Customer Reviews

An Empress and the Warriors

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you're just looking for an Asian beat-em-up with shallow story and little to no character development, then watch Ong-Bak or something along those lines. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love those action-oriented movies as well. But this is not that. I feel as though most of the negative reviews are coming from people who expected something entirely different out of this movie.

That being said, this was an excellent movie. Not the greatest Chinese epic (I think Hero might be my favorite), but still a rather good one. The point of this type of movie is not to spill blood and guts all over the camera (although that is often a guilty pleasure of the viewer); it is instead to provide some sort of insight into what makes us human through a setting of violent despair. This movie does it well.

After watching the entire movie, I must say the title says it all: "An Empress and the Warriors." I did not realize the significance going into it, but the movie is really the story of two different groups of people personified by the characters in the story. The plight of the ruler sacrificing for the prosperity of her people is told through the empress. The values of a brave, strong warrior are exemplified by the general, Donnie Yen's character. The empress learns what it truly means to be responsible for the lives of an entire kingdom. The general gives his life so that he may end the war and bring peace and happiness to his family and nation.

So to tell these two different stories, naturally there had to be quite different subplots. People keep complaining that the love story in the movie took up way too much time, yet how could you have this beautiful work of art without it? The empress was raised to be insensitive to the lives of those outside the palace, and it is only through her newly discovered love that she realizes her true purpose. Every second of the film is critical to the work as a whole.

So if you're looking for gratuitous amounts of death and destruction, I recommend the Rambo series. Otherwise, keep an open mind and appreciate the movie for what it is. I recommend visiting video sharing sites to perhaps see some clips from the film before buying. That way, you know what movie you're getting. I usually try to do that before buying.

This movie is the exact reason I've stopped watching most everything out of Hollywood. This movie makes all of the so called "blockbusters" or "epics" look like high school class projects made by slackers and stoners. If you've never seen Hong Kong cinema, or think that all Chinese movies are just Kung Fu flicks with bad dubbing, you are in for an amazing surprise. This is better than Crouching Tiger, House of Flying Daggers, or even Hero. Watch this movie, then buy it.

2008 seems to be the year for Chinese epic dramas. "An Empress and the Warriors" was released before the "Romance of Three Kingdoms" related films by Daniel Lee (Three Kingdoms) and John Woo (Red Cliff). The film is helmed by Tony Ching Siu Tang (Naked Weapon) and if you are familiar with this director's past works, you'll know that he is a good action director. However, I do believe the skill of good storytelling eludes him--"An Empress and the Warriors" is pure brainless fun, with decent production values and may well be a good "date" movie.

After the kingdom of Yan is mortally wounded after a battle with the Zhao army, the king chooses to leave command to an orphan, named Muyong Xuehu (Donnie Yen) who is not related to the royal family. This bold decision raises the ire of Hu Ban (Guo Xiao-Dong), the king's nephew who is ready and willing to lead. Yan Feier (Kelly Chen) is the king's daughter and was bestowed the sacred "Swallow sword" (I know!) as her father's dying wish, to give to Muyong. However, when the time came to announce Muyong's promotion, Hu Ban and Diao Erbao renounces the claim saying that the king should not be one with no royal blood in his veins. To keep the peace and avoid mutiny, Feier seizes power with Muyong's support--and undergoes military training to prove her worthiness to lead. Hu Ban plots to discredit the princess before she is crowned as the empress, assassination is even an option --a power struggle threatens to weaken the foundations of the Yan Kingdom.

I'm not sure how to begin, the film's plot is so flimsy and uninspired. It abandons the potentials of a conspiracy during a period when leadership is important in favor of a budding romance between Feier and Duan (played by Leon Lai) which makes rather fun but definitely predictable and boring. The character of Feier does look like a princess but the way she is portrayed by the script is rather silly and lacks credibility. Kelly Chen does look like a beautiful princess, but the kind that would act in a disney movie. The script by James Yuen Sai-sang is also very light, the threat of destruction is overshadowed by romance? I'm not sure, Feier and Muyong kept on referring to her as the "one to unite the country" but just what is this "Yan Kingdom"? All that came to view are buildings and shacks and aside from the ninjas and Duan, no common folk is visible. I do feel that the war backdrop is just meant as a plot device to gain sympathy and to set up the scenes of overdone sentimentality.

