White Snake: Afloat

The White Snake franchise has always been a visual spectacle, but the first installment has left audiences wondering how much good visual could compensate for a mediocre plot, while the second film felt like a spinoff that nobody asked for (slept through most of it). Bai She 3: Fusheng serves as a direct followup to the first movie story, with all of its usual visual strengths but also suffers from lots of missteps. The story is noticeably more solid, with a clearer narrative than its predecessor. However, the 2-hour runtime struggles to balance limited content with meaningful progression. The first half of the film suffers fromexcessive exposition, the pacing is as slow as a snail trying to set up the stage. The second half eventually finds its footing, which thank god this movie didn’t turn out another pointless filler like the second movie. That’s quite a different writing approach from the first film where fast-paced, action-packed sequences saved these script issues. That being said, the film retains its signature visual charm. The animation and art direction remain top-notch, though there are noticeably less jaw-dropping sakuga moments. Ultimately, Bai She 3: Fusheng is a mixed bag. It corrects the franchise’s narrative flaws from the first film but does so at the expense of pacing with very little story to tell. While I still found it enjoyable, the heavy reliance on exposition and conventional style of storytelling could dampen the experience for others.