Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants

A new work directed by Tsui Hark, based on Jin Yong's famous novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. I have watched it 4 times in these 3 days, and I have new feelings every time. Although I have read the novel countless times and watched the two Hong Kong versions of the TV series, perhaps because I was still young when I watched them, I really didn't focus on the chivalrous aspect. This time, Tsui Hark put a lot of emphasis on expressing the chivalrous spirit of the original novel through each of the main characters, and with the addition of outstanding special effects, he was able to present the martial arts described in the book in a more three-dimensional manner on the big screen. I was really moved after watching it. There are fewer and fewer directors who are so serious nowadays.

It was a feast of visual delight. From the color palettes to the dramatic lighting, no details were spared. There are new experimentation that Tsui Hark has put in, so while it brings back the memories of the peak of the Hong Kong film era, it is still fresh and dynamic. The action sequences are particularly interesting, with a mix of martial arts, wire fu and now CGI, but yet not forgetting actual real world physics, bringing us an exhilarating choreography. Kudos to the actors, who definitely put in a lot of hard work to create such fluid action sequences. As a Louis Cha fan, I am very satisfied with this adaptation.

It was released in the UK as well, I saw it and it was really good. I'm already planning to go for a second shoot. Some of the scenes were very touching. The cinematography, the pacing and the bgm are all so beautiful. The film is so romantic with the hero and heroine. The martial arts are very combustible, the fights are very cool. But the core of the film is love & peace, it's an anti-war film. Powerful strength will be used to eliminate war and protect the weak. Moreover, the film emphasises that people who are powerful should have a heart of compassion. Such people are the real heroes. Regardless of countries and nations, mankind is a community of destiny.

Tsui Hark does not disappoint me. Its staging is wonderful and the landscapes of northern China are beautiful.

The aerial and ground shots are incredible. You can see the emotion in every scene presented.

This proposal by Tsui Hark is novel and its characters are very well chosen.

This time the modern Guo Jing does not present himself as the fool described in the books, but gradually grows in knowledge and evolves in thought, because he is intelligent.

The performance of all the characters is artistic and very well presented. The martial arts of this movie are interesting; they do not always show the violence seen in some film genres, but they form a philosophy to show that not everything is war and resentment.

Very good and I recommend it.

The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants is a great film for any fan of the wuxia genre or martial arts movies in general!

Some aspects about the movie that are especially noteworthy in my eyes:

• The great performance by everyone, but especially by Xiao Zhan as Guo Jing, Zhuang Dafei as Huang Rong, Zhang Wenxin as Hua Zheng, and Baya'ertu as Genghis Khan. They all portrayed their characters convincingly and made them easily likable for the audience.

• The high amount of Mongolian spoken in the movie gave the movie a more authentic feeling.

• The fight scenes a felt so smooth and flawless, easily moving from filmed material to CGI without barely an indication where one ends and other begins. It's truly amazing. The fight scenes themselves look masterfully, and the dedication of the cast and crew shines through.

• The movie includes unexpected subtle or ironic humour at times, which I really liked.

• The cinematography of the movie is stunning, and the music is simple amazing.

The movie doesn't aim to re-invent the wheel but tells a visually beautiful story with a lot of heart, great performances and a timeless theme, wonderfully captured by the master of the wuxia genre Tsui Hark.

If the movie has one flaw that helps it to reach a 10/10, then it's the nature of it being only a snapshot in Guo Jing's life that requires the movie to establish a lot of context in a very short amount of time. The movie could have been even bolder in leaving more elements of its literal model out in orders to focus on the core of the story it wants to tell.

All in all, the movie deservedly has become the highest box office wuxia movie ever in chinese movie history!