 The Legend of the Black Scorpion dvd movie. |
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The Legend of the Black Scorpion
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List Price: $24.95
Our Price:
$19.99
You Save: $4.96
Features
• Color
• Dubbed
• Subtitled
• Widescreen
• NTSC
In Theaters : 2006
DVD Release : 26 February, 2008 |
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The Legend of the Black Scorpion Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥ |
It tried to be more...
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My husband ordered this DVD so I had no expectations on quality or any knowledge of the story. It didn't take me long to figure out it was based on Shakespeare's "Hamlet." Unfortunately, it didn't do justice to that classic, tragic story.
This film is a good example of what has almost become a genre - films that attempt to duplicate the success of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." We've bought and seen "Hero," "House of Flying Daggers," and "Curse of the Golden Flower." They all have the near-flying martial arts, expertly choreographed fights and gorgeous costumes. We enjoyed them all, but where these films fall short, including Black Scorpion, is the stories lack the magic of CTHD. That tale of unattainable love, wrapped in a mystery was original, with superb acting and a new take on action. This one would have been better served to follow Hamlet more closely as the changes they made did NOT improve the story. They slowed the movie down, or caused confusion. And the movie was very slowly paced to begin with.
The story is focused on the empress' point of view, rather than the prince as in Hamlet. That works just fine, as Ziyi Zhang is captivating in the role. She gives life to what could have been an awful movie rather than just a disappointing one. The old emperor dies from a Scorpion bite and his brother usurps the throne from the prince and steals the empress, who had already been stolen from the crown prince by the last emperor. Familiar characters appear, from Polonius, to Ophelia (who is the best represented character in the film) to Laertes and the royal family. We have the mousetrap play, wherein the prince does indeed catch the conscience of a king and the kill all the lawyers ending. Except, the ending has a distracting and confusing change that leaves the viewer hanging - literally. I won't spoil it, but one of the main characters dies after the climactic confrontation, but who does the deed is never revealed and is all the more confusing since everybody who is anybody has already died or been exiled!
As to this edition, the DVD does have a dubbed track available and is very well done. After 15 minutes, I forgot it was being dubbed. Though it is a two disc edition, there is nothing spectacular in the extras. The making of featurette is perhaps the most interesting, but there are also two translated interviews and a behind the scenes bit. There is no extra footage, or featurettes on costumes, or better yet a piece on the historical time period.
Overall, if you enjoyed the other films you'll enjoy this one though likely not as much. If you've never read Hamlet, you'll like it even more. I recommend the single disc edition over paying so much for 2 discs, but some viewers will enjoy the extras. Cautiously recommended. |
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