Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 1: The Sun Flag (2011)

Good movie but grossly overrated

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Sure gets the blood up. The main guy was great and the kid was better. I watched it on DVD and my subtitles were hit and miss and mostly miss and I suspect that made it better. I was captivated. It's fascinating. I was warn out. It's bloody. Too bloody? Probably but with reason, irresistible force and immovable object. I don't care for senseless violence, this isn't. I give it a seven but then I don't speak any of the languages. I just had to know if there is any truth to it. The internet says yep some. Awesome! Reminded me of Native Americans. I was pleased it's not sugar coated. These savages were savage, that's the point of view and I went with it. Only partially because I don't know the languages, I didn't get the Japanese view. That might have been nice perhaps that's in the full length version.

One thing any viewer of this movie needs to know before going into the movie is that their are a few ridiculously cheesy scenes such as when a hut explodes the images of the native warriors are badly added into the effects of the explosions, as well at the ending the remaining Warriors walk on a very unrealistic rainbow into their heaven. Along with that their are many scenes with fake looking rocks, jumping scenes with actors, and back drops. There are also some drawn out singing scenes, beautiful songs.... but still. Might as well add in that the ending is fairly weak.With the negatives out of the way, the film is very well acted. The battle scenes constantly leave any viewer wanting more, if, of course, you enjoy brutal war scenes. Besides the scenes which I have listed above, the set, in most cases, is quite beautiful. The story drags on for a good four hours but I find most of the scenes necessary to bring the message of the film. Also, it would not hurt to do some research on the historical side of the film either, to know where the story derives from.Over all it is a magnificent film, but you just have to get over the CGI.

First of all it is better to watch the film in full 4.5 hr instead of watching as 2 parts, which is what I did in film fest.Secondly, you have to know a little of history and tradition of Taiwan and roles of aboriginals to truly have a feeling for the movie. Just Wiki "Wushe Incident", and "Taiwanese Aboriginal" and that makes things much better as you watch.Anyway back to the film, the selling point seems to be all the killing, the action, the big budget. However after watching it I've found out it's more about the value of "death" that the film tries to bring to us, and death weights in front of abstract values such as "tradition", "dignity", etc.It's really an entertaining film for sure and throughout the 4.5 hrs time just flies, and you have to adjust yourself to have that desire to discover more about aboriginals believes and ways of living, much like watching documentary films mentality.I can't stop comparing this "Civilization vs. Barbarian" plot to what is happening in middle east right now. In such sense history is repeating, and the film is definitely pointing out how pointless the loss of lives is (depends on which stand you are taking though).Overall this is one of the best and most enjoyable films in recent years. The director is trying to lead us to think critically towards topics on death, values, tradition and how these would change when worlds collide.

One of Taiwan's biggest ever films today, probably the most expensive ever made and looks set to be the highest earning to date. The story of Seediq Bale, based on the Wushe Incident is split into two segments, the first being entitled The Sun Flag (tai-yang qi) and the second, The Rainbow Bridge (cai-hong qiao). Seediq Bale is the best looking Taiwanese production to date, it seems on par with the majority of action films coming straight out of Hollywood. The battle scenes are impressive, they're fast paced with a lot of of excitement and thrills, there's explosions, blood splatters and much like you'd expect from headhunters, there's a few heads rolling.Story: The story moves quickly despite the movie being close to 2 and a half hours long. There is a small bit of background and lead up to the Japanese arriving but not a great deal. When the Japanese arrive it also doesn't seem that much happens in the story, it doesn't give you complex characters or anything you must grasp or understand. It's a simple story but flows well and entertains.Characters: Character building and general development is a problem in this movie, although it is entertaining with no boredom from start to finish it doesn't have much depth to it. You must take the characters on face value as you don't really get a sense of who they are. There is one character who can be classed as the lead but you even don't get to know who he is. Throughout the movie you're introduced to numerous characters, both on the aboriginal side and the Japanese side, yet you don't get to know more than the basics of who they are.Directing: Te-Sheng Wei has previous had a bit hit in Taiwan with Cape No.7 which guaranteed him the funding for this movie. But still his style is not flawless, at times he comes across as still being an amateur with some very strange shots and some even more bizarre cuts. More than one scene had him building up, suspense and emotion was all there and then he suddenly cuts to something completely different. It kills the feeling but also provides a kind of shock.Also its probably worth having a little background on headhunting traditions before watching this film, without understanding about their culture at times you might just find yourself rooting for the Japanese side.Overall: I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, sure it could've been better but at the same time it could've been a lot worse. It's receiving a lot of praise in Taiwan with this movie smashing records and the follow up looking set to break even more. One things for sure, I'll be booking my tickets for the second instalment.