Stirs the soul

Rating: 10/10 (12 January 2008)

Having seen the movie for the second time, I still felt compelled to comment on it like I did several years ago when it came out. I had forgotten how multi-faceted the emotional impact it had on me to see such fine film making and storytelling. This is the stuff of Chinese legends and fantasy at its finest. Merely combining stylish martial arts with gorgeous landscapes weren't enough for the director, he made sure the music and cinematography shared the same vision and the end result just elevated the movie's epic feel into a different realm. I was surprised at how the movie never lost its power to instill a sense of awe at the many exquisitely shot scenes, at the incredible locations, at the scale and the grandness of design.