The 'Heroic Guardian' Paradox

Báo Tiền Phong

03/09/2026

08:04

Why is it that for the same work, the selection committee of a major international film festival sees enough value to include it in the Gala Presentations, while on social media, there are verdicts that it is "terrible" or "awful"?

Hộ linh tráng sĩ được chọn chiếu ở hạng mục Gala Presentation của TIFF. Ảnh: BHD.

A film has just been selected for the Gala Presentations of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), standing among the 23 works in the program and serving as one of two Asian representatives, alongside The Assassin by South Korean director Hur Jin-ho.

Yet that same work, upon its release in Vietnamese theaters, immediately faced harsh judgments on social media such as "bad," "terrible," and even reviews that almost completely negated the film's value.

So, is The Guardian: The Mystery of Dinh King's Tomb being overrated in Toronto, or underrated on Facebook? Why does the same work create two such vastly different perspectives?

Một bộ phim Việt được đầu tư lớn không vì thế mà được hưởng quyền miễn trừ phê bình.

It must be stated upfront that the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is one of the most influential cinematic events in the world. Established in 1976, TIFF has developed into a vital meeting point for filmmakers, distributors, media, and international audiences.

Recently, TIFF was recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as one of the six film festivals eligible to submit representatives for the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars. The selection of The Guardian: The Mystery of Dinh King's Tomb for the Gala Presentations is significant for Vietnamese cinema.

According to the announced list, this year's Gala program includes 23 films. The Guardian: The Mystery of Dinh King's Tomb is scheduled for its international premiere on September 18 at Roy Thomson Hall. TIFF's introduction page describes it as the largest-scale production project in the history of Vietnamese cinema.

Phim mới ra rạp đã nhận nhiều đánh giá tiêu cực trên mạng xã hội.

According to critic Nguyen Phan Duong, the presence of The Guardian: The Mystery of Dinh King's Tomb at the Gala is not a definitive stamp of approval meaning the film is perfect and all criticism is wrong. However, to be fair, it is also difficult to view its selection by one of North America's largest film festivals as merely a filler spot to complete a list.

More notably, this is not a low-budget art film designed for the festival circuit. The Guardian: The Mystery of Dinh King's Tomb is a large-scale commercial film aimed at the domestic box office, exploiting Vietnamese historical legends through epic and action genres. Yet, as soon as the film hit theaters, a wave of unfavorable information emerged.

Negative reviews spread rapidly on social media. The most frequently mentioned issues were the overstuffed script, the long-winded story, unnatural dialogue, unconvincing performances, and a sluggish edit. The negative effect was so strong that many audiences hesitated to buy tickets, and there were even posts reselling pre-booked tickets.

Nhà sản xuất đưa sơ đồ nhân vật để khán giả dễ theo dõi.

Critic Nguyen Phan Duong assesses The Guardian: The Mystery of Dinh King's Tomb as a film with uneven quality, not a product entirely devoid of value. The film has significant achievements in visuals, action, filming locations, and costumes, but is hindered by an overstuffed script and overly dramatized dialogue. He rates the film 6/10.

Researcher Nguyen Anh Tuan highly appreciates the action sequences and production scale, while suggesting that the film weakens due to irrational cutting and transitions, and a runtime longer than necessary. Clearly, such a picture is far more complex than the label "terrible."

Audiences naturally have the right to criticize a film. A heavily invested Vietnamese film does not enjoy immunity from criticism. Historical films cannot demand that viewers lower their standards in the name of "support." A ticket is still a transaction. Audiences spend their money and time to watch a film, and they have the right to be disappointed.

Phần trang phục của phim được giới chuyên môn đánh giá là công phu nhất từ trước tới nay.

In fact, the producers of The Guardian: The Mystery of Dinh King's Tomb acknowledged the issues with the first cut through a rare action: re-editing the work immediately after its release. Following feedback from early screenings, the crew decided to cut about 20 minutes, reducing the runtime from 155 minutes to 135 minutes to condense scenes, adjust the pacing, and increase dramatic tension. The new cut was executed with the participation of director Nguyen Phan Quang Binh and director/editor Ham Tran.

Researcher Nguyen Anh Tuan believes that social media is creating a rather strange binary aesthetic. A film must either be "top-tier" or, if it isn't, it is considered a "failure." If it is not a "masterpiece," it can very quickly become a "disaster."

Between those two extremes, a very normal possibility in art seems increasingly difficult to exist: a work can be good in some aspects and fail in others, just like The Guardian: The Mystery of Dinh King's Tomb.

If everything is ultimately reduced to "good" or "bad," we don't need critics. A like and dislike button would suffice. That is not even mentioning the vast distance between "I don't like this film" and "this is a bad film."

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