Film

Once Upon a Time

Name: Once Upon a Time
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Released: 2017
Cast: Liu Yifei, Yang Yang, Luo Jin, Kevin Yan, Li Chun

Other titles called Once Upon a Time: the 2011 series (ABC).

A sweeping fantasy romance set across heavenly and mortal realms. A goddess descends to earth for a trial, falls deeply in love, and discovers that her past—and her enemy's ambitions—could destroy everything. Gorgeous, melodramatic, emotionally wrenching. For anyone who loves romance that doesn't shy from real stakes and fantastical worlds that feel lived-in.

TMDb rating

3.5

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you are happy to be swept along by lavish, sincere Chinese fantasy romance, where celestial spectacle and a devoted, unembarrassed heart take equal turns on screen.

Skip it if its story moves in lurches, packing a whole mythology into 108 minutes, so its emotional beats can feel rushed rather than earned.

What it asks of you: At 108 minutes it runs lean and steady, so you'll need to keep up with celestial rules and fated-love stakes without much idle time.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Eternal Love of Dream2020

Same director, similar structure: a goddess navigates reincarnation, memory, and a love that transcends lifetimes. The production design and emotional depth are extraordinary.

But Nearly 60 episodes long. The pacing is deliberate, and some plot threads feel repetitive.

The Untamed2019

An epic with the same sense of impossible romance caught between duty and desire. The world-building, the costumes, the relationships—everything feels consequential and carefully rendered.

But It's 50 episodes and a different genre blend (more action, darker). Requires patience and investment.

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo2016

A woman transported to a hostile past, navigating love and survival in a world where her feelings have political consequences. Emotionally complex and gorgeously shot.

But The ending divides viewers sharply. If you need closure, this may frustrate you.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Once Upon a Time

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Grave of the Fireflies1988

Both understand that love—whether romantic or familial—becomes most meaningful when everything else is taken away. But where Once Upon a Time offers transcendence, Grave of the Fireflies offers only clarity and grief.

An animated film about two siblings navigating an impossible world. Like Once Upon a Time, it asks: what do you sacrifice for love? But it tears that question apart with devastating honesty rather than letting it resolve in fantasy.

But It is profoundly sad in a way that offers no comfort. This is not escapism. Emotionally harrowing from start to finish.

Heavy Sweetness, Ash-like Frost2018

A blind heroine and a Fire God navigate court intrigue and celestial politics. Visually stunning and deeply romantic without being sentimental.

But The middle section meanders. It asks for a real time commitment before things accelerate.

Arrival2016

Both argue that true love means accepting—and even embracing—futures you cannot fully control. Both treat time as something malleable when genuine connection is at stake.

A science fiction film about a woman learning an alien language and discovering that understanding changes everything—including her future. It has the same sense of romantic inevitability and the same willingness to let love reshape a person's entire timeline.

But It's cerebral and slow. The romance is implicit rather than central. If you want grand passion, this offers quiet certainty instead.