I am Korean and biased.
In Korea, where I was growing up, Admiral Yi Sunshin was regarded someone omnipresent in everybody's life. He was not regarded as some kind of deity or a great hero. But he was regarded more like everyday household spirit (as a human). He is special in that way. He is not god, or legendary hero, but he is a person who is taking part of the greatest history of the Southern coastline. It is because he left a war diary that is ruthlessly plain and accurate and almost too dry. He was respected not only by his valour, great tactic, or special war hero characters, but he is so painfully plainly human who is sick all the time, folliwing rules, working so hard, minding other people with respect, and being practical, and tortured by his own people and yet did not give up such basic principles of life. He was respected for his personal quality and the 100% winning battle results was natural against Japanese Amadas.
This movie does not depict much of his personal quality you can glimpse when you read books about him including his own diary. This movie fails to describe the people around that era and people right next to him in my opinion. Much has been altered in the modern Korean people's views. They had a totally different philosophy and view of the world then. The perception of China and Japan by Koreans were different from nowadays.
What this movie succeeded in my opinion is that it for the first time tried to describe the particular battle of Myungryang with some good cinematic foundation. It is a bit corny and not perfect but overall, the battle was well studied and the combat scope was well depicted. Admiral Yi's war will be very hard to describe in pictures as he had extremely well pre-mediated plan/strategy before he engaged any sea battle. He was a perfectionist. So, it is hard to pick out all the critical elements he laied out playing his war game. He was a very serious and sophisticated person showing in military combats. So, it is not about a great hero with great anger and energy rampaging in enemy's territory with powerful fists.
The movie is slow a bit and the plot is not perfect. With some errors incorporated, too. However, the battle scene itself, if you carefully watch, is interesting and the visuals are not too bad. Although, I would have preferred more CGI work.
He used his life philosophy and principles in the battle ahead of weaponry and tactics. He did not give up and even with only 12 ships against over 300 ships, he made his best war strategy(not giving up again) and we can see the strategy there.
It was perhaps the most amazing battle in human history and this movie manages to be close to show it. Not quite but almost. So, my score for the great effort to achieve almost impossible job.
In Korea, where I was growing up, Admiral Yi Sunshin was regarded someone omnipresent in everybody's life. He was not regarded as some kind of deity or a great hero. But he was regarded more like everyday household spirit (as a human). He is special in that way. He is not god, or legendary hero, but he is a person who is taking part of the greatest history of the Southern coastline. It is because he left a war diary that is ruthlessly plain and accurate and almost too dry. He was respected not only by his valour, great tactic, or special war hero characters, but he is so painfully plainly human who is sick all the time, folliwing rules, working so hard, minding other people with respect, and being practical, and tortured by his own people and yet did not give up such basic principles of life. He was respected for his personal quality and the 100% winning battle results was natural against Japanese Amadas.
This movie does not depict much of his personal quality you can glimpse when you read books about him including his own diary. This movie fails to describe the people around that era and people right next to him in my opinion. Much has been altered in the modern Korean people's views. They had a totally different philosophy and view of the world then. The perception of China and Japan by Koreans were different from nowadays.
What this movie succeeded in my opinion is that it for the first time tried to describe the particular battle of Myungryang with some good cinematic foundation. It is a bit corny and not perfect but overall, the battle was well studied and the combat scope was well depicted. Admiral Yi's war will be very hard to describe in pictures as he had extremely well pre-mediated plan/strategy before he engaged any sea battle. He was a perfectionist. So, it is hard to pick out all the critical elements he laied out playing his war game. He was a very serious and sophisticated person showing in military combats. So, it is not about a great hero with great anger and energy rampaging in enemy's territory with powerful fists.
The movie is slow a bit and the plot is not perfect. With some errors incorporated, too. However, the battle scene itself, if you carefully watch, is interesting and the visuals are not too bad. Although, I would have preferred more CGI work.
He used his life philosophy and principles in the battle ahead of weaponry and tactics. He did not give up and even with only 12 ships against over 300 ships, he made his best war strategy(not giving up again) and we can see the strategy there.
It was perhaps the most amazing battle in human history and this movie manages to be close to show it. Not quite but almost. So, my score for the great effort to achieve almost impossible job.