This movie genuinely started out really well. It had all the makings of a really good coming of age/underdog/zero to hero potential. The movie starts out with the backdrop of political tension and the desire for power, and one country's decision to prepare against its neighbor's impending invasion. Really cool!
The film is wonderfully cast, and there isn't ever any moment where you think, "someone else should have played XYZ". The actors were superb in mastering their roles and bringing their characters to life. Also, cinematographers did phenomenal.
My complaints come in where I left off at the beginning. There was a lot of potential and not enough commitment. This film was jumbled with what seemed to be too many elements for what it was actually able to show and progress well.
For example, we are roughly introduced to a lady in a blue cloak twice in the first 30 minutes of the movie. She is ominous and is clearly supposed to pique our interest. However, she does not make her big reveal until the last 30 minutes where she unloads what would have been the most important information of the movie that Yilong is a prince of Northern Yan. This itself would have needed an entire movie to flesh out, and the "reveal" and lack of follow up shows either a hope for a sequel or poor story telling.
Only one of several instances, this film does not commit fully to a lot of them elements it introduces. Like, if the Grand Tutor really was a spy/assassin, what exactly would he need to even have the tournament? It is explained that he did this to ruin the morale of the clans, however, it just seems like too much just to kill the king. Especially since he is often with the king.
Oh. And all the women of substance get killed off right when you think they were about to show their importance to the plot.
The film is wonderfully cast, and there isn't ever any moment where you think, "someone else should have played XYZ". The actors were superb in mastering their roles and bringing their characters to life. Also, cinematographers did phenomenal.
My complaints come in where I left off at the beginning. There was a lot of potential and not enough commitment. This film was jumbled with what seemed to be too many elements for what it was actually able to show and progress well.
For example, we are roughly introduced to a lady in a blue cloak twice in the first 30 minutes of the movie. She is ominous and is clearly supposed to pique our interest. However, she does not make her big reveal until the last 30 minutes where she unloads what would have been the most important information of the movie that Yilong is a prince of Northern Yan. This itself would have needed an entire movie to flesh out, and the "reveal" and lack of follow up shows either a hope for a sequel or poor story telling.
Only one of several instances, this film does not commit fully to a lot of them elements it introduces. Like, if the Grand Tutor really was a spy/assassin, what exactly would he need to even have the tournament? It is explained that he did this to ruin the morale of the clans, however, it just seems like too much just to kill the king. Especially since he is often with the king.
Oh. And all the women of substance get killed off right when you think they were about to show their importance to the plot.