Customer Reviews

Jade Warrior

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

 

 

Jade Warrior, inspired by the myth and majesty of the Kalevala, tells the tale of a love-struck hero fighting against the restrictions of modern life and searching for love beyond time and place. In the course of his journey to be reunited with his love, he re-discovers his true origin, his skill as a warrior, and his unique destiny. Based on the Finnish national epic Kalevala, the film traverses modern day Finland and ancient China, where the battle against evil is underway. It's an epic love story about the battle between good and evil. It's a great combination of fantasy and kung fu.

Jade Warrior is an imaginative, visually impressive motion picture, which was completed by creating special effects never before witnessed in Finnish cinema. The effects include skillful fighting scenes, breathtakingly beautiful scenery as well as magnificent crowd scenes. However, this is not an action film, wu xia or otherwise - this is a fantasy-drama, with a couple of action sequences thrown in. If you're expecting the Finnish version of 'HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS', you'll be disappointed. Despite the director's love of the genre, he has only included touches of it, instead, fantasy and drama are at the forefront. The idea behind the narrative, that fate will catch up with those who try and escape it, is not particularly original, but its transposition to the Kalevala and China is and, it works well.

Jade Warrior, the first-ever Sino-Finnish co-production, was one of the most exciting cross-cultural film adventures of 2006. As a Canadian, I'm happy to note that it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in Sept. 2006.

Jade Soturi, is the film's name in Finnish. This is a truly remarkable film that has an imaginative original story that is inspired by the Finnis national epic known as The Kalevala. The link between the Finnish Kalevala and the Eastern Chinese/Tibetan is the legendary object known as "The Sampo" which is a prominent motif in the Finnish oral epic and there is also a Tibetan Buddhist concept of the same name. This film explores that link between those cultures. The acting is quite sublime and the story is more so. The story are several nice twists and turns to it that I won't ruin be mentioning in this review. If you want to watch a film that is free of Hollywood cliches than this is one that you will certainly enjoy.

I was looking for action and martial arts and ended up with this strange movie. It turns out to be a wannabe Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon style movie but with no plot and flashback scenes that get confusing. While there was a certain artistry to it, the plot was weak and centers around a story that never really makes sense or comes together in any climactic way. I kept hoping watching and waiting for something to happen but it never did. I wouldn't recommend it unless you are having difficulty sleeping and need to sedate yourself.

How to classify this work?


equal parts The KalevalaThe Kalevala: The Epic Poem of Finland the bride with white hair The Bride with White Hair and a chinese ghost story Chinese Ghost Story it blends the Finnish creation myth with Chinese Wuxia swords & sorcery, incorporating elements of karma, reincarnation and ancient forces at work in the modern world.

I'd like to say it works completely, but it left me with a sense of something 'not-quite-perfect' about the whole thing, like a meal with an ingredient missing that makes it all fall just slightly short of being truly satisfying. Having said that however, it is an intriguing mix of themes, styles, influences and cultures that's, in my opinion at least, well worth a try.

this movie had some good scenes in it, but the title & the content of this movie is misleading. wouldnt have bought it if had preview the actual movie.

There is quite a bit to be said about Jade Warrior, but I think that it's most important to first acknowledge that the movie is not a simple martial arts flick. I love martial arts movies, and also movies that make you really think, like Memento for example, and this movie does have some great fight scenes but they are not the primary focus. The movie is primarily about a Finnish blacksmith, his struggle with indecision and the acceptance of his fate but there is so much more that it demands repeated viewings to fully understand.

The movie is beautifully filmed and the actors give amazing performances, the director did a fine job of blending aspects of myths from Finland and East China into an enticing story that leaves the viewer on the edge of their seat. I found it very original, and hopeful, that the hero spoke with the demon in a very calm manner despite the situation that he found himself in.

i loved this movie. this is not a movie built on action but on intellect. the fight scenes are minimal because the real action is in the mind and heart. i found the storyline involving the combined finnish and chinese mythology fascinating as i had never heard of it before. in stories a hero's journey is mostly internal and i thought this movie displayed that quite well. for me it was a well balanced mix of action and intellect. i feel it is on par with movies such as crouching tiger, hidden dragon and hero.

if all you are interested in is action, action, action then this is not the movie for you. but if you admire the true spirit of martial arts then i think you might enjoy this film.

the wise jedi master yoda would understand this movie while the young impetuous luke skywalker would find it boring...

This film is for the more sophisticated fan of martial and foreign cinema. It deals with past life regression, alchemy, fantasy, swordplay and crossing cultures. I found it to be creative and intriguing. It is a little slow. It is not for the old school chopsocky fan. It also weaves a tasteful love story into the plot so you can watch it with your girlfriend. Requires attention span and a stronger mind to appreciate.

First I have to say how exciting it is for me to watch any Finnish movie. I see my share of Dutch, Norwegian and Swedish stuff--but never Finn!

