After watching this movie, I read what the original story and opera is actually about. I won't rate based on the original story. If you want the original, go read it or see an opera. I don't base my rating of this movie on its CGI. If you want "eye candy" go watch fireworks. This movie is a martial arts film with a great deal of action from the start. There are moments of comedy that I found very funny. Overall it is a forbidden love story.
I don't understand if the Buddhist monks are supposed to come off as being jerks and idiots or not. In the very first fight scene between White Snake (Shengyi Huang) and Abott Fahai (Jet Li) he issues an ultimatum to leave but gives Xu Xian (Raymond Lam) a dagger knowing it could kill Xu Xian's wife. White Snake, at this point in the story, has done no harm and even saved a whole village from a poisonous curse.
Cutting White Snake no slack, it would seem, the monks attack her in the home in the very next scene. I know that Buddhism is a philosophy of life, but these monks, in this story, come off as being close to sanctimonious zealots. It is here that the tale becomes a tragedy and I never cared much for Shakespeare either. But I don't lower the rating for that reason as well.
I gave this movie low ratings for showing a serious lack of character motivations and development. I seriously didn't understand the motive for continued interference by Abott Fahai. The movie dropping the unfinished subplot of Neng Ren, only to inject it once again at the end seemed abnormal and out of place. The "forbidden love" aspect and whole premise to any kind of moral is not explained. At the end of this story, you are left with a big question mark over your head, and wondering if you understood the plot at all.
I don't understand if the Buddhist monks are supposed to come off as being jerks and idiots or not. In the very first fight scene between White Snake (Shengyi Huang) and Abott Fahai (Jet Li) he issues an ultimatum to leave but gives Xu Xian (Raymond Lam) a dagger knowing it could kill Xu Xian's wife. White Snake, at this point in the story, has done no harm and even saved a whole village from a poisonous curse.
Cutting White Snake no slack, it would seem, the monks attack her in the home in the very next scene. I know that Buddhism is a philosophy of life, but these monks, in this story, come off as being close to sanctimonious zealots. It is here that the tale becomes a tragedy and I never cared much for Shakespeare either. But I don't lower the rating for that reason as well.
I gave this movie low ratings for showing a serious lack of character motivations and development. I seriously didn't understand the motive for continued interference by Abott Fahai. The movie dropping the unfinished subplot of Neng Ren, only to inject it once again at the end seemed abnormal and out of place. The "forbidden love" aspect and whole premise to any kind of moral is not explained. At the end of this story, you are left with a big question mark over your head, and wondering if you understood the plot at all.