Toxic trash, sublimely packaged

Rating: 6/10 (18 August 2005)

This movie is probably the greatest example in History of how to destroy divinely poetic cinematography with a toxic story.
The cinematography was sublime, supernatural, heavenly. The soft glowing lighting schemes, Crouching Tiger style martial arts and brilliant photography makes the movie a seven-star extravaganza for the eye. There's some good music. And that's where the good things end.
The story is trash, but not some harmless trash, but radioactive toxic waste that will send the Geiger counter flying.
(WARNING:SPOILER COMING) Taking the logic used to justify the Kings actions in the end(the King is taking over other territories to unify China), one can justify all sorts of despicable imperialism. Going by that logic, you can not blame Hitler for trying to take over the world, he was only trying to unite the world under the banner of Germany. The best course of action for the Allies would have been to step down and let him do his stuff, for the good of the world.
The concluding propaganda about the Emperor was also a bag of black lies. The Emperor historically was no where near the heroic figure made out by the movie, he was a vile fascist man who attempted to erase all records of Chinese history before him by indiscriminately burning all libraries in China. The Hero is not a Hero, but a misguided man who rendered mankind a great disservice by refraining from killing the King. Making out the Emperor to be a noble man is as great a crime as holding Stalin to be mankind's savior. The director should be criminally prosecuted for distorting historical facts.
-Shish Basu Palit(loom91@yahoo.com)