This film treats with a primary subject matter for Finns, especially eastern frontier Finnish people: The "Kalevala", tales of the origins of the Finnish people. In this epic, there features a smith who pines for a wife: he is told by the gods he can have one if he forges a "Sampo", which is a hallowed object akin to the Ark of the Covenant. I'd guess it is a canister, comprised of rings (and in some cases filled with actual finger rings), designed to hold the souls of the Finnish race. This reflects the ring-quest mythology which includes the Finnish "Kalevala".

This film, as rare as a thylocine sighting, is a Chinese-Finnish endeavor. The Chinese (claiming this in the film) also seem to share a similar tale, and even share the term "SAMPO" (something like "Sheng-fu" in Chinese). If you've ever seen Finnish people, they do look a bit Chinese. Kind of like a nation of Keanu Reeves clones, except the girls are much more beautiful and there are lots of blondes.

In this story, a modern ironsmith Kai, played by the stunning Tommi Eronen, is contacted by government archeologist/spy Oscar Berg (Markku Peltola). Berg, along with his female partner, have found the Sampo in a dig dating back 4,000 years. What stuns them most is the appearance of Chinese writing on it. They have also found a mummy - and here the spoilers end. Apparently, through alchemical machinations I don't care to explain, the Sampo "reacts" to Kai's hair.

Hand it to the Finns: they put a whole new twist on reincarnation here that I just love, but it is as hard to follow as the Theory of Relativity. In fact it is apparently inspired by the Theory.

Tommi Eronen plays a double bill: he is also the ancient Chinese warrior-monk Sintai, a wandering soul whose mother was Finnish. Sintai runs around with the original Sampo but it isn't clear whether or not he made it. It is possible his father made it, but then there is confusion about reincarnation. Seems Finns regard an earlier incarnation as "father" to the later incarnation. In a way, reincarnation and ghost tales intermingle here. The way the film weaves between 2,000 B.C. and the modern day is rather fascinating. Not just anyone could pull of such a terrific cinematic trick.

And in fact modern Finland in some locations looks ancient. What looks bad, at least to my eyes, are the depictions of ancient China. There are some gripping scenes but otherwise it looks like they invited a bunch of Chinese to film in a bunch of old Finnish buildings.

Then again, how do I know whether or not ancient tribal China looked like that? Maybe it did! I love the scene at the inn, with Sintai eating quietly while the rest of the folks consult with the village elder. I'd love to get my hands on a pair of chopsticks like Sintai's.

Most interesting, though, is "Kalevala" tales have to do with the connexion shared by ringsmiths, smiths in general, metallurgists and alchemists: all seen as highly regarded sorcerers. Several scenes set in the modern time show some magical aura surrounding poor Kai, who is so distraught he has already tried killing himself. Though the Kalevala's heroes are not named as characters here, I like the ring-smith-metal-hallowed-object quest narrated here.

The martial arts scenes are unimpressive because I sense the director did not know how to film them--they should have really worked well but they fall flat. It is somewhat compensated-for: admiring Tommi Eronen's exquisite acting, along with his physical beauty, is well worth it. His silken voice rarely betrays emotions, but his eyes are incomparable. As I said, people may note a resemblance to Keanu around Tommi's eyes, but all resemblance ends there. In Tommi's beautiful eyes I see the true saying, "The eyes are not the windows of the soul, but the doors."

And since this film falls into the category of a "ring" quest in general, I find Tommi Eronen so magical, so otherworldly that it really compensates for any weaknesses in the film. As I say, it is a good film all in all.

As to the rest, do not even try to follow the plotline of this Sampo-Ancient-Chinese-Reincarnation-Ring-quest movie. 'Tis harder than fathoming THE LORD OF THE RINGS. It's more than exciting enough that they had the courage to try it. One final word: this transfer is spectacular and the disc is clean. The specials are a bit thin, but interesting.

The user reviews for this are all over the board. But it seems, almost totally, that those that didn't care for it all responded to the fact they thought they were in for a martial arts movie which this is not. Shame on the marketers. This is a legend based film with otherworldly aspects that is good, but in a decidedly un-Hollywood fashion.

Here's the scoop. A not very good Finnish blacksmith is sent back to pre-dynasty China to battle a demon and open a cleverly fabricated chest that will fulfill his destiny. This is a bit loose but I don't wish to spoil.

This is a Finnish, Chines co-production. It's a good story with good characters. And though it has it's feet partly planted in fantasy, it doesn't go for the big Hollywood look or feel. The colors aren't over-saturated and the shot compositions aren't designed to pull your eyes out of their sockets. It has a quieter look but still very nice. The few fight scenes that are there are choreographed and shot well. The story is a bit involved and not dummed down for the audience. You need to pay attention to keep everything in focus. There is a very ironic ending and maybe they could have used a bit of the old Hollywood punch there but it's still satisfying.

This is a nifty flick in every way. As long as you're not expecting a butt kicking martial arts film, and maybe something more like "Crouching Tiger" you'll probably like this.