Masterful Epic by One of the Great Directors

Rating: 10/10 (12 September 2015)

It seems like every day, there is another report about how China is passing the US in terms of pure box office numbers. This often concerns me. Not because I'm xenophobic or even because I am just patriotic and want my country to be the best in everything. But because the Chinese tastes in my opinion are a bit... underdeveloped. Say what you want about the tastes of the U.S., but at least we only spent a bit less than 250 million on the (shudder) 4th Transformers movie (or Trans4mers, if you prefer) instead of letting it become the highest grossing film in our country to that point, as did the Chinese.
Their tendency to devour trash, both exotic and local, is troubling. I am worried. ...And I would be a lot less worried if China offered up a film this good at least once every year.
You could argue that this is not entirely a Chinese film, but that would open up a whole other can of worms that I don't want to touch as of no. So instead, I will go into this film.
Calling from both the future and the past, using techniques both old and new, this film creates a mystical, almost knowingly surreal environment, then fills it with all sorts of action and story. I would put this film on the list of those that you don't watch as much as experience, which is always a good place to be.
Refreshingly, the protagonist and a majority of the main cast is female, a rarity in films from the West and (perhaps particularly) the East. That in itself is interesting, offering different dynamics and points of view than could be done with the traditional Enter the Dragon sort of martial arts film.
Going further, one could almost think that the 'different dynamics and points of view' thing is almost this film's M.O. In a lot of ways, it deconstructs and reconstructs a lot of martial arts tropes. There is never a doubt that this is through and through a wuxia film. But it does not stop and take pictures at each of the typical tropes. It weaves through them with style and grace to create something special, something that is the clear work of a true artist. It is as if someone took the pieces in a tiger puzzle and used them to create a dragon.
There are many lenses through which you can look at this film. Artistic. Historical. Poetic. Symbolic. Even philosophical. But no matter which you choose, you cannot deny that this film is a masterpiece. It does not content itself with the easy or the simple or the standard. It goes all out, as if seeing the horizon of greatness and blazing its own path through it.
Perhaps what I find most fascinating about this film is how it refuses to stay within the realms of reality. Many martial arts movie prefer to stay grounded even as their mains perform superhuman feats. Not this one. This one is entrenched more in the art and heart of a fable or legend than any corner of reality. Take the jumps for instance. Most movies, though their characters jump ridiculously long distances, at least make it look like they are actually jumping. But this film makes it clear that they are gliding through the airs of their world, unbounded by the forces of gravity. And the film is better for it.
From a subjective standpoint, I love that the movie is Eastern from surface to core. This is a fully fledged representation of the culture of a nation. If China had to pick one film to represent itself, I think it should be this one. (If you're wondering which one I would choose for America, it would be The Godfather.) Like Ang Lee's other masterpiece, The Life of Pi, this film immerses you in its culture, in its stylings, wearing them proudly.
This film is stunning; a must-watch. The soundtrack is ethereal and dynamic. The cinematography is unique and top class.The story is deep, carrying much gravitas. The acting is solid and assured. The tone is dark yet artistic and hopeful.
My favorite sequence in the film is a flashback sequence to the desert. I won't spoil what it's about narratively, but it is stylistically stunning. Tonally, it is presented the way a flashback should be presented but almost never ends. It seems like some sort of warped daydream; real yet almost unbelievable and captivating for it. Spiral steadily on and on it does. Fifteen minutes pass. Twenty. You keep waiting for it to be over. But it isn't yet. And for that you are glad. It comforts the highest reaches of your mind and senses. And it is this movie in a nutshell.