Kiêu as Yến Tuân from a gentle teenager to a scheming emperor - each character leaves a deep impression.
In particular, the ending stopping at the scene of Vu Van Nguyet sinking into the ice lake left an unquenchable regret in the hearts of the audience. Therefore, when there was news that the movie would make a sequel, many old fans were very hopeful to compensate for the unfinished ending.
However, this expectation was quickly splashed with cold water. According to Sohu, what audiences want most is for the old cast to return, but "Băng hồ trọng sinh" replaces all the actors, causing many viewers to be disappointed.
The controversy also lies in the stage of choosing actors, especially the new female lead - Hoang Duong Dien Diem. Before that, she had been involved in some scandals, so the public's sympathy was not high.
More importantly, Dien Diem's childish face contrasts with the image of the experienced, calm and decisive female general So Kieu. Many viewers commented that the image is quite "out of place", like "children wearing adult armor", the aura is not enough to shoulder the role.
Because of this age and temperament mismatch, the interaction between her and Ly Quan Nhue was criticized by netizens as being like "uncle - nephew", completely lacking a feeling of love.
In ancient romance films, the feeling of a couple is an important factor to keep the audience, so this weakness has caused many people to quit the film.
In fact, it is not uncommon for young actors to have a young appearance and find it difficult to take on adult roles. Trieu Kim Mach - also originally a child star - once caused similar controversy when playing a princess in the historical drama "Do Hoa Nien" because her appearance was too young for the character.
In addition, the filming and editing techniques of "Băng hồ trọng sinh" make viewers dissatisfied. Many scenes are criticized for being filmed badly, abusing slow motion, such as music videos, and even being criticized as inferior to short films.
For old audiences, the ice lake may "reborn", but the emotions when watching the movie from years ago are difficult to recreate.
Currently, despite being called a sequel to "The Story of So Kieu", "Rebirth of Ice Lake" cannot inherit the heat of the past.
According to Yunhe data, on the first day of broadcasting, the viewership market share of "Băng hồ trọng sinh" only reached 4.7% (equivalent to 9.13 million views), ranking 9th among films at the same time. On the first day, the film also did not have advertisements on both major platforms, Tencent Video and iQiYi.
