Red Cliff Movie

**Yun Dog** · 08-04-2009, 07:35

For all you Total War film lovers

This weekend I went and saw Red Cliff - set in ancient china (Three kingdoms)

the director used 100k PLA soldiers as extras

the battle scenes are truely EPIC with no CGI

of coarse it has the obligatory chinese heros who can take out 100 dudes and its all subtitles

BUT probably the best war movie I have seen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Cliff_(film)

oops and I just saw the movie review thread

sorry

**Veho Nex** · 08-04-2009, 18:44

I think this movie is too epic for the movie review thread!

By far one of the best renditions I've seen of the three kingdom era. With focus on the battle of red cliff(chi bi for the dw gamer fans) it drew my attention right away.

I very much liked it and the characters actually fit into what I thought they'd look like when I read the novels. 9.9/10 !

**Jolt** · 08-05-2009, 03:32

I saw it as well. As a great fan of the three kingdoms era I must say the movie sucked for me. I was hoping for an historical approach. For instance, sure, those golden shields were awesome, but heck, they made it look like the entire Earth turned into a lightbulb. Then, no Chang Ban bridge (NOOEES! That is the

best scene of the entire Liu Bei flight! Seeing the entire van of Cao Cao fleeing on one mighty roar.)

Zhuge Liang - is portrayed as NOT THE GREATEST GENIUS OF THE ENTIRE HISTORY, which is what made the character so awesome; his ability to predict everything everyone was going to do. He seems utterly average in his lines and overall skill. For that, we might as well have had Mi Zhu or Sun Qian visit Sun Quan instead. The best he ever had was in the super extreme light version of his debate with the Wu Civil Advisors. In any case, the guy to played him looks remarkably like the Asian version of Orland Bloom.
Zhou Yu wasn't exactly what I expected. I expected a more passionate character (One who gets furious multiple times throughout the Romance, mainly at hearing that Cao Cao wanted his wife, which made him decide to advise war, which btw, was a Zhuge Liang stratagem.), and not a rather expressionless Zhou Yu of the movie (Who barely managed to make a smile at Xiao Qiao). Still, it delivered well enough to me.
Liu Bei doesn't really appear that much. Curious to find him still weaving straw shoes, which is extremely strange. Weird how they the script writers focused on such a point. Other than that, we don't see much of the virtue Liu Bei is known for.
Zhao Yun kicks ass in the movie, albeit too much Dynasty Warriors.
Guan Yu is physically like the real person (Supposedly). Once again, too much Dynasty Warriors for my liking. Also, Guan Yu teaching kids to read/speak/whatever? HAHAHAHAHAHA. Priceless comedy.
Zhang Fei looks like a cave man which only starts yelling when Zhou Yu takes his pencil off something he was writing. (That's right. Late Han Chinese Generals wrote all the signs and banners of the empire.

the scribes and legions of talented poets and writers each warlord had under his protection).
Cao Cao is from my point of view the most well represented character in the movie. I found myself laughing with his jokes and agreeing with his points of view, even though I knew how wrong they were.
Lu Su is a bit too interventive for my liking.
Sun Quan also doesn't intervene that much, but captures his dilemma between surrender and war, well enough.
Xiao Qiao is... well, the girl is the most gorgeours model of that part of the world. Somehow, she looks kinda dumb in that role. Suppose that has to do with her inexperience in acting.

Then of course, the extremely wise decision of Cao Cao to escort his navy with his army, which I suppose, from his own side of the river. Then out of nowhere appears the army of Wu and (From here on, I just couldn't bear to continue watching the movie, but I still continued) the turtle formation and its elapsing battle is the most ridiculous scene I can remember of. Obviously that gigantic horde of horses would have rather trampled the soldiers with shields rather than being channeled to endless loops and smaller segments of line. Then the opening of shield-ranks to uncover several soldiers on one side and one of Shu's general's on the other side. Ugh.

Ah of course, the great Gan Xing. Of course, every one knows who he is.

**Yun Dog** · 08-05-2009, 03:53

Originally Posted by Jolt

I In any case, the guy to played him looks remarkably like the Asian version of Orland Bloom.

Trippy, my wife said exactly the same thing after we came out of the movie.

must be true

**aimlesswanderer** · 08-05-2009, 13:35

But did you see the drastically cut down version (for markets outside of Asia)? It was made as 2 movies (first one release last year), but they decided that non Asians couldn't hack that and turned into one cut down version. Needless to say plenty got cut out.

**Beefy187** · 08-05-2009, 14:12

I saw part 1.

As my knowledge on the three kingdoms was limited to a quick read on a novel, and a bit of PS2 game, I couldn't spot any fishy misinterpretation or historical inaccuracy of the movie. Except my image of Liu Bei was always a handsome young fellow.

Anyway, I loved the movie. The action spectacle and the good old Chinese style Cinematography if thats the word, is just amazing. The movie was beautiful, stylish and worth every minute you sit and watch.

I'm eager to watch part 2

**Jolt** · 08-05-2009, 16:35

Originally Posted by aimlesswanderer

But did you see the drastically cut down version (for markets outside of Asia)? It was made as 2 movies (first one release last year), but they decided that non Asians couldn't hack that and turned into one cut down version. Needless to say plenty got cut out.

Nah, saw part 1. The one where it ends with Cao Cao's fleet slowly parking right across the river where Zhou and Zhuge were.

**aimlesswanderer** · 08-06-2009, 07:27

Good, it is difficult to find the separate parts outside of Asia, which is a pity. One movie reviewer here said that the single movie was like joining the 3 Lord of the Rings movies and then cutting it in half.