The Legend of the Black Scorpion (2006)

GREAT VISUALS

THE STORY IS REALLY LAME, THE FIGHT SCENES ARE NOT THAT GREAT, BUT THE COLORS, THE PICTURE AND VISUALS ARE REALLY GREAT, SO IT ONLY GETS 2 STARS!!! August 27, 2008

A visual feast

Feng Xiaogang's The Banquet aka The Legend of the Black Scorpion certainly lives up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful looking films ever made. A spectacular Chinese adaptation of Hamlet filmed on an epic scale with no expense spared and with all the action scenes that Shakespeare forgot to write, it's clearly aiming to be another Hero, with nods to Akira Kurosawa's Japanese samurai Shakespeare films along the way. Although it never quite hits the same highs, it works surprisingly well, with Daniel Wu's Crown Prince brooding over his father's murder by his uncle while his former beloved Ziyi Zhang is consumed by revenge in her desire to kill the new emperor as courtiers plot and intrigue around them. With superb art direction by Tim Yip, excellent cinematography by Li Zhang, striking fight sequences courtesy of Yuen Wo-Ping at his best and a fine score by Tan Dun (Andrew Lloyd Webberish end title song notwithstanding) and filled with colour, light and movement, it's always a treat for the eyes and ears, especially in this 2.35:1 widescreen transfer. August 24, 2008

Add this to the list of good Asian "art house" cinema!

Well, I seem to have developed a taste for Asian "art house" type movies, especially martial arts epics with great choreographed fight sequences, vivid colors, interesting storylines.

I've previously seen and enjoyed such fare as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Curse of the Golden Flower, The Forbidden Kingdom, Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Iron Monkey. Each of them has its strengths and weaknesses.

Getting back to Legend of the Black Scorpion, from my understanding, it's a Chinese martial arts retelling of Shakespeare's play Hamlet. While I don't think I've seen or read Hamlet, I don't think it's essential to have previously read it or seen it to understand what's going on here.

Similar in theme to Curse of the Golden Flower, Legend of the Black Scorpion is a martial arts / drama piece about Chinese dynastic royalty and empire. Though it mainly focuses on the family / political dynamics of the royal court, with various plots to seize power, etc.

A number of the fight scenes have an almost ballet-like quality about them. They're often more like a well-choreographed dance than a battle per se. It makes sense, insofar as there is also a sub-plot about the crown prince taking up the arts of Chinese song and dance.

Now, one thing that I noted was the overemphasis on blood in this film. it spurts, it gushes, it drips everywhere. There seems to be a special focus on showing the blood itself, sometimes in slow motion. I thought it was excessive, and I'm not sure why so much attention was paid to emphasizing blood and bloodiness in this film.

The blood issue was minor to me, as I'm more-or-less desensitized to it at this point. Overall, I really liked this movie though (outside of the blood and brutality of some scenes). I thought the sets and costuming were colorful and first rate. The choreography was great. Etc. I think it makes a good addition to the other "art house" type movies listed above.

I'd certainly take this movie over Butterfly Sword or Warriors of Heaven and Earth (neither of which I particularly cared for, despite decent reviews on Amazon and/or DVD Empire).

Addendum (8-12-08): Apparently this film was originally titled "The Banquet." So, if you've seen that one, this is the same movie from what I understand.

Again, rather bloody at times, but otherwise pretty gorgeous cinematography. Right up there with some of the other good "art house" cinema. August 3, 2008

Good stuff

I have gotten slightly addicted to asian films since watching the AZN Channel (which, sadly, is no more) so I picked up some films from Amazon. This was one of them and I was very impressed by it. Visually it's stunning, the sub-titles are easy to follow. I highly recommend it. April 7, 2008

On Par With The Best of Yimou Zhang

How this film missed the American theater circuits is inexplicable! One of the most visually sumptuous portrayals of court life and intrigue since Bertolucci's The Last Emperor, and on par, if not surpassing, the historical martial arts epics of Yimou Zhang. This is a must for anyone that enjoys or appreciates this genre of Chinese cinema, and is the best cinematic adaptation of Hamlet that I can recall. It also is accompanied by an excellent critical commentary (which may aid those who find the film "cold" or the ending incomprehensible). April 5, 2008

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