The movie is typically described as a trainwreck, but I didn't think it was bad. This could be because 20 minutes have been trimmed for the U.S. cut. This could also be because my critical thinking has been dulled by years of watching (and enjoying) really bad fantasy movies from Hong Kong.
The Promise is not perfect, and the flaws are amplified because of its world-class director and all-star cast from Korea (Jang Dong-Gun), Japan (Hiroyuki Sanada), and Hong Kong (Cecilia Cheng and Nicholas Tse). Everyone expects it to be Crouching Tiger or even Hero, but it's really more of a fairy tale than an art movie.
True, some of the special effects are pretty bad, the plot isn't super compelling, and the characters aren't very deep. The girl everyone's fighting for is kind of mean. But the movie is amazingly beautiful to watch. The colors are cartoonish but sumptuous. And when the protagonists hit rock-bottom, it is an epic moment.
Those who expect a heart-warming crowd-pleaser or historically charged epic from Chen will be disappointed. It is kind of unfair to expect him to make serious movies every time. Maybe that's the problem; he's making a fun movie, but everyone is so serious in it that you can't really tell. The only actor who really hams it up is Tse, who seems perfectly comfortable as a bad guy. In the end, if you're into stuff like campy action, ridiculous love triangles, and stories about princesses, generals, slaves, and river goddesses, it's a dried-mango-and-tea good time.
The Promise is not perfect, and the flaws are amplified because of its world-class director and all-star cast from Korea (Jang Dong-Gun), Japan (Hiroyuki Sanada), and Hong Kong (Cecilia Cheng and Nicholas Tse). Everyone expects it to be Crouching Tiger or even Hero, but it's really more of a fairy tale than an art movie.
True, some of the special effects are pretty bad, the plot isn't super compelling, and the characters aren't very deep. The girl everyone's fighting for is kind of mean. But the movie is amazingly beautiful to watch. The colors are cartoonish but sumptuous. And when the protagonists hit rock-bottom, it is an epic moment.
Those who expect a heart-warming crowd-pleaser or historically charged epic from Chen will be disappointed. It is kind of unfair to expect him to make serious movies every time. Maybe that's the problem; he's making a fun movie, but everyone is so serious in it that you can't really tell. The only actor who really hams it up is Tse, who seems perfectly comfortable as a bad guy. In the end, if you're into stuff like campy action, ridiculous love triangles, and stories about princesses, generals, slaves, and river goddesses, it's a dried-mango-and-tea good time.
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