Ambitious to a Fault

Rating: 7/10 (20 May 2013)

There are some stunning scenes and some nice introspective aspects to this Movie but it may have been just a bit too far reaching and self-conscious to be anything more than a somewhat exciting clash of cultures. The ending may be a tough watch for some and destroy most of what came before.
Most of the outstanding parts of the Movie are the quieter ones. But there is one battle scene that starts things in motion that has an eerie, alternate feel that is lacking in the final epic confrontation. This is a complicated Story that is given a good try here but it always seems to push it one beat too far.
It is an entertaining, if shallow, attempt to include an Historical paradigm change that is difficult to say the least. There are some touching and dramatic parts and some good Action staging, but in the end it is too ambitious in its many themes that most, but not all, are rendered flaccid, forced and faked.
Worth a view in a Movie kind of sprawling escapism, but will no doubt trouble Historians and sticklers for a more accurate and profound rendering of these deep and rich Cultural themes.