Chen Kaige's new movie sparks polarizing debates

Polarized comments: Top-level film or another failed attempt?

However, after its opening, the polarized opinions have become even more popular than the film itself.

Most of the insiders gave a thumb up to the film. Han Han, an influential Chinese writer, film critic and new director, said it is a "top-level" domestic film, while director Lu Chuan said it is "a real visual feast, worth watching for a second and third time in the cinema".

"It would be unjust to smear it while deliberately ignoring the obvious effort of the crew and the outstanding performances of the actors," said Lu.

"It is a confrontation between the adolescent and the adult," said Jiang Fangzhou, one of China's young writers. Xia He, another post-1980s writer, called him "a master who has always devoted himself to exploring reincarnation and destiny".

The film was scored 6.9 on douban.com, a Rotten Tomatoes-like aggregation platform for movies, music and books. Most of those who gave the film the highest five-star rating said it is a highly-symbolic production that probes into truth and lies, love and heat, hypocrisy and sincerity, as well as the darkness and kindness in power and humanity.