Movie Review: Hero

by Scot

Hero, A new movie released by Miramax, is not for those looking to sit back, relax, and enjoy a couple of hours of mindless entertainment--the movie demands your attention. The entire movie is in Mandarin (Chinese) with English subtitles, which have the habit of disappearing before you get a chance to read them. Furthermore the plot is complex, and can be hard to follow if you’re not paying attention. That being said, Hero is a truly beautiful film and worth seeing for the cinematography alone. The plot is composed of one story told from three different viewpoints, and each viewpoint has its own color theme and mood. The shots that director Zhang Yimou uses all have an incredible beauty to them that is unlike any American movie I have ever seen. His shots are very simple, often containing only one color on the entire screen, but at the same time very complex. The plot is good, provided you like eastern philosophy; otherwise it can be a little slow. The fight scenes are well choreographed, provided you don’t mind the lack of realism.  In conclusion Hero is well worth seeing, provided you have to mental energy to keep up with the subtitles. Of course, you could always ignore the subtitles and just enjoy Zhang Yimou’s beautiful shots and scenery, which are really what make Hero worth watching in the first place.