Hero

China has always been a big country with a lot of people and resources. Why then has it not, until recently, been more dominant among the world’s nations? Well, if this movie is any indicator, it’s because every action there has to be so formal, so subject to rules and norms, so profoundly hierarchical, that to get anything done there has always required enormous effort and time and consideration. Watching this movie makes you feel that way, too. It takes a lot of effort to tease out the full arc of this story, which starts out straightforward and direct and shows signs of being entertaining and even clever…but that then descends into recursiveness, repetition and odd motivations. Some of the characters are assassins, then they don’t want to be. Some of them love each other, then they’re fighting each other. Some die, then they’re not dead. It also helps not that, due to frequent scenes where everyone is wearing the same outfit and has the same hairstyle, it can sometimes get difficult to tell characters apart. One character in particular, Broken Sword, flips his position back and forth so many times it’s hard to be sympathetic for him by the end. (He also seems to die in sword fights numerous times; better name for the character: Pin Cushion.) Beyond narrative unsteadiness, we also are subjected to numerous examples of the famous flying fighting that permeates these martial arts epics—which look just as silly here as they do in other entries in the genre. The style is reminiscent of fights in anime, which are also silly; one can accurately think of a film like this as live action anime. Perhaps the trope is no sillier than the magic depicted in western fantasy movies, but that does not necessarily recommend it, either. (Recall too the metaphysical expectations of the insurgents in the 1900 Boxer Rebellion for an example of how this form of fantasy meets with hard reality off the screen.) The movie does deserve props for its visual flair; many of the shots display an impressive artistic eye and interesting composition. Ultimately, though, the confusing nature of the story—muddled and tangled in motivations—drops the assessment of this flick down from solid action story to only modestly satisfying work. Also, one cannot pass this movie by without noting that the story’s clearest aspects show a deep sympathy with the idea of the unification of China by the first emperor over the liberty of the predecessor kingdoms—a theme that surely found approval with the leadership in Beijing. So, propaganda, even if a muddled sort of propaganda. I know fans of the genre love this kind of film, but for me, storming this castle just wasn’t that much fun. 

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

As Joe Bob Briggs would have said back in the day, there's a whole lot of plot getting in the way of this movie. They tried really hard to make it make sense--but it's a movie about monsters destroying the world. It's not about making sense, it's about spectacle. They got that part down OK; everything looks good, both in terms of scale and visual character. But none of the players really breaks out of their stock roles. Special recognition (?) must go to Kyle Chandler, who seems convinced--vocally, at least--that he's playing Batman despite the lack of a cape. More troubling, his character goes through a fairly unconvincing 180 turnaround. Other characters die, as likely as not because the actors wanted out of the further sequels more than because the story demands it. Yet, there's still enough appeal here to make it something more than bottom of the barrel. The 12-year-old boy in all of us is bound to get a charge out of watching a bunch of kaiju battle it out, and there's even a nice little piece of the world-building that ties the monsters in with our myths in a way that an "Ancient Aliens" fan, if not a classical scholar, will appreciate. As dopey entertainment, it's fine. It will take someone more adept than these filmmakers to turn this bit of pop culture into high art. For now, just watch shit blow up.

House of Flying Daggers

I'm beginning to think this "chop socky" thing has run its course. We've seen all of this before: the super-skilled fighting, the tragic love, the fight for justice. At this point, repetition is setting in. However artfully choreographed they are, these souped up combat scenes are starting to blend with one another. And the "fight against the corrupt government" plot is so worn it's all down to tattered silk threads. (Side note: hey, Chinese people: how about actually fighting against a corrupt government, instead of just staring at it on a movie screen?) Still, Chinese cinema has made enormous strides, and the now standard quality level--particularly the stunningly beautiful cinematography--shows here too. If this is your genre, you'll probably want to see this movie; if not, you can probably let it fly by.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Some of the "flying" action almost ruins it--it comes across as a little too stylized--but the story is good enough to redeem that flaw. And the scene where the girl busts up the tea house is worth the price of admission alone.