Generally enjoyable, but surprising it does well in America

Rating: 7/10 (16 April 2001)

I have to admit, I'm surprised this movie is so popular in America. It's a very non-Occidental flick. I enjoyed it, however. There was a deep passionate romance, and a more restrained one. I typically found the main characters interesting.
My main problems is that _some_ of the flying/fighting sequences did look rather weird, particularly early on. When the defiance of gravity is used in conjunction with martial arts, it is excellent. When it's simply characters pointing their arm out Superman-style and flying through the air it looks a bit goofier.
Also, the desert flashback in the middle does tend to drag on a bit, bringing the movie to a grinding halt after about ten minutes.
But generally I enjoyed the various characters and found the plot engaging enough. There isn't really one "central" plot, and I'm not convinced they intermesh the various threads as well as they could have. Still, I would recommend it.