I Need a Hero

You know, when advertising the movie, they really should have used that track, you know, the one from Top Gun when the jets are flying around (also played during the big action sequence in Shrek 2). I need a Hero would have been perfect. Damn Chinese people.

Anyway, I will say right off that I didn't like Hero. There were a couple of things the movie did right, but for the most part, it just wasn't as good a film as advertised and criticized.

For starters, Jet Li I felt overacted the part. It's amazing that, considering that it was in Chinese, I found the way he delivered his lines so bad, especially since I couldn't understand jack shit he was saying. But some how, the boom to his voice was just... bad. I hated him in it.

As if his acting wasn't bad enough, the camera work left a lot to be desired. This is, above all else, an action flick. A dramatic one, yes, but even Crouching Tiger, which was as much drama as action delivered on the action scenes. Here, what action there is goes much too quickly, and even then, it's not like you could see it, since most of the time the camera is so close in, you can't see all the cool moves. It was like watching a badly filmed AMERICAN action flick... like the Musketeer, for example.

Also, and this really gets me, the unrealistic wire work. Yes, it's artful, and yes, other movies (like CTHD) use it. But the times it works best is when it's used in conjunction with the story and not just because it looks cool. In Crouching Tiger, there was reason why they could float and do all the spiff things they did. It was their training, and it took a lot of training to be able to do it. But in Hero, it's like everyone could eventually do it, training or no. It was lame.

I did enjoy their performances by the various assassins. They were well cast and well played. And some of the scenes were great to look at. Very pretty. What didn't work in some of the scene was the CG used to heighten the action and/or the scenery. It stood out and drew me out of the movie.

On the whole, if you want a way to waste a couple of hours with some action fare a little different from the norm, go check it out. But don't get your hopes up.