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May. 14th, 2006 04:22 amSaw Wu Ji ("The Promise") today. To give a brief summary, it's a martial arts movie in the same style of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".
My impressions (no spoilers):
IMDB says that "The Promise" was the most expensive movie in Chinese history, with a budget of US $35 million. Unfortunately I don't think it'll make back nearly that amount. It's not a bad movie, though several reviews on IMDB's site all but trash it and the movie's average rating is 5 out of 10 stars (perhaps too high?).
The style and stunts are very reminiscent of "Crouching Tiger" and "House of Flying Daggers" but admittedly fall short. The plot could probably have used some work. And it seems as though many Chinese (and Japanese) films like either very sad endings or endings that leave you hanging. To find out which one "The Promise" falls under -- or both, or neither -- you'll have to see the movie.
Here's IMDB's summary of the movie:
An orphaned girl, driven by poverty at such a young age, makes a promise with an enchantress. In return for beauty and the admiration of every man, she will never be with the man she loves. This spell cannot be broken unless the impossible happens: snow falling in spring and the dead coming back to life. Now a grown and beautiful princess, she regrets her promise, for all of the men she's loved has always been met with tragedy. In love again with a man behind a red armor and a golden mask who rescues her from death, she is tormented by their inevitable parting. Meanwhile, Kunlun, the slave of a great general, is searching for the lost memories of a family he once had. Soon the fate of these two intertwine when the princess believes the general to be her hero, thus pulling him into this web of fate. What end will befallen our three characters? Are their fates already sealed by a higher power, or can they still choose a life they want?
Sounds like a Faustian contract doesn't it? Instead of seven wishes, though, it's one wish -- to be drop-dead gorgeous -- and the price, instead of her life, is that she will lose every man she loves.
I also found myself scratching my head at some parts of the movie. Perhaps something was lost in the translation.
Also, does anyone know if this movie was done in Mandarin or Cantonese?
Overall, not bad. But I'm sorry.... it's not on my "must have on DVD" list.
My impressions (no spoilers):
IMDB says that "The Promise" was the most expensive movie in Chinese history, with a budget of US $35 million. Unfortunately I don't think it'll make back nearly that amount. It's not a bad movie, though several reviews on IMDB's site all but trash it and the movie's average rating is 5 out of 10 stars (perhaps too high?).
The style and stunts are very reminiscent of "Crouching Tiger" and "House of Flying Daggers" but admittedly fall short. The plot could probably have used some work. And it seems as though many Chinese (and Japanese) films like either very sad endings or endings that leave you hanging. To find out which one "The Promise" falls under -- or both, or neither -- you'll have to see the movie.
Here's IMDB's summary of the movie:
An orphaned girl, driven by poverty at such a young age, makes a promise with an enchantress. In return for beauty and the admiration of every man, she will never be with the man she loves. This spell cannot be broken unless the impossible happens: snow falling in spring and the dead coming back to life. Now a grown and beautiful princess, she regrets her promise, for all of the men she's loved has always been met with tragedy. In love again with a man behind a red armor and a golden mask who rescues her from death, she is tormented by their inevitable parting. Meanwhile, Kunlun, the slave of a great general, is searching for the lost memories of a family he once had. Soon the fate of these two intertwine when the princess believes the general to be her hero, thus pulling him into this web of fate. What end will befallen our three characters? Are their fates already sealed by a higher power, or can they still choose a life they want?
Sounds like a Faustian contract doesn't it? Instead of seven wishes, though, it's one wish -- to be drop-dead gorgeous -- and the price, instead of her life, is that she will lose every man she loves.
I also found myself scratching my head at some parts of the movie. Perhaps something was lost in the translation.
Also, does anyone know if this movie was done in Mandarin or Cantonese?
Overall, not bad. But I'm sorry.... it's not on my "must have on DVD" list.
