The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom (2014)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Expected more

Awesome Movie

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

From the gorgeously executed opening, you know you have encountered something special, though the film occasionally falters in its ability to constantly meet the expectations it initially sets. The visually elegant features include the brilliantly colorful costumes that demand viewer attention, alongside the picturesque beauty of the landscape that is as artful as it is pleasant, however, at the same time, obviously unrealistic, and though the grand scale of the film's ambition can be clearly realized when these elements work well, on more than one occasion, the film seems to be an example of a production studio exceeding their grasp. During one segment, there's an endless mass of troops, depicted through well used effects, however, the fight itself occurs between only a handful of soldiers, leaving those thrilled by epic battles dismayed, this contrast between the realities of the production, and its terrific execution, continuously butting heads.This aside, the stylized fight sequences are suspenseful and dashing, the characters moving gracefully through the air, however, those familiar with other like features will probably encounter little new content, despite the awe of its execution, or the significance of the entertainment. The battles are very quick, though at the same time easy to focus upon, while it is the soundtrack that is truly visionary. Although there is one track that bares resemblance to one my ears have previously been blessed by in a former film, the themes are continuously fascinating, brilliantly encapsulating the moment, from the passion to the futility, from the excitement to the grief.Zhou Yihang (Huang Xiaoming) is a newly elected Wudong leader, who is tasked with the honor of delivering Red Pills to the Emperor, to help secure the longevity of their ailing ruler, the people of Wudong renown as medical practitioners. On his trek towards the kingdom, he encounters an unnamed woman (Fan Bingbing), who, if beauty was a crime, would be locked up for eternity. Referred to by others as Jade Raksha, Zhou promises to one day give her a name suiting a woman of her unmatched gorgeousness, hoping to meet her again.Accused later of poisoning the Emperor with the Red Pills be brought, and hunted by the secret police, Zhou finds himself in the middle of a tyrannical battle, as countless treacherous war-mongers and politicians alike vie for power in this turbulent time. The first portion of the feature, in which the aforementioned story is introduced, could easily be described as difficult, the narrative being clouded by an unfathomable number of sub-plots and characters alike, where several non-important characters have their names presented on screen for the viewer, while none of the leads are ever provided such an honor.Although navigating this jumbled mass can prove uneasy, many of the plots remaining unfulfilled in their execution, the film manages to steady itself once the love story becomes a major focus. Jade Raksha, who fights to help the oppressed people, finds herself equally accused of a crime she did not commit - the murder of Governor Zhonglian. She and Zhou are forced to return to her fortress, the Lunar Kindgom, where she and many others watch over the land in their attempt to bring prosperity back to the region, while Manchurians and corrupt officials, especially the villainous Jin Duyi (Vincent Zhou), wish to cripple Jade's land, and all those who follow her.Unable to resist her beauty, grace and compassion, the relationship between Zhou and Jade contains many poetic, melancholy conversations, her view that love is poisonous being a well developed notion that continues throughout the feature. Although one particular segment of dialogue seems to copy from the Notebook, the emotion and poignancy throughout their many interactions is fantastically maintained, being, arguably, the most sweepingly beautiful part of the narrative, which is especially due to the talents of the actors.Although Ms. Bingbing receives a notable role in the feature, she deserved a much larger part, occasionally being overshadowed by her co-star, Mr. Xiaoming. This is particularly frustrating, as Jade is a far more mysterious and interesting character, with elements of her story, including the cursed affliction that causes her hair to turn white, although subtly hinted towards, never being provided a thoroughly acceptable explanation.By the time the conclusion is imminent, the number of unanswered questions is staggering, which leads this writer to wonder if the producers were perhaps planning to promulgate a sequel. If not, although the beauty of the film's ending cannot be denied, it could only be described as alarmingly disappointing, for a majority of the plots conceived within the narrative are never provided a sufficient resolution. As a love story, The White haired Witch cannot possibly be faulted, however, as an epic war feature, or a fantastical historic drama, the film significantly requires further substance.

