The movie makes me think that the novel on which it is based was probably good. The movie brings out a couple of interesting symbols.
That's the good news. Now for the bad news.
The storytelling, camera-work, special effects (both audio and visual), and fight choreography are so poor, they distract from what could have been a good story.
The camera-work was almost as bad as in "The Bourne Supremacy". The director is working with some great actors (Andy Lau and Ge You) but he doesn't let them act. The editor cut scenes as if he never had more than two inches of film at a time.
Speaking of acting, Andy Lau is too old for this role. He is a great actor, but it's hard to believe him when he tries to play people half his age.
The director needs to ease up on the after-effects. A strong echo is heard when a man is shouting in a prairie. The lighting after-effects are just distracting. Then we have people appearing and disappearing... for no reason and it has nothing to do with the story. Somebody just got excited about what can be done with special effects and forgot about the story.
The fight choreography works like this: (1) a fight or a pickpocketing scene begins. (2) the camera shows a super close-up of a fingernail moving by a strand of hair. (Whose fingernail? Whose hair? You can't tell.) (3) the camera shows a super close-up of a couple of fingers moving near some cloth. (Do we have any idea whose fingers? No. Do we have any idea what's supposed to be happening? No.) None of the fights or kung fu magic are really shown. The movie is worse in this respect than Tim Burton's "Batman".
That's the good news. Now for the bad news.
The storytelling, camera-work, special effects (both audio and visual), and fight choreography are so poor, they distract from what could have been a good story.
The camera-work was almost as bad as in "The Bourne Supremacy". The director is working with some great actors (Andy Lau and Ge You) but he doesn't let them act. The editor cut scenes as if he never had more than two inches of film at a time.
Speaking of acting, Andy Lau is too old for this role. He is a great actor, but it's hard to believe him when he tries to play people half his age.
The director needs to ease up on the after-effects. A strong echo is heard when a man is shouting in a prairie. The lighting after-effects are just distracting. Then we have people appearing and disappearing... for no reason and it has nothing to do with the story. Somebody just got excited about what can be done with special effects and forgot about the story.
The fight choreography works like this: (1) a fight or a pickpocketing scene begins. (2) the camera shows a super close-up of a fingernail moving by a strand of hair. (Whose fingernail? Whose hair? You can't tell.) (3) the camera shows a super close-up of a couple of fingers moving near some cloth. (Do we have any idea whose fingers? No. Do we have any idea what's supposed to be happening? No.) None of the fights or kung fu magic are really shown. The movie is worse in this respect than Tim Burton's "Batman".