Spectacular cinema

Rating: 10/10 (19 September 2004)

I think I spoiled it: it's a great film. The technical stuff first: cinematography and sound were impressive, detailed, and creative. Occasionally it became a metaphor for an heraldic time with myth and fable, and the unreal. I guess I have succumbed to the flying as a regular detail of this genre.
The movie picks up some time after the "Emperor and the Assassin", and characterizes the emperor as a visionary and ignores the barbarism of the time. Perhaps the accuracy is regained toward the end of the movie. The twists and turns keep you guessing in an imaginative way and make it challenging to follow. The "Mandate from Heaven" takes a back seat to people debating the best path for history to come. Should the vengeance of the loser yield to a better future?
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. On another perspective, I've been studying Chinese for nearly three years, and the dialog was fascinating in Chinese (at least the parts I could get). I would see again; I will buy the DVD when it comes out, and it's worth being seen by younger members of the family. My ten-year-old son very much enjoyed it as did my 17-year-old daughter.
Go see it.