Linbeymusol
Wonderful character development!
Holstra
Boring, long, and too preachy.
Hadrina
The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
Cassandra
Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
thomasaaa123
Musa: the Warrior reminds me of war movies made in the 1980s or earlier. Pretty fun, a little inspiring, but ultimately too simplistic.Despite the 2 hour plus duration, the story stays on a rather rudimentary level and certain promising subplots are not quite developed. There's some hints of romance, of course. But the movie refuses to sufficiently branch out to be taken as anything other than a pure war movie.There are occasions when the subthemes of love/infatuation, longing for freedom, loyalty, and honor are given the spotlight. But the focus proves too brief, and the subthemes are never adequately and delicately explored beyond being mentioned with clichés and acknowledged with unrefined lines and grossly unsubtle actions. It's as though the movie tries to touch upon so many subthemes that it fails to treat anyone of them with enough attention.Having said that, though, the movie manages to offer some good simple entertainment. Movies with obvious ambitions--even when the ambitions are not quite well fulfilled--are almost always fun to watch. Musa is no exception. While the filmmakers didn't lavish on extras and grand scenes, the fact that they made the characters go through an unnecessarily long journey (and war) so that there'd be more opportunities for the characters/actors to impart a deeper impression shows the filmmakers' enthusiasm and desire to make an epic out of the material.Overall, I'd recommend this movie if you would like to reminisce about the old movies with likable characters in difficult situations--in simple and straightforward exposition. But a deep story with strong emotional and intellectual pull, the movie is not.
Deepfried-Egg
This is a very realistic and emotionally charged war epic with cool heroes and fight scenes that captivated my attention like no other war epic movie ever has. This movie kicks butt! This is not a wire-fu heavy martial arts pic. While this does have some martial arts in it, there is no outlandish wire-fu that really turns me off! Haven't we had enough of that? This has the elements of an American Western epic rather than than over-the-top Hong Kong cinema sword play that is just eye candy more than anything...I have a great appreciation for historical epics and this one left me more satisfied than Braveheart and Gladiator did. The reason being is that there is more than one hero to care about. And there is a spoiled rotten princess who gets treated as such. I liked how she didn't always get her way. The journey these heroes and non-heroes take through the desert kept me guessing and dying to see what would happen next. There are many pleasant surprises! I leached on to these warriors and the film makers made me want to stick with them and not miss a thing! This blows away Chinese chop socky cinema which pales in comparison after watching this epic. Outstanding performances especially by the archer! This archer played by Sung Kee is incredibly awesome!! He made Orlando Bloom's archer in LOTR look like a pansy! I really believed these guys were for real..it's that realistic! The cinematography is jaw-dropping and the story...just go rent it now!!!!!
michaellauder
i have to say i wasn't expecting anything grand wen i sat down to watch this film. was it due to the subject matter? i really don't know. this part of Chinese/korean history is relatively unknown. i knew that the main contenders in asia like Korea, china, mongolia and japan had been involved in several wars against each other at some point but never really come across any films on the subject. however this film uses these circumstances to portray a struggle for survival and showcases the ultimate sacrifice for love, honour and protection of the weak. this film is beautifully shot and exceptionally acted, this includes every single actor/actress. the quality of this film is undeniable. at no point does the film get boring, what with the battle scenes, love scenes and in fighting of the main characters. may i make a note at this point that the actor who plays ga-nam is really familiar but looking on his file this is the only film he has ever done, it seems that a few of the actors are very limited in experience but it does not show. the relationships in this film are the main reason this film works, the characters are so believable because they squabble, complain and fight each other. they are in a difficult situation not of their own making, yet through their sense of honour and loyalty to their general they come through their own fears and give their all for the cause. i have to admit i wasn't expecting the cost to be so severe at the end, you'll see what i mean. however i think this adds to the films motto of self sacrifice for a better cause.you'll enjoy this film, no matter what kind of films you usually watch.
batcar01
I went into this cold, I didn't know what to expect. I anticipated seeing some Ziyi Zhang cans-of-whoop-ass being opened, but it didn't happen. Her performance was almost non-physical in that respect.It was difficult to understand what was happening, and that led to confusion as to what I was watching as far as the story line. It involves the Chinese, the Koreans, and the Mongols. After seeing the movie, I read about it, and everything fell into place.Up front, I only have two gripes. The subtitles are rapid, and sometimes the grammar is incorrect, probably due to translation. The second is, the music as times brings me out of the movie, because it doesn't seem to fit. One thematic set, played over and over again at various times, sounds like it was lifted from 2001, a Space Odyssey. I know all of this sounds like whining, and it is, but it's all I can come up with on the negative side of this film.The acting is good, the wardrobes are almost unbelievable. I found myself concentrating on, and fascinated by, the intricacies in the costumes. Almost too much detail, yet realizing that a warrior's body armor was spiritualistic and ritualistic, much time was given to it's construction and perfection. So the distraction was warranted.As mentioned in other reviews here, there was little if no wire work, and during the action, you, as the viewer, are in the middle of it. In one scene, during the storming of a small fortress, the attackers are carrying single-pole ladders. With one man in front, the rest of the crew are carrying the rear of the ladder. As they reach the wall, the front warrior literally walks up the face of the wall, holding onto the pole ladder, as the rest push him up the wall. Impressive.Although not a full-blown Kung Fu movie, this is great to watch, and moves fast, with almost a hint of nod to The Magnificent Seven or The Wild Bunch. A visually beautiful film, with the final battle during a light, swirling snow storm, almost moving it into the surreal.