Hero [Ying Xiong] (2002)
September 7th, 2004 at 10:39 am (4 - Good)
I first heard about Hero (2002) when it set records for most expensive movie produced in China as well as overseas box-office records in 2002. It was with pained agony that I had to wait two years to see it on a US Screen. It was well worth the wait.
Hero is a movie that is truly deserving of the adjective ‘epic’ and is not only worth watching but very much deserving of being seen in a movie theater with a large, clear screen and a top notch sound system. From the breathtaking panoramic shots of the Chinese desert to the poetic close-ups of rainwater slowly accumulating to drop before battling heroes the cinematography alone is worth the price of admission. I would recommend arriving at the theater early so you may claim a seat close to the screen in order to be fully enveloped by the visuals. The melancholic accompaniment of Itzhak Perlman’s expert treatment of stringed instruments as well as rich choral and percussion tempo added to the battles demand a submersion into the soundscape of the movie.
Though it may seem cliché to compare Hero to it’s older brother Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), this earlier film provides the best frame of reference for US audiences into the rich mythos of the formation of modern China. At times Hero seems to try to hard to stick to the formula which proved so successful to it’s predecessor, but adopting the same themes while adding a unique attention to beautiful detail works well and succeeds in making a rounded and rich world.
There has been much praise among the aficionados of Asian cinema for Jet Li’s appearance in Hero, and indeed the seasoned actor did not disappoint nor did his skilled co-horts Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung and Ziyi Zhang who many may recognize from her leading role in Crouching Tiger. I was especially impressed though with the performance by Daoming Chen who manages to find a richness of emotion in the relatively passive part of the King of Qin.
Hero is not a perfect movie, nor will it appeal to everyone. If you enjoyed Crouching Tiger or the other Chinese Myth movies (The Bride with White Hair (1993), A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)) you will likely take great pleasure from Hero. If you are new to this genre I would recommend watching the trailer, it is a very accurate taste of what you will experience on screen. If you do decide to see the movie, try to catch it on a big screen if you can.
Mari said,
September 8, 2004 at 11:35 am
Wow, that looks good! *runs off to find where it’s playing*
Nick said,
September 12, 2004 at 8:58 pm
Finally saw it. I enjoyed it, though it can be a bit slow, slower than Crouching Tiger and much slower than something like Iron Monkey. But it is a gorgeous film. I don’t know if the ending is truly satisfying or not. I’d say I prefer Crouching Tiger.
Rho said,
February 28, 2005 at 11:39 am
Loved it
Not a huge plot but thats not always why u watch this kind of thing
The photography was 2nd to none
Yrael said,
June 6, 2005 at 3:07 pm
Heh, well at least it had a better plot than Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, if you understood everything in there… it also helps if you know Chinese. They attempt to translate it into English smoothly for the subtitles, so a lot of the meaning is lost. For example… what was it they said at the end? Our land? or my country or something like that? THe literal translation is… beneath the sky. It’d mean something closer to ‘our world’ or ‘humanity’.
The plot to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was really shallow. No offense if you don’t think this way, but the majority of Americans seem to like shallow plots. It’s a love story with special effects. Wooooo.
bishnu tamuli said,
June 17, 2005 at 2:43 am
colour, sound, panoramic view,performents …
excilent movies
Jamie said,
June 28, 2005 at 5:19 am
It’s contraversial (is that spelt right?
Why is there a misconception that all films must run by the same synopsis of shallow everyday storylines which audiences can relate to?
Hero is different, its all about the art colour and cinematography of every shot.
Simply beautiful, anyone who didn’t enjoy it are the wrong sort of person to criticise films in the first place.
Alex said,
February 17, 2006 at 7:13 am
One of my all time favorites! It is a fantastic movie! much better than Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. The genious of Christopher Doyle makes the photography a piece of art. The martial art scenes are not made too central in the movie, which is a good thing. ANd the plot is great so refined with these multiple visions of the story which gives us the opportunity to see Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung at there best. I just can’t stop watching it and the soundtrack is in my Ipod.
disturbed one said,
March 3, 2006 at 12:15 pm
I really loved watching that movie. I think I liked the idea with these different colors best, because like that it was easier to understand which vision of the story was told.
It was awesome.
Can’t say no more… just: Wow…
lilly said,
April 7, 2006 at 5:36 pm
this is truly a epic masterpice this is also the best chinness movie that has been translated well it might not have the best translations well i know my movies and this was the best movie i have ever seen
this i think had a lot of similarity with house of the flying daggers
well it also has it’s flaws it is the bes movie out there
well with real meaning anyways
Myself said,
July 2, 2006 at 1:16 pm
It’s awesome awesome!!!! I see it all the times I can. All of Yous sayed it all, so I’m gonna say something differen: I didn’t like when the Emperor says”Finally someone understands what I really want to do(or something like that)”. For the rest it’s the best!!!!!!!
Of what Yrael said: Sword wrote on the sand Our Land. That’s why at the end it says Our Land. do’h
Love all lovers
Hero said,
October 20, 2006 at 2:03 am
Hallo, sprechen sie Deutsch?
Hello, Do you speak Germany?
Prof_Bab said,
January 16, 2007 at 6:31 pm
I almost cryied at this movie, and I don’t cry.
I think it’s very touching if you understand it.
Besides the things you *see* and hear, the movie has a wonderful message & ideea.
Beautiful
amnuale said,
January 18, 2008 at 5:57 am
i stated about this film first iteel jet li abest actor
amnuale said,
January 25, 2008 at 5:09 am
it is abest film why did come ethopia jet li he is abest actor it alone jet li chinese film boring
imagine said,
January 28, 2008 at 12:34 am
its the best movie, i had to whatch it twice to understand it. its such an inspiring movie.. it makes me want to be like the people in it. if you havn’t seen it i would. it might be a bit slow for some people and probably isn’t a movie for immature kids.
Storm said,
July 21, 2008 at 11:49 am
This movie was a masterpiece.
Shallow-minded people can’t appreciate it, ecuase there’s so much symbolism in it.
It’s one of the best Chinese films ever, showing the honour of self-sacrifice for a higher cause.
With the exception of Romeo/Juliet suicide and other stuff, it’s an excellent film for more-adult range, because kids only like the fighting, and then find it boring. (They’re right about the fighting though. It was unbelievable!)