| Overall Grade: |
A |
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| Story: |
B+ |
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| Acting: |
A |
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| Direction: |
A |
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| Visuals: |
A |
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Beautiful, But Sadly Misunderstood.
by Garrett (movies profile)
Aug 26, 2005
121
of
128 people found this review helpful
I saw this movie on opening night in our area. I went to the movie with a sense of expectation derived from the report that Jet Li took a "pay cut" to star in this chinese movie because he felt that it painted a more acurate portrait of the philisophies behind true martial arts and Chinese culture and history.
After seeing the movie, I understand what he meant by this. What bothers me, however, is the fact that (at least in my area, the backwoods of East Texas) this movie is highly missunderstood. On opening night, the theater was less than half full. Most of the people who were there seemed to be highschool boys who were expecting to see another "Mortal Kombat" or a re-hashed Bruce Lee movie. Laughing and sneering could be heard at even the most pivotal and emotional points in the movie.
That having been said, I would hope that one would watch this movie for the first time with an open mind. The story is told in the stile of Chinese art and myth. The idea is that there is beauty in simplicity; that art can be found everywhere. The most important ideal that is presented, is that something can be learned from everything you see and everyone you encounter.
As the two main characters, Unnamed (Jet Li) and the King he has visited talk, they begin to learn more about each other. After the telling of beautifully enacted stories filmed in the style of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragen, we realize that Unnamed and the king have both changed their beliefs about how peace can truly be established in this pre-empirial age.
The story is told with an exceptional balance of bright colors and desolate settings. The mix of grace and power displayed in the ferocious fight scenes is countered by the moments of intense silence that ad drama to the unfolding story.
In conclusion, I feel that this movie uses vivid imagery and wonderful acting along with a great story to teach the open-minded viewer that what we may think we understand about our goals purposes may be changed as we learn more about ourselves and how things may really be. |
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