This is certainly not a perfect movie, but 5 stars out of 10?!? its more a 6-7. The movie had humor and love and well it was typically Chinese in that there is no real happiness possible on earth for true love and only in death can you be together. But there is also a deeper message, can you love some enough that you would die for her or him, love some one enough that you would sacrifice your love, your memory of them to save them.I know I have never loved anyone like this, and never will. For seeing a glimpse of this magical fairy tale love, which is so powerful that not fulfilling it is an agony beyond description, that it turns one's hair white in an instant and that this love is so mighty that it will even conquer the forgetful mind, in a way it even conquers reality/death, since it shows the lovers ascending into the stars at the end, as if they have left the earth forever and went to a place were dreams are eternal.I love this kind of bullshit. Because we humans do not love like this, we love in many ways, we will even die for love etc. die for our children but rarely does a man or woman follow love with out question. And maybe we shouldn't since it can lead to madness and ruin and suffering without end, discarding all reason as we stalk the one we crave who wants to know nothing about us, but maybe that is not even love. I don't know and I won't ever know. But to believe that some one, somewhere out there has felt such a thing is joy enough to give this movie a 10 (even though it's more of a 6 on a rainy day). I hope no one feels offended by my sentimental bullshit.

An epic alike Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon this movie is not.,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Unless you know a bit about Chinese history you are not going to know much about what is happening as the scenes and characters seem to go from one place to the next without much explanation and everything becomes a blur of narrative. There is obviously an overriding love theme in the movie but this is a major distraction from the flow - the story seems to go really fast until slow, "un-natural" and rather boring scenes of romance between the two leads. The Good - Some of the fighting scenes are done well but there are not too many of those. The Bad - The romance between the leads is quite mechanical and not very believable. The Ugly - Someone got the scissors out too many times especially at the start of the movie-making you wonder what is ultimately happening. Then suddenly someone is giving someone red pills......wait am I watching "The Matrix"The CGI is particularly awful at the last scene - which at a supposedly emotional moment I laughed my heart out. Those who watch will no doubt do the same.

I should be around 5 or 6 years old when I first watch the 1993 version "The Bride with White Hair" (白发魔女传) starring Brigitte Lin (林青霞) and Leslie Cheung (张国荣). I tried to find this film to re-watch when I got to know about this remake, however, I couldn't find them any where. (Someone tell me if you can find it!)The box office for the film was very good in China, but so-so in other countries. Besides the fact that the female lead's hair will turn white (duh), otherwise, it is very different from the 1993 version in terms of content. Here, it took place near the end of Ming Dynasty (perhaps the start of Qing Dynasty), something that Ronny Yu's 1993 adaptation had left out. If you don't know much about China history, reading this might help you appreciate the film a little bit more.With the historical and political context now reintroduced into the film, The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom is now more about choosing sides during one of the most tumultuous times in Chinese history. It included the infamous "Case of the Red Pills" (红丸案), the famous eunuch Wei Zhongxian (魏忠贤), bringing out the patriotism amongst the citizens back in those days.Instead of misunderstanding leading to hatred, "trust" is an element heavily played between the two lovers. Sadly, this element was good in a bad way. It's a element most audience will hope the character will have (ya know, screaming "Why don't you believe her, idiot!" during the show) especially for the 1993 version.However, that "trust" also lessen down the pain of the betrayal, making the "White Hair Turning Moment" a bit forced. Why so? The "trust" between Zhuo Yihang and Nie Nishang felt like "You-Are-My-New-Girl-Friend-so-I-Give-You-Benefit-of-Doubt" rather than the true love kind of trust. Perhaps with the R-rated kind of love scenes in the 1993 adaptation, the artistic and beautiful version in the new one paled in comparison, making the relationship between the main leads unimportant and thinly-sketched.The seniors from Wudang was disappointing too. There were many loopholes and it seemed that many scenes were cut off, making their sudden re-entrance to say ...Read on: http://goo.gl/wCWNKX