Hero (2004)

Too much of everything

So much average

Simply Perfect

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I certainly disagree with the message. I understand that this is a telling of how China came to be by "uniting" the different kingdoms but it, possibly inadvertently, sends the message that war and conquer are good. The king is a ruthless man who will do anything to achieve his goals of bringing the different kingdoms together. This includes the killing of many individuals. Sometimes war is necessary. To protect. But never to conquer. We should all be united, but not in the way this film presents. We can live separately yet together in peace. The different kingdoms could have thrived separately but this king was willing to kill so that they would all be forced under one rule. Not because the others were dealing with injustice or the like but because that's just how he wanted it. So while the film is obviously stunning visually - the choreography, the use of color, lighting, etc. it all ultimately fails in its portrayal as the message is not one that deserves to be uplifted. It's a great film for its endeavors but ultimately shameful in what it's trying to tell us. Allowing the king to succeed may have stopped the killing but he started it to begin with and this choice undoes the entire sacrifice of nameless and the two lovers and their pain.

A defense officer, Nameless, was summoned by the King of Qin regarding his success of terminating three warriors. Although Jet Li and Donnie Yen are 2 very talented actors that can for sure do a lot of things on their own some of the fight scenes or even battle sequences in this film are so over the top and very little realistic for me to take plus there's way too little History in here for someone to even possibly say that things like this could happen in real life and not even the action or adventure can't save a movie so dull and unrealistic as "Hero" and sure maybe a lot of people out there found it amazing or a classic but for me it's just a very over the top action film with way to little to do with History and most of it have an ancient China vibe with the action look more like Tekken than an actual film..

This is my second Chinese movie that I've ever watched even when I have been living in China for 12 years. First of all, I thought that all the Chinese movies weren't as good as American or Korean. Also the first movie that I watched didn't really go well, and it was boring. However, this movie impressed me a lot. I've watched this movie in school for film class. At first, I was not expecting anything because I didn't really like Chinese movie. However, as I watched all the movie, cinematography started to impress me. The story was kind of weird (I guess that's the reason why I couldn't give 10) but the cinematography grabbed my attention and started to make me enjoy the movie more. I think this movie have lots of graphic and lots of unrealistic scenes, but the back ground and cinematography is great. Those two factor saved this movie, without those two, I think this movie was not that great.

"Hero" is one of the very best wu xia movies since the beginning of the new millennium. This movie isn't just recommendable for fans of Chinese period movies but for anyone who admires creative cinema.Zhang Yimou's masterpiece convinces with an unusual story line. The movie focuses on the mysterious meeting between a prefect who claims to have defeated the empire's three most dangerous assassins and the careful, clever and philosophical emperor himself. The first third of the movie explains the prefect's version of the story. The second third focuses on the emperor's analysis of the story. The last third finally reveals what really happened.If you think that the movie might be repetitive because the same story is told from three different perspectives, you are wrong. Each story builds upon the previous version and only adds new elements. This unusual structure adds a mysterious and even surreal vibe to the movie. This film comes around with a few clever twists and turns but the epic conclusion reveals everything the viewer needs to know.The mysterious and philosophical message and vibe of the movie is supported by one of the best cinematographies ever done in cinema. Zhang Yimou works a lot with different colours and their meanings such as white for innocence, red for passion, green for hope, blue for dignity or black for darkness. The different settings and landscapes also add to the movie since key scenes take place inside a bare palace that represents isolation, a blue lake that represents spirituality or a hot desert that represents loneliness. The settings and costumes are in perfect harmony with the slow and precise camera work and a calm and spiritual soundtrack. The fighting scenes blend in very well and have a surreal touch where mental strength is much more efficient than physical power. The different characters are flying through bamboo forests or over peaceful lakes and are constantly using their natural surroundings to fight their opponents. This movie symbolizes the harmony of men and nature, underlines the efficiency of mental strength and delivers a message of community and peace where the greater good for an entire empire is more significant than the fate of a single person, family, location, race or ideology. These messages are delivered in a mostly grounded and intellectual way and only the final scenes feel a little bit melodramatic and slightly pathetic.In the end, "Hero" is much more than a simple martial arts movie. It's one of the most intellectually, philosophically and visually profound movies of the new millennium. This film has a heart, soul and different messages that are at least interesting to analyze, empathize with and understand no matter if you end up agreeing or disagreeing with them. Anybody who considers him- or herself intellectual should have watched this unique masterpiece.