Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is one of my favourite movies of all time, so I was naturally thrilled when I heard that a sequel was finally being made. But then, as details emerged about Sword of Destiny (modest budget, Ang Lee and Zhang Ziyi not returning, switching the language from Chinese to English, limited theatrical release), I knew it wouldn't measure up to its predecessor. I adjusted my expectations accordingly and that's probably the key to enjoy this movie. Forget that it's a supposed sequel to that stunning masterpiece, otherwise you're heading for a bitter disappointment.
Sword of Destiny veers considerably towards being a much more generic, fantasy-flavoured martial arts flick, but if you embrace it as such, it's not that bad, at all. The parallels with Star Wars (love vs. duty, good warrior monks vs. evil ones á la Jedi vs. Sith, extremely talented 'chosen ones' with clouded future) are just as apparent here as they were in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but this time with a bit of Lord of the Rings (and Seven Samurai) thrown into the mix, as well. (I love both Star Wars and LOTR, so these are always welcome for me.) The visuals are actually a lot better than I expected. The movie looks beautiful, and in parts, it does have poetic qualities and a sense of grand scope, despite the overall feel of a made-for-TV picture. I know it sounds contradictory, but that was my impression.
What surprised me the most was the great epic potential of the story. Don't get me wrong, Sword of Destiny never realises that potential, but it does pique your interest. It makes you want to read Wang Dulu's pentalogy, to know more about the characters that the movie unfortunately fails to make you care about, and the backstories it touches upon too briefly. It is too condensed, too rushed, and it does contain some cheap clichés (especially in the final battle). It's not that there are too many or too long action sequences. They are fine as they are (and again, very well-choreographed). The rest is missing - that wonderful, epic story that is only suggested here. Now, if there was a three-hour director's cut I'd definitely want to see it. But that's just a dream.
Sword of Destiny veers considerably towards being a much more generic, fantasy-flavoured martial arts flick, but if you embrace it as such, it's not that bad, at all. The parallels with Star Wars (love vs. duty, good warrior monks vs. evil ones á la Jedi vs. Sith, extremely talented 'chosen ones' with clouded future) are just as apparent here as they were in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but this time with a bit of Lord of the Rings (and Seven Samurai) thrown into the mix, as well. (I love both Star Wars and LOTR, so these are always welcome for me.) The visuals are actually a lot better than I expected. The movie looks beautiful, and in parts, it does have poetic qualities and a sense of grand scope, despite the overall feel of a made-for-TV picture. I know it sounds contradictory, but that was my impression.
What surprised me the most was the great epic potential of the story. Don't get me wrong, Sword of Destiny never realises that potential, but it does pique your interest. It makes you want to read Wang Dulu's pentalogy, to know more about the characters that the movie unfortunately fails to make you care about, and the backstories it touches upon too briefly. It is too condensed, too rushed, and it does contain some cheap clichés (especially in the final battle). It's not that there are too many or too long action sequences. They are fine as they are (and again, very well-choreographed). The rest is missing - that wonderful, epic story that is only suggested here. Now, if there was a three-hour director's cut I'd definitely want to see it. But that's just a dream.