Based on the novel of the same name by Jiu Yue Xi, “The White Olive Tree” revolves around the love story of bomb disposal expert Li Quan (Chen Zhe Yuan) and war correspondent Song Ran (Liang Jie).
When Song Ran was on a reporting mission in a country at war, she encountered danger and was saved by Li Quan. After returning to their country, the two met again and together healed their broken hearts.
After airing on February 1, “White Olive Tree” has reached 8,000 temperature points on the Iqiyi broadcasting platform. The number of views on Yunhe is estimated to be around 8 million, while the broadcasting index on Vlinkage is at the top with 76.96 points.
However, the advertising situation of the film is not optimistic. According to statistics from the producer, the film received 2 ads for the first episode, 1 ad for episode 2 with a total duration of 15 seconds. From episode 3 to episode 6, the film "ate carrots" (no ads).
Along with that, the new work of the Chinese screen is caught up in a series of mixed opinions because of its slow pace, camera angles, unattractive film colors, slow dialogue, and overuse of slow motion scenes.
Some viewers even compared "The White Olive Tree" to the Korean movie "Descendants of the Sun" (Song Joong Ki, Song Hye Kyo) in the scene where the male and female leads meet.
They said that, despite the high budget investment, the film was like a faulty version of “Descendants of the Sun”, as the camera angles, film colors, scenery, atmosphere, and music did not help viewers feel the romance when the main couple met or the suspense of life in a “life-threatening” situation.
However, there are still viewers who speak up to defend “The White Olive Tree”, saying that the content of the two films is different so any comparison is lame. The scene in the Chinese version is also when the male lead defuses a mine, so it is completely different from the shoe-tying scene in the “Descendants of the Sun” version.
Along with that, the duo Tran Triet Vien and Luong Khiet were praised for their good looks and suitable roles. However, due to the lack of character development, many people felt uncomfortable watching.
