Hero Review
by Cory Hansen (shinnokxz AT charter DOT net)August 30th, 2004
Hero (2004)
Film Review by Cory Hansen-- August 29, 2004.
Copyright 2004
Let it be known that I am not one of the most upstanding fans of this particular genre. So much so, I walked into my 9:30 PM screening of Hero thinking it was going to be a Quentin Tarantino slash fest a la Kill Bill, where a one badass Jet Li goes and battles against massive armies and their un-relentless barrage of arrows--
Hero was a definite surprise, and that was unfortunate for itself through about half of the movie. Like me, everyone in the theater walked in ready to be bored to death by a film SUPPOSEDLY given to us by Quentin Tarantino. Soon in, I heard a particular couple questioning to themselves "IS THIS WHOLE MOVIE GOING TO BE IN SUBTITLES?!"
Once you had realized that the movie is FAR from what it was marketed as here in the US, you'll find yourself opening your mind to its more emotional elements.
I wasn't a fan of the Wire-Fu used here in some of the sporadic action sequences, as I never have been. Seeing people glide over water and darting about the air like fireflies really doesn't do it for me. But in a movie like Hero, such a minuscule element can't be used as a basis to surround a negative opinion around.
Overall, I found that Hero is anything BUT what the trailers depict it is--usual American bullcrap--and in the end it might generate a negative aura surrounding it simply because it's just A TAD too deep for your Shmoe'merican Joe. I myself enjoyed its message and the beautiful visual styles it depicted. Go check it out.
Final Score: 8/10
--
Cory "Shinnokxz" Hansen
http://coryhansen.com
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
