Seven Swords continues the proud wuxia film tradition by being utterly gorgeous, full of martial arts battles, making little to no sense whatsoever plot-wise, having the actors hamming it out constantly, yet containing subtle philosophies concerning the matter of control versus guidance, the capacity for violence used to protect and vice versa.
It's also a rather great adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, borrowing its central plot, but giving it a more mythical approach and style in a true wuxia fashion.
The best part of this film are its production values and art style. The whole film look amazing, but is given a bit more grounded style compared to other wuxia films that are usually awash with colours, loud and bombastic with details. There's still extravaganza, but it's darker, more threatening in style. One of the most enjoyable aspects of this are the weapons, both those used by the villains that are more bizarre and outlandish in design, and the actual Seven Swords from Mount Heaven. They straddle that thin line between being interesting and creative and being just functional-looking enough that you can buy them.
The story itself is unfortunately nothing special. It contains some really good moments, but also some really bad moments. The fighting and the emotions are genuine and real, but the clichés and melodrama drag the other scenes down. Seven Swords is worth a watch if you're into wuxia films, or if you're looking for a good fantasy adventure.
It's also a rather great adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, borrowing its central plot, but giving it a more mythical approach and style in a true wuxia fashion.
The best part of this film are its production values and art style. The whole film look amazing, but is given a bit more grounded style compared to other wuxia films that are usually awash with colours, loud and bombastic with details. There's still extravaganza, but it's darker, more threatening in style. One of the most enjoyable aspects of this are the weapons, both those used by the villains that are more bizarre and outlandish in design, and the actual Seven Swords from Mount Heaven. They straddle that thin line between being interesting and creative and being just functional-looking enough that you can buy them.
The story itself is unfortunately nothing special. It contains some really good moments, but also some really bad moments. The fighting and the emotions are genuine and real, but the clichés and melodrama drag the other scenes down. Seven Swords is worth a watch if you're into wuxia films, or if you're looking for a good fantasy adventure.