The Promise

We are as an audience used to impressive visuals from cinema, and lingering high contrast cinematography is almost the hallmark of the high budget eastern fantasy that has followed Crouching Tiger.

These are however, generally saved for set pieces, openings, closings, major dramatic points. What I'm not used to, what was initially rather jarring in watching this film is that every scene, every shot, every frame has been constructed as if it were an individual piece of art. And it looks phenomenal.

It never lets up, never trails off once it’s done the job of impressing you. It’s positively overwhelming in its opulence. It's hugely impressive and must have taken tremendous endurance from everyone involved.

If I felt the need to complain I would point to the rather underdeveloped characters and somewhat watery plot, a fantasy affair concerning the nature of fate and personal destiny. I find it hard to mark it down on these points though. It made me think of 300 and the way they'd fashioned a living comic, where plot and character were backdrop for visuals, symbolism and bold motifs. They’re simplistic rather than flawed, caricatured for reasons of efficiency, that they don’t detract from the films aim. To stun you with its looks.