Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants

This version of Guo Jing is truly a surprise! A righteous Han face, a strong Mongolian physique, riding horses and commanding eagles on the grasslands, speaking Mongolian. This is the first time I've seen Nine Yin Manual and Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms visualized so vividly-it was absolutely thrilling to watch! The entire movie can be described as an epic, immersive martial arts world! Honestly, Director Tsui Hark made the perfect choice for Guo Jing! I also teared up watching it this morning. No one else could play Guo Jing as perfectly as he did. Xiao Zhan is truly Hero Guo Jing! 👍🏼 You should watch this movie - it's absolutely worth it!

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.

Meaningful, fast-paced movie, with breathtaking sceneries.

Story's ultimate focus on Guo Jing's inner struggle, and how he coped with the conflicts between Song (his ancestral homeland) and Mongolia (where he was raised by a loving royal family).

Ending has a beautiful meaning for present times --- when there's so much war and hate.

(Real heroes are not about muscles and power, but about the heart for the greater good of the people.)

*** Tips for NON-Mandarin speakers: To appreciate the story details, you need some prior-background knowledge of Guo Jing, or you may find yourself too focused on the captions and miss a lot in this fast-paced (with various flashbacks) movie.

A decent theater is a MUST for the stunning sceneries and effect.

*** ***

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.

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.