Living Anime (If You're Into That Sort of Thing)

Rating: 7/10 (18 September 2004)

"Hero" is a Chinese high-art film. It tells the story of a sword master (who is never named) who kills three assassins and goes to the king for his reward. But it is not quite so simple. There is intrigue here, exploring issues of trust and subterfuge.
In essence, "Hero" is really a comic book. Not your average "Green Lantern", but from the anime genre of comic books, artistically done, beautifully drawn, intriguing in their own way. The film's characters are all symbolic avatars of emotion or thought or action, involved in fanciful fight sequences surrounded by a lush and beautiful landscape of scenery and set design. On set design alone "Hero" deserves an Oscar nomination.
The problem with "Hero" is it serves a niche audience: those who favor such comics and anime features such as "Gundin" and others. It is not a particularly strong film beyond that. The fight sequences are overdone and so unbelievable as to be boring. The characters are really one-dimensional, and the plot is quite transparent. As drama, it fails.
But as this exclusive oriental art form, it succeeds.
Well, except for the music. The music really blows. I'd like to be more descriptive but I think that sums it up pretty well.
7 out of 10. I am not a fan of anime so I am being harsh. I think if you like that genre it deserves a 9 or 10.
Barky