While I also disliked its use of the usual histrionics, the film does have some charm. However, unbelievable and stylish Kelly Chen's training sequences with Donnie Yen, it has somewhat diverting. However, the film abandons this device rather quickly and falls to the usual romantic gimmicks. The romance between Duan and Feier may be nice to the female species but it just kills the film's overall impact. I thought I was in a dumb teen flick, and while the screenplay has the usual elements of loyalty, sacrifice, duty, compassion and betrayal, it never executed them well enough and opted for a perfunctory romance to add complications to its premise of a "threatened kingdom". The storyline just wasn't interesting and lacked inspiration, the film isn't compelling and interesting.

The acting for the most part is a mixed bag. Kelly Chen is very pretty and charismatic but I had some reservations as to how convincing she was as a strong-willed princess. I would give her the benefit of a doubt since the script is so dry that it gave her so little to work with. Her acting is very cute and charming, her interactions with the tree-dwelling Duan may appeal to the female audience, but it suffers from a lack of consistency that doesn't fit into the film's plot. The film does have huge continuity issues and feels undercooked. Donnie Yen will be Donnie Yen--complete with his overacting.

Now as for the action sequences, there are quite a good number of them. Director Tony Ching knows his stuff when shooting action sequences. He uses multiple camera angles and the moves are visually impressive. The ninja-like assassins and the chase sequences were very cool. The assault in the tree-home of Duan is fast-paced and stylish, complete with cool close-ups with attitude. The battle scenes were decent but not in the same caliber as other Chinese epics of this kind. There is some blood as folks are stabbed and impaled in some very sensitive places. The action has a lot of posturing with attitude complete with the wind blowing strands of hair. Donnie Yen is a very showy actor but none can deny that he does have a presence as a martial artist. Yen is complete with bone-crushing machismo as he fights hundreds of Hu Ban's foot soldiers in the final act. Truly exaggerated and unrealistic appeal for an epic but good enough for an action movie.

So what is the final verdict? Well, the usual stereotypical Hong Kong "cuteness" just would never match the tone and atmosphere of Mainland China's Epic Wuxia films. You can tell that the film should have a more serious tone and to incorporate a cute romance into its premise just bores the heck out of me. The action choreography does prove diverting and all it all the film is just a practice of a mainstream stylish action flick. The leads are definitely photogenic and the visuals were decent; this film is definitely geared to fans of these performers who would watch anything they appear in. "An Empress and the Warriors" is just another of those stupid commercial flicks that should be watched with VERY low expectations. It is watchable for 90 minutes but definitely a forgettable experience; it just fails in comparison to the best China has to offer.

Rental [2 ½ Stars]

Chick flick period drama with a lame historical pretext. Nice costuming, good background, and enough fu to tease the boys, but not satisfy. A beautiful girl willing to abandon ancestry and practicality for love, unsustainable true love. All around her must suffer until she finally stands at the end, where she should have stood at the beginning. Fluff it, there's some comfort here.

2008 seems to be the year for Chinese epic dramas. "An Empress and the Warriors" was released before the "Romance of Three Kingdoms" related films by Daniel Lee (Three Kingdoms) and John Woo (Red Cliff). The film is helmed by Tony Ching Siu Tang (Naked Weapon) and if you are familiar with this director's past works, you'll know that he is a good action director. However, I do believe the skill of good storytelling eludes him--"An Empress and the Warriors" is pure brainless fun, with decent production values and may well be a good "date" movie.

After the kingdom of Yan is mortally wounded after a battle with the Zhao army, the king chooses to leave command to an orphan, named Muyong Xuehu (Donnie Yen) who is not related to the royal family. This bold decision raises the ire of Hu Ban (Guo Xiao-Dong), the king's nephew who is ready and willing to lead. Yan Feier (Kelly Chen) is the king's daughter and was bestowed the sacred "Swallow sword" (I know!) as her father's dying wish, to give to Muyong. However, when the time came to announce Muyong's promotion, Hu Ban and Diao Erbao renounces the claim saying that the king should not be one with no royal blood in his veins. To keep the peace and avoid mutiny, Feier seizes power with Muyong's support--and undergoes military training to prove her worthiness to lead. Hu Ban plots to discredit the princess before she is crowned as the empress, assassination is even an option --a power struggle threatens to weaken the foundations of the Yan Kingdom.

