Great!
Dragon Inn is one of my favorite movies (Maggie Cheung!). This is a sequel of sorts with much of the action taking place in the same inn. References are made to the first film, and there are some similarities in the plots. I'm a great fan of HK martial arts films, and this one satisfied in every respect, story, cinematography (3D!), acting and action. Tsui Hark directed. Jet Li did much of the heavy lifting in the action department, but all of the actors and actresses made significant contributions. The ladies are very lovely and very lethal. (Would we want them any other way?) This is being billed as the first HK actioner in 3D, and the 3D is used very effectively. The same 3D cameras James Cameron uses were used filming this apparently. Another first I'm sure is a fight sequence inside a tornado. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like that before. So, to sum up, the film is highly recommended if you're into this kind of movie or if you're looking for a good addition to...
Convoluted and bogged down by sloppy special effects
It's been 23 years since Jet Li has worked with Tsui Hark and you'd expect something with better results or at least a final product that doesn't feel so cluttered. At times, it's difficult to distinguish the difference between the heroes and the villains. During the time of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor's eunuchs came into power and divided themselves into the East Bureau and the West Bureau. Eunuchs in both bureaus abused their power and were notorious for being some of the most corrupt individuals around, but the West Bureau was the more feared of the two. Stuck in the middle is a vigilante named Zhou Huai'an (Li), a skilled swordsman who rejects both Bureaus and desires order to be restored to the royal throne.
That summary doesn't sound all that complicated, but once Dragon Gate and its innkeepers are introduced along with Zhang Xiao Wen (Kwai Lun-mei) and her tribe and the wandering Gu Shaotang (Li Yuchun) and her traveling partner Wind Blade (Chen Kun) who looks...
Doesn't disappoint!
I watched the original New Dragon Gate Inn a long time ago and that was a great film as well with excellent actors back then. Maggie Cheung, Brigitte Lin, Tony Leung, Donnie Yen...the original had an amazing cast with some solid actors that it'd be hard to outdo it. I wasn't sure what to expect with this version going in but I figured it wouldn't be exactly the same. I much prefer the story line of this one. It was similar in some areas but not really. There were characters in this version that wasn't present in the original but it was done well. The film was beautifully shot with some wonderful scenic views and was just pretty to watch. I had the Blu-ray so the movie was super crisp and clear. I didn't realize that this movie was filmed in 3d at first but the effects were still great in 2d. You can definitely tell how it will look in 3d in some areas but the CGI was done very well. I watched a ton of Asian cinema growing up since I'm Asian, and I love wuxia movies. I love...
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