Why this is a work of art...

Rating: 10/10 (8 April 2003)

Hero is inarguably a visual masterpiece. However, it's art runs deeper than just the surface. There are so many movies that hold you by the hand the whole movie and synthesize your feelings for you. The creators have already decided how you should feel when, where, and why throughout the whole movie.

But not Hero. They have crafted a movie where it is completely up to the viewer how they feel and what they take from the movie. The story is told so delicately and so subtly that you'll never realize it. In the end, it's completely up to the viewer what they take away: who is the "hero"? What is the message of Hero? What makes a hero? It's not predetermined. Sure the director has his own opinion, but you'll never hear it because that's not what he's trying to do.
Granted, you could argue that every movie is up to the viewer how they feel and what they take, but when you talk to the writers, they would most certainly give you a narrow look on the emotions and meanings of that film.
Art should be subjective and open to a range of interpretation. People should be able to take a work of art and personalize it. Hero is a rare film that achieves this.