I'm not sure how to begin, the film's plot is so flimsy and uninspired. It abandons the potentials of a conspiracy during a period when leadership is important in favor of a budding romance between Feier and Duan (played by Leon Lai) which makes rather fun but definitely predictable and boring. The character of Feier does look like a princess but the way she is portrayed by the script is rather silly and lacks credibility. Kelly Chen does look like a beautiful princess, but the kind that would act in a disney movie. The script by James Yuen Sai-sang is also very light, the threat of destruction is overshadowed by romance? I'm not sure, Feier and Muyong kept on referring to her as the "one to unite the country" but just what is this "Yan Kingdom"? All that came to view are buildings and shacks and aside from the ninjas and Duan, no common folk is visible. I do feel that the war backdrop is just meant as a plot device to gain sympathy and to set up the scenes of overdone sentimentality.

While I also disliked its use of the usual histrionics, the film does have some charm. However, unbelievable and stylish Kelly Chen's training sequences with Donnie Yen, it has somewhat diverting. However, the film abandons this device rather quickly and falls to the usual romantic gimmicks. The romance between Duan and Feier may be nice to the female species but it just kills the film's overall impact. I thought I was in a dumb teen flick, and while the screenplay has the usual elements of loyalty, sacrifice, duty, compassion and betrayal, it never executed them well enough and opted for a perfunctory romance to add complications to its premise of a "threatened kingdom". The storyline just wasn't interesting and lacked inspiration, the film isn't compelling and interesting.

The acting for the most part is a mixed bag. Kelly Chen is very pretty and charismatic but I had some reservations as to how convincing she was as a strong-willed princess. I would give her the benefit of a doubt since the script is so dry that it gave her so little to work with. Her acting is very cute and charming, her interactions with the tree-dwelling Duan may appeal to the female audience, but it suffers from a lack of consistency that doesn't fit into the film's plot. The film does have huge continuity issues and feels undercooked. Donnie Yen will be Donnie Yen--complete with his overacting.

Now as for the action sequences, there are quite a good number of them. Director Tony Ching knows his stuff when shooting action sequences. He uses multiple camera angles and the moves are visually impressive. The ninja-like assassins and the chase sequences were very cool. The assault in the tree-home of Duan is fast-paced and stylish, complete with cool close-ups with attitude. The battle scenes were decent but not in the same caliber as other Chinese epics of this kind. There is some blood as folks are stabbed and impaled in some very sensitive places. The action has a lot of posturing with attitude complete with the wind blowing strands of hair. Donnie Yen is a very showy actor but none can deny that he does have a presence as a martial artist. Yen is complete with bone-crushing machismo as he fights hundreds of Hu Ban's foot soldiers in the final act. Truly exaggerated and unrealistic appeal for an epic but good enough for an action movie.

So what is the final verdict? Well, the usual Hong Kong "cuteness" would never fit into mainland China's epic Wuxia films. You can tell that the film should have a serious tone and to incorporate a cute romance into its premise just bores the heck out of me. The action choreography does prove diverting and all it all the film is just a practice of a mainstream stylish action flick. The leads are definitely photogenic and the visuals were decent; this film is definitely geared to fans of these performers who would watch anything they appear in. "An Empress and the Warriors" is just another of those stupid commercial flicks that should be watched with VERY low expectations. It is watchable for 90 minutes but definitely a forgettable experience.

Rental [2 ½ Stars]

This was an excellent movie with Donnie Yen as one of the main male protagonists, Leon Lai the other, and Kelly Chen (Infernal Affairs) in the middle. The production values were incredible, with hardly any CGI--they REALLY built the fabulous sets and the costumes and scenery are fantastic. Some slightly slow pacing in the middle and the many attempts by the villain to kill the princess can get a bit silly at times, but the ending is spectacular (though not the one I would have chosen myself). Donnie Yen shows that he can really act (as in Yip Man) and is not just kick-butt beef cake. Leon Lai gives a super if understated performance and the whole narrative really takes you on a emotional journey amid the adventure and great battle scenes.

