Althought the average moviegoer will mainly watch movies coming out of Hollywood, there are a lot of very good movies made in other countries. The past couple of years I really started appreciating South Korean films. Movies like My Sassy Girl, Old Boy, The Host of No Mercy are just some examples of movie I really liked. The Chinese movie industry has also a lot of amazing films. Most people will know Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but there are tons of other movies to check out like Hero, Curse of the Golden Flower and the many Ip Man films. I have to admit that I should be watching more Chinese made movies, but it is something I don’t get around to often because there is such an overwhelming supply of movies I want to check out.
Saving General Yang is based on old Chinese folkore and is about General Yang who is trapped behind enemy lines. His seven sons decide to save him. This leads to a couple of big fights with enemy soldiers. A wise man has made a prediction which could have huge impact on the brothers and the question is whether this prediction will become a reality. This is a movie about family ties, courage and revenge. Will the brother succeed in saving their father and returning him home safely?
Even though this movie looks beautiful, with fantastic costumes and impressive battlefield (part computer generated), it simply does not spend enough time on each individual brother (they are called brother 1 to 7). They all have their specialities, but there isn’t one of them who is memorable. The various fights they have mostly do not work because of the way they were shot. A lot of the fightscenes are filmed up close resulting in fights where it is not exactly clear what is happening. Fights should be exciting to watch, but because you do not always know what is happening it doesn’t offer that. Saving General Yang therefore disappointed me. It has a couple of beautiful moments, but it is not on the level of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
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