Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Ying Xiong 2002 / Hero 2003

This is topic Ying Xiong 2002 / Hero 2003 in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Nate Lehrke (Member # 1460) on 08-27-2004, 03:01 AM:

I really liked this one.

You just can't go wrong when you have awesome sword play and fantasy chinese fighting! The music and the colors were amazing. (under statement)
I left the theatre in awe of what I saw.

Jet Li was a perfect cast. According to IMDb Jackie Chan was originally offered the role. I don't think that Jackie would have made the same impact.

Def worth checking out.

Posted by Ryan Luby (Member # 2520) on 08-27-2004, 04:35 AM:

One of the more amazing films I've ever seen.
I agree that the color and music were incredible. Most brilliant color use I've ever seen. The music drove the film as there was not a ton of dialogue.

Great story line. Great character development. Great acting.
The movie leaves you in awe.

I agree that Jackie Chan would not have been a good role. Jet Li was great.

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 08-27-2004, 09:44 AM:

This amazing film to look at on the big screen. I've been running it for the last 4 1/2 months, and I've enjoyed it for every screening.

And it's in SCOPE [thumbsup]

Posted by Dean Kollet (Member # 1789) on 08-29-2004, 01:42 AM:

Great movie...and honestly I don't know about the Jackie Chan issue either. When Let Li speaks English, he doesn't sound like the badass he is playing in the movie. Jackie Chan's Mandarin from older movies makes his character a lot better...too bad he's done movies with Owen Wilson that have ruined his Martial Arts credentials...

and off that Rant....I loved it...and the DTS soundtrack was very, very nice

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 08-29-2004, 10:01 PM:

WOW

[Big Grin]

This movie surpasses "Crouching Tiger" on so many different levels -visually, musically, storyline.

I am kicking myself for not seeing it sooner.

P.S.

I enjoy sub-title movies. The reason: When half the urban audience watching the film gets up to go get their money back - because they A) either can't read OR B) Didn't pay $ to have to read little words at the bottom of the screen. Then us real fans of foreign films can enjoy it in peace and quiet.

[beer]

Sub-Titles [beer]

Posted by Pravin Ratnam (Member # 1417) on 08-29-2004, 10:59 PM:

Dennis, I live in a white suburb, and quite a few guys were fidgeting around. I saw quite a few cell phones being checked in silent mode, but the glare was annoying. Usually I go after the morons, but this movie had too many of them.

I liked Hero. Can't understand what Jabba Weinstein wanted to edit out of this movie. Performances were good, the set design and cinematography were great. Nice choice of colors.

My only quibble was with the sentiment of the movie. MINI SPOILER FOLLOWS: I just can't get wholeheartedly side with the guy who feels we should be on the side of Our Land. I sided with Snow. Maybe it's my contempt for Chinese government's use of history whenever it suits them to claim border regions. But that should not get in the way of many of you enjoying the movie. Plus the director is definitely not known to be a chinese government shill in the past.

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 08-30-2004, 04:44 AM:

Fantastic movie, especially in the color design and composition both of wide shots and intimate close-ups. I saw this on a really big screen tonight, it was a true cinema experience.
I don't really care for all that wire-flying stuff in Chinese movies. Luckily, it wasn't so massive here. Although I found the fighting scenes on the lake too much. I find the actual fighting much more impressive in it's elegance and speed.
This movie had the epic qualities so completely missing from the recent Star Wars "episodes", all the more sad because Lucas had already learnt so much from that other master of epic cinema in Asia, Kurosawa.
For a another version of the story of the first emperor of China, check out "The Emperor and his Assasin".

Posted by Jeremy Fuentes (Member # 2135) on 08-30-2004, 09:42 AM:

Great movie, a little slow but still great. Like everyone else said, visually stunning. Tarantino did a great job...wait...nevermind.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 09-06-2004, 01:07 AM:

I enjoyed this movie more than any other film I've seen this summer. Pretty cool show. It is true China's history has often been bloody and contrary to the overall theme of this film. Still that didn't get in the way of me finding that theme to be inspiring. To be able to set aside one's hatreds and needs for revenge for the overall greater good of everyone is pretty relevant for our current, troubled times.

The actors' performances were certainly good enough to get past the language barrier and subtitles. The sword play was really something else. All the action was very carefully choreographed, but still a lot of the stunts were really dangerous to execute.

The production design was really great. The use of color in the sets, costumes and overall design gave the movie a very timeless feel. The varying color schemes also helped separate the circular story with its different versions of certain events. The movie often worked like a moody painting in motion. The careful and quite graphical use of color also helped attain an epic stature.

The cinematography was also pretty good. Although I would have preferred it to be shot with anamorphic lenses for improved picture quality, many of the shot designs demanded a wider selection of lenses forcing the Super35 method.

The music score was well done. The violin solos sounded very much like Itzhak Perlman's work, so I sat through some of the credits to find he was indeed the one responsible.

The sound mix was pretty agressive. But I found it to sound a tad bit too bright. Sound format was DTS.

I guess my only quibble is with the over the top wire harness work with all the characters impossibly defying gravity. Some of the stunts drew a couple chuckles from the audience at times. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" at least made some attempt to explain the flying stunts. In this movie, I suppose the characters just have super-human talents. But this isn't a big enough problem to harm the overall movie. I just wish it were a little more subtle.

Oh, there was another quibble too: CRAP CODE! This is yet another movie where those damned dots are tattooed on the print in too noticeable a fashion. Jet Li is flying around this room slicing all the shelves before the cup falls. I didn't need to see chicken pox dots popping up through that point of action.

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 09-08-2004, 10:44 AM:

Greetings from the 31st Telluride Film Festival!

I saw Hero in Santa Rosa last Saturday and then went to Telluride. I liked, but not loved, Hero.

We have Zang Yemu (sp) new film called House of Flying Daggers. It stars Zang Zi Yi who was here in Telluride with her film. She played the servant in Hero. Flying Daggers kicks ass! [thumbsup]

We played it out doors in the Able Gance cinema. She introduced the film and is every bit as attractive in person as she is on film. I went up and said hi.

After the first action sequence the audience went nuts and she stayed to watch it. I projected the film once and watched it from the audience once.

The sequence to watch for is called The Echo Game.

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 09-08-2004, 03:49 PM:

That sounds really great. ZZ is one of my favorite actresses. When will that movie come out here?

Posted by Greg Davis (Member # 2687) on 09-13-2004, 01:00 AM:

ZZ did a film about pandas that won a couple of awards, and thats out on video I think. I was glad this movie was thematic, but more over, the whole color symbology that I got out of it was intense. It fed the whole emotion of the film really well. Secondly, the alternating stories was a sweet way to show a film, and the differing colors/situations kept it not only EASY to remember where you are (Memento - ARRGGGG confused) but was playing on the idea that he was telling stories, and in real actual stories facts get altered, such as where who and what. Sweet, sweet sweet. like candy.

[ 09-16-2004, 01:01 AM: Message edited by: Greg Davis ]