I recently bought this on a whim and I must say that it's a really great movie. Though curious as I was as to what dynasty and timeline this movie took place in, I loved it anyway. Donnie Yen was as good in this movie as he was in Ying Xiong (Hero with Jet Li) and Iron Monkey, in fact I would go out on limb as to say this was his best performance yet. For anyone who's interested in Ancient China or martial arts. This movie would be great for your collection.

All I can say about this movie is that it was very well done even though the English in the subtitles were not grammatically correct for English. This was a movie and story that Willy S would have loved. I find movies like this trying to capture the essence of times in our history refreshing when the anachronisms are kept to a minimum. The Lantern of Heaven is a metaphor but adds a nice romantic touch to the movie. It had a moment of comedy here and there, a good dose of romance, action galore, and a feel for realism I have not seen in a long time in any new (at least to me) movie release, but this is a classic tragedy with a sort of happy (ironically) ending.
A king dies in battle but he dies from treachery among his own court. Although the king chose another to rule his sword was handed to his daughter who by blood line and possession of the sword becomes the queen. Then the treachery runs really deep. The Princess steps down from the throne only to cause a coup de tat among her ranks. She winds up returning to try to stop the chaos that now consumes her court.
Now I am very draconian and am pretty unsympathetic to a lot and the sight of blood does not rattle me any more. I actually could feel for the princess at the end of the movie which says a lot at least for me. She lost everything in her personal life that mattered to her and still became the empress when really she didn't want to. I could feel how hollow she felt trying to see the bright side of things as ruler. I have found a lot of movies being intentionally made these days to be senselessly violent. This movie had a point and it was about how senseless and tragic the quest for power can be. The movie didn't seem to me to be placed in any geographically specific time or place but it did portray a time when violence rocked the very fabric of a young nation a lot like China's early history. In the past differences between nations usually meant a lot of blood shed. The princess in the movie makes a bold move to try to end a long feud between her neighboring nation by not killing her adversary when she defeats him in battle. This movie also made a very loud statement about neighbors living in peace. If only more would listen to that message...
Do not come to this movie as some sort of purist or "educated" critic. You will be disappointed. This movie has heart which a lot of Hollywood has lost. I went into it looking at the elemental values of cinema. It was done with style, realism, excellent battle scenes, nothing was over done, no weak "touching" moments and best of all there was romance but no sex! Refreshing viewing! It has class and is well worth the view at least once.
William Shakespeare would have been proud of this one. It was like Hamlet and King Lear crammed together and given a very Asian twist with a squeeze of very tart lemon, Shaken but not stirred, poured over VERY cold ice, and served with a lot of heart.
I had to give it a five star because it really was set against a very biased benchmark. Many do not appreciate foreign cinema unfairly but then again apples and oranges folks. I'm not very giving in my ratings. For example I hated the movie Babel for many reasons. Tripe like that should not pollute the silver screen. (Yes I did write a review of it and I hated it and wished I could give it NEGATIVE FIVE STARS for being such an unworthy pile of anti gun tripe!) This movie on the other hand had honor, betrayal, love (on several levels), sacrifice, treachery, and was not "Kung-Fu Cinema." The battles were very well and realistically done and the acting was not washed out or hokey. In a way it was sort of like Ran by Akira Kurisawa vaguely. If you appreciate good foreign cinema, Samurai classics, or just need to see something that is not like everything else, WATCH THIS!
The Koreans have been coming out swinging fists like nobody's business trying to show their chops at movie making. There is a Korean Animation called Yobi the Nine Tailed Fox (That is the American title. The Korean title is Yeu Woo Bie) which caught my attention with a vengance. Right now it is hard to find but it can be had. If you do not get misty eyes at the end of that one you are a heartless beast! Hang your head in shame! I had to buy it after finding it on accident. I think Korea is coming of age in cinema and look foreword to more from that nation in both movies and Animation!

AN EMPRESS AND THE WARRIORS

Let me say from the start of this that this is indeed a good movie, it is far from perfect but it is a good film. "An Empress and the Warriors" is a wonderfully done and shot some what epic war film that really is a romance at heart. That is kinda were the flaws are in this film, it did not pick what it wanted to be. Or better yet I feel that it failed in blending the different styles together perfectly. Still there is enough here that will keep you entertained including the always entertaining Donnie Yen. The story is of war, treachery, love, and honor, all things that could make a great film.

