Review: The Myth

I watched it already, and have gone to the moviehouse twice (which means I have paid twice to watch the movie)... but I'm going to watch it still again. That's how good the movie is for me.
What is the story for me?
Jackie Chan plays the role of an archaeologist who [seems to] have lived as a Qin dynasty general. The archaeologist is pulled into an adventure not through his own desire, but through his friend's motive of discovering the secret of anti-gravity phenomenon. In doing so, he gets to follow some steps about the general whom he is always dreaming about, as well as the mysterious princess which the general is protecting. In the end, the two personalities played by Jackie Chan - General Meng-Yi and archaeologist Jack Chan - inconclusively reveal that they are two completely different personalities... Neither is Dr. Jack Chan a descendant nor an exact reincarnation of General Mang Yi.
(I would have thought this way if the movie ends with a direct experiential recollection on Dr. Chan's part, but instead, he categorically denied the connection to the general and even devalued the general's value to the princess.)
In the end, the two characters have been unified through the millenia-lasting life of Princess Ok-Soo, who loved General Meng-Yi all throughout the ages. The quest for material and earthly desire has been the fall of the people, and some myths are better left as such.
Technicals
The film has a lot of neutral to mid-negative reviews, but I am amazed that they took the time to give a review on this one. Hmmm. Try Yahoo and use "jackie chan movie the myth," and you will see what I mean.
For me, the special effects is just appropriate. After all, I would consider that the target audience of this one is not the Westerners who run after light sabers deflecting laser (read: travelling at the speed of light) beams, but Asians that go for values and virtues. The content of violence (and gore) is something you might see in a Dragonball cartoon, not from a Spongebob. For an Asian, I believe this is an awesome movie.
Considering the cultural gap, however, I find that the role of Princess Ok-Soo (Kim Hee Seon) is not properly established. To a Filipino (like me), I only considered the possibility of Ok-Soo's character as a non-Chinese due to the selection of the artist and when I noticed the Hee-Seon's name. I must confess, I don't even know that Hee-Seon is a Korean. I only thought of her name being odd for a Chinese, and I know that Kim is familiar among Koreans. That was about the only clue which gave me the idea that Ok-Soo is not exactly a Chinese. To a layperson, they might be confused why there is a need for a princess to be given to another kingdom's leader as a concubine. History and cultural sensitivity would be tested here among the audience (and of course, what do you expect of the critics who give evaluations without understanding the meaning behind the message). Reading about The Chinese Secret Service and Sun Tzu's Art of War helped me a lot, as well as some general understanding of Asian values.
Anyway, this is a technicals part, so let's go to the technical points.
Sound track - affecting. They blend well with the images and the situation, and enhances the feeling (thus, the word affecting) of the audience.
Performance - I have seen two reviews giving non-positive evaluation on Jackie Chan's roles in this movie - that is, being a familiar Jackie Chan that plays while fighting, and the serious General Meng-Yi who has the wisdom and tradition of his dynasty. Those two seem to say that Jackie Chan here is trying hard. Hmm. I don't know. Although I must confess that considering how old Jackie Chan is in the movie industry (he started with Bruce Lee at least more than a decade ago), it is only a bit challenging for him to switch character role. He was able to play the role of a Chinese general pretty well. Kim Hee-Seon, playing the role of a princess who has been a given as a concubine, acted her role impressively as well. Why impressively? Well, what do you expect of a princess of one kingdom in a royal court (it is not as easy as one imagines) to be a concubine? For her character, I would suppose that even a simple soldier would have impressed her, but early on her meeting with General Meng-Yi, she saw the character he showed in contrast with another fierce fighter (a general who insists she is bethrothed to him). Then the general risked everything to save you? What do you expect of her? Drama should also be taken in its proper context. In this line, I would like to point out also that Stanley Tong captured the heart of the Asian moviegoer with an adequate dose of history blended in the drama.
Sound Effects - Just about ordinary. Good that in the moviehouse where I watched, there was no problem with sounds or playing of the film.
Values - There is a question about why was supergeneral Meng-Yi given a superhorse. Why not? Also, this is not a movie about human weaknesses, but about human strengths (why would you entitle a movie 'myth' if the reality is about human perception of weakness?). The Asian does not strive for human side of superheroes (which is nowadays prevalent in Western superhero portrayals, such as Smallville, Batman and Spider-Man), but what human strength can achieve. Westerners seem to seek excuse for failure or sin, Asians understand the weakness but fight to be victors.
Favorites
I have three favorite scenes in the film. My most favorite is the ice mountain scene, when Ok-Soo discovered Meng-Yi frozen standing guard for her. After saving her life with his own dual sacrifice (he chose to surrender his sword, almost a disgrace for an Asian general, than to continue fighting the two remaining enemy soldiers), Ok-Soo returns the favor by saving his life from certain death with the warmth of her body.


Ok-Soo's dance after the mountain. The music is excellent. I am just wondering if it is Korean or Chinese...

Lastly, there is the challenge for the two protagonists to fulfill their responsibilities or to give in to their personal desires. In a Western movie, this would have been played with something like, "How about me?" Here, although the two characters have similar personal desires, one person opted to correct the situation for the general good, and the other agreed out of love.

Here in the Philippines
I am sad about the unimpressive marketing here in the Philippines. Actually, I had no plan of watching the movie when I thought about it. I watched it last Friday so that I could watch another movie (Pride) with a friend the next day - I am glad I watched it that day because I watched it twice that day. The next day, I did not watch Pride. I watched The Myth again.
Questions
There are just some questions I have on the story... I mean, I think a side-story could be made without destroying the essence created here. There is a good opportunity for a sequel. Hmmm.. I just wonder...
For some links about the movie, I have set some links on my previous post.