This week, as we are in the midst of the 15 days of celebration for Chinese New Year, I wanted to take a look at the entertainingly bad Chinese historical adventure film "Dragon Blade" (2015):
In this world, is the destiny of mankind controlled by some transcendental entity or law? Is it like the hand of God hovering above? At least it is true that man has no control; even over his own will.
This is a work of historical fiction, with a strong emphasis on "fiction".
no killing rule
childish
surprisingly no bad
twists and turns in the plot
Jackie Chan plays the captain of the Han Chinese government's Silk Road Protection Squad (even though there was no such thing), John Cusack plays the Roman general of the "Black Eagle Corps" (even though Roman military units were not organized into corps), and Adrien Brody plays the son of Marcus Licinius Crassus, who murders his father to become Consul of Rome (even though that's not how Crassus died or though Consul was not a heretitary position).
there are also many, many, many other liberties taken
it's a Chinese imagining of Ancient Rome, like the portrayals of Native Americans in old westerns.
one of China's most expensive films
cheesy hammy overacted
terrible editing
And so begins this ripping yarn that masterfully combines an epic dark fantasy narrative, ridiculously awesome action and philosophical musings! An adaptation of the best-selling manga with the same name, "Berserk" follows a young mercenary named Guts as he (literally) carves his way through a low fantasy world reminiscent of late medieval/early renaissance Europe. This unfortunate place is plagued with constant warfare and endures a level of everyday violence and brutality that makes Westeros seem like Disneyland!
Confusingly, this anime starts with an episode in the manga's Black Swordsman arc then quickly shifts back to the manga's Golden Age arc, where Guts is recruited by the brilliant and charismatic leader of the Band of the Hawk mercenary group, Griffith. The viewer follows the Band of the Hawk's rise to glory among various blood-soaked battlefields, while Griffith plays a devious and equally deadly game of political machinations.
In addition to enough blood and violence to trigger a moral panic, Beserk features an amazing soundtrack that, fittingly, highlights or underscores the narrative. Furthermore, the narrative is filled with excellent character beats, such that even minor characters get some surprising depth. This more than makes up for animation quality that is average, at best, for the time.
In the Golden Age arc, Guts and the Band of the Hawk face danger, betrayal and demonic shenangians at every turn. Fortunately, Guts possesses effectively unlimited willpower, a zero [expletives] given attitude, and arguably the coolest sword of all time! This sucker is so huge it makes a daiklave from Exalted look like a kid's toy!
Really, the only major flaw to "Berserk" (1997) is that it ends on an epic cliffhanger... which was addressed by the new series "Berserk" (2016) currently airing in Japan, that picks up immediately afterward!
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