Tha Yan Kingdom is in the midst of a civil war between warlords and seems to be at the center of it all as we begin. At the moment the battle is with the Zhao Kingdom and like any good leader the King's are on the battle field as well. But it is in this opening battle that the king of Yan is injured and gives the leader ship reigns over to Murong Xuehu [Donnie Yen]. This angers Hu Ba [Guo Xiaodong] who is actually a blood relative of the king, he in turn kills the king in order to take over. But things get a little crazy in the Hall of Swords and Hu Ba does not agree with Murong being given the role of new king. Why you might ask even when the king gave him the leadership role, well because he has no royal blood. So in order to deflect all of this Murong gives the role as ruler over to Yan Feier [Kelly Chen], she is now the Empress but first she must be trained to do battle.

It is after her training that Hu Ba sends his warriors after her in the forest and is some what successful since she does not return to the kingdom. This of course puts the ruler title up for grabs if she is not found. During this time she is looked after by a mysterious man in the woods, this man is Duan Lanquan [Leon Lai]. This is where a romance starts to simmer underneath everything else and eventually drives the film. So the film kicks into many types of styles from here as the kingdom starts to crumble from betrayal and lack of a pure leader.

Now after reading all that I can assure you that there is even more going on here and that may be what keeps it from being great. Director Ching Siu Tang really knows how to craft a good action film and the camera department really did do an amazing job here. Before we get into anything else I have to say that there are some beautifully amazing shots in this film. Any way I feel like the script and the direction lacked a little when the romantic portions of the film were introduced. The film would have been much stronger as a straight action/drama, or a straight romantic/drama, if it would have made that choice I feel it would have been better. Still it is more than possible that they could have blended all of it together better, other films have, but they didn't.

Another thing I felt need work was the relation ship between Murong Xuehu and Yan Feier as well as Yan Feier and Duan Lanquan. First there is the brother/sister type relationship between Murong Xuehu and Yan Feier, when watching it I could see it was there but by the end it felt like it could have been so much more. Especially the end involving Murong Xuehu, it could have made that moment more powerful in my opinion. Now Yan Feier and Duan Lanquan is explored more since it is the romance in the film, but again it felt like it was not fully developed.

As for the good I have mentioned of course the action and the cinematography but the acting is good in this as well. Donnie Yen is very good in a dramatic role since he usually does not get these types, but I thought he did a great job, especially his characters curtain call. Leon Lai did a good job as the Empress's romantic interest and his character ended up being something special. Guo Xiaodong was particularly good as the evil Hu Ba and well every one was really good in this, elevating the film up with their performance.

In comes the lovely Kelly Chan as our lead Yan Feier, the newly crowned Empress. Now I will say before anything else about her I felt she did a good job with the role as well, but her character was not fully developed at the screenplay stage. I feel she did what she could with what was written, but the character could have been more. I understand she is a character that was not meant to take over as ruler so she should be getting beat down in training by Donnie Yen's character. I understand that I do but she should have been a little tougher or at least tougher looking by the end of it. Now I understand she needs to be the damsel in distress and be taken care of by Duan, but once again a little more toughness would have added to the believability of the character being an Empress.

Also the wonderful underlying story of treachery, betrayal, and conspiracy could have been explored more. But it never really reaches its full potential and once again could have been so much more. But for all you action guys the action in this film is really good and fun, gotta love those battles. This is a good movie regardless of how it sounds from previous statements and is not horrible at all. But you should go in without high expectations and you may enjoy it a little more. I have to admit I like a little more with each viewing. I do recommend this film to any fan of this kind or if you like me are collecting all of the Dragon Dynasty films even if [like me] you own original releases. The Dragon Dynasty release has a great making of and a wonderful commentary by Bey Logan.

The movie starts off with a decent premise but slowly turns sour. It goes from a war of kingdoms movie to a love story that never turns into anything. The plot doesn't really thicken it just stays flat and at most points in time it is just hard to keep watching. If you want to see a love story where a women decides between two men and one never really puts up a fight and she never really seems interested in that one then this is your movie. If not find a better Chinese dynasty film.