Well, I went into the last movie I'm watching of 2006 with very low expectations after reading some reviews, and I must say I was still kind of disappointed coming out of it. I don't know what Zhang Yimou is doing, but his movies have been on a steady decline since the great "Hero". This movie, like "House of Flying Daggers", is BEAUTIFULLY made, but lacks substance.
Let's talk about the cinematography first. The colors, details, patterns, and the views of the palace were so expertly filmed that I was in awe the first 30 minutes of the movie. Zhang continues his perfect track record in making spectacular visual epics in this movie. The acting was also very good, anchored by experienced great actors like Chou Yun-Fat and Gong Li. Even with my average score, if you are the type of movie goer that appreciates great visual feats in movies, I would recommend you check this movie out.
Now for the disappointing bits. There wasn't too much plot involved other than your standard double-crossing/spy-vs-spy story. It reached the point of absurdity when new characters were introduced an hour into the movie to add a new plot twist in the already complicated web of intrigue. The entire process felt very heavy handed and damaged the impact of the tragedies in the movie. The battle scenes were very fake (you can easily tell it was CGI) and the ending was horrendous. It just left the entire audience hanging, and did not tie up the most important plot line of the movie. It really left a bad taste in my mouth after watching the movie.
Anyway, I hope Zhang's next movie focuses more on the plot (like Hero) and less on the spectacles. Otherwise, his good name as a director will probably go down the drain.
Let's talk about the cinematography first. The colors, details, patterns, and the views of the palace were so expertly filmed that I was in awe the first 30 minutes of the movie. Zhang continues his perfect track record in making spectacular visual epics in this movie. The acting was also very good, anchored by experienced great actors like Chou Yun-Fat and Gong Li. Even with my average score, if you are the type of movie goer that appreciates great visual feats in movies, I would recommend you check this movie out.
Now for the disappointing bits. There wasn't too much plot involved other than your standard double-crossing/spy-vs-spy story. It reached the point of absurdity when new characters were introduced an hour into the movie to add a new plot twist in the already complicated web of intrigue. The entire process felt very heavy handed and damaged the impact of the tragedies in the movie. The battle scenes were very fake (you can easily tell it was CGI) and the ending was horrendous. It just left the entire audience hanging, and did not tie up the most important plot line of the movie. It really left a bad taste in my mouth after watching the movie.
Anyway, I hope Zhang's next movie focuses more on the plot (like Hero) and less on the spectacles. Otherwise, his good name as a director will probably go down the drain.