Post by Erik Rupp on Sept 5, 2009 11:52:04 GMT -5
Warriors of Heaven and Earth (2003)
I ran across the DVD of Warriors of Heaven and Earth and as the price was right I decided to give it a shot. Having already fallen in love with Japanese films I though I could give a Chinese film a try - and I am definitely glad that I did.
Warriors of Heaven and Earth is NOT just a swordfighting action movie, nor is it a martial arts, "Wire-Fu," movie. What Warriors is is a dramatic story with well rounded characters that has some fantastic action/fight sequences. Actually, I'd say that this movie, in some respects, reminded me of a more dramatic Indiana Jones movie. All the visual splendor is there, all the adventure and excitement and peril is there just as in an Indiana Jones movie. There's even a bit of a supernatural element in the story, like an Indiana Jones movie. Where it departs from Indiana Jones is in the drama department.
The script for Warriors of Heavan and Earth is very, very good. Many characters are fleshed out and well rounded, the plot makes sense, and the pacing is excellent throughout. This is a touching movie, as the two main characters who are supposed to fight to the death end up learning to respect (and even like) each other - but it's not done in a forced or unnatural way. It's done slowly, with their actions providing the foundation for the respect and admiration they develop for each other.
Some people have mentioned that Warriors is a bit of a Western in some respects, showing more than a little John Ford influence (particularly The Searchers), and that is absolutely true. Director He Ping (or Ping, He, if you prefer) definitely channeled both John Ford and Akira Kurosawa while he was making this movie. Sure, there are bits of Spielberg and Yimou Zhang (or Crouching Tiger era Ang Lee), but those bits are kept to a minimum, and work to great effect with the John Ford and Akira Kurosawa elements.
Now, maybe comparing any director to John Ford and/or Akira Kurosawa is unfair. It's doubtful that any director is going to live up to those comparisons, but in this case you can see the clear inspiration for He Ping's work on Warriors of Heaven and Earth. This movie may not be up to the standards of the best works of Ford or Kurosawa, but it's not all that far off, either.
The DVD itself is very good, with excellent picture and sound quality, multiple language audio tracks, a nice, "Making Of," documentary, and several trailers for this and other films of interest. The Blu Ray picture and sound are even better, with a noticeably cleaner, crisper, and sharper picture with better, more accurate colors. On DVD, or especially on Blu Ray, this is a beautiful film to look at.
If you haven't seen an Asian movie, but like Westerns or historical epics, this would be a great film to start with. If you are already a fan of Asian Cinema, then you will likely find this film to be quite enjoyable.
4/5
I ran across the DVD of Warriors of Heaven and Earth and as the price was right I decided to give it a shot. Having already fallen in love with Japanese films I though I could give a Chinese film a try - and I am definitely glad that I did.
Warriors of Heaven and Earth is NOT just a swordfighting action movie, nor is it a martial arts, "Wire-Fu," movie. What Warriors is is a dramatic story with well rounded characters that has some fantastic action/fight sequences. Actually, I'd say that this movie, in some respects, reminded me of a more dramatic Indiana Jones movie. All the visual splendor is there, all the adventure and excitement and peril is there just as in an Indiana Jones movie. There's even a bit of a supernatural element in the story, like an Indiana Jones movie. Where it departs from Indiana Jones is in the drama department.
The script for Warriors of Heavan and Earth is very, very good. Many characters are fleshed out and well rounded, the plot makes sense, and the pacing is excellent throughout. This is a touching movie, as the two main characters who are supposed to fight to the death end up learning to respect (and even like) each other - but it's not done in a forced or unnatural way. It's done slowly, with their actions providing the foundation for the respect and admiration they develop for each other.
Some people have mentioned that Warriors is a bit of a Western in some respects, showing more than a little John Ford influence (particularly The Searchers), and that is absolutely true. Director He Ping (or Ping, He, if you prefer) definitely channeled both John Ford and Akira Kurosawa while he was making this movie. Sure, there are bits of Spielberg and Yimou Zhang (or Crouching Tiger era Ang Lee), but those bits are kept to a minimum, and work to great effect with the John Ford and Akira Kurosawa elements.
Now, maybe comparing any director to John Ford and/or Akira Kurosawa is unfair. It's doubtful that any director is going to live up to those comparisons, but in this case you can see the clear inspiration for He Ping's work on Warriors of Heaven and Earth. This movie may not be up to the standards of the best works of Ford or Kurosawa, but it's not all that far off, either.
The DVD itself is very good, with excellent picture and sound quality, multiple language audio tracks, a nice, "Making Of," documentary, and several trailers for this and other films of interest. The Blu Ray picture and sound are even better, with a noticeably cleaner, crisper, and sharper picture with better, more accurate colors. On DVD, or especially on Blu Ray, this is a beautiful film to look at.
If you haven't seen an Asian movie, but like Westerns or historical epics, this would be a great film to start with. If you are already a fan of Asian Cinema, then you will likely find this film to be quite enjoyable.
4/5