Insidious

Rating: 1/10 (23 August 2009)

Those who talk about the lush cinematography, well-blocked fight scenes, and other visual details of this film are correct. Visually, it is a stunning film.
However, this is a pretty film with a deeply suspicious message at its center. The Emperor, who conducts offensive wars of genocide against neighbor kingdoms in the name of unity, and rules his own populace with cruelty and an iron hand in the name of order, has all of his actions rationalized and even glorified. The Emperor is also an unapologetic nationalist. In other words: having the streets run red with the blood of innocents is perfectly acceptable, even noble, as long as it is done in the name of unity and order.
It is probably no coincidence that a highly authoritarian government noted for brutal crackdowns on dissent and offensive wars against neighbor states in the name of "unity" (like Tibet) financed a film that glorifies its most egregious behavior. Unlike so many in the West, this insidious message was no doubt not lost in Tibet or Taipei.