A true artistic creation
This past weekend I purchased my first 4K movies. Later that same night I watched my first of the five that I bought. The movie I chose to watch to break in my new Sony X900 TV was Shadow.
Shadow is a Chinese wuxia film by director Zhang Yimou. This movie is a cinematography masterpiece, I was impressed throughout with some of the genius angles this movie was filmed from. The set design that will leave you wondering how did they do that. The costumes and music both are something you will not forget. The only question is, can handle watching an entire movie in Mandarin?
The 4K disc that I purchased had an English dubbed version available, but the lips did not sync up and that was a deal breaker for me. I watched this in Mandarin since I don’t mind reading the English subtitles at all, I’d rather have sound that is authentic to the original production. I recommend that you do the same if you ever watch this film.
The plot
During the Three Kingdoms 1,650 years ago, deception was often employed to survive in the high courts of kings. The war commander of one nation is nothing more than a shadow. His twin brother, the real talent, bides his time in the underworld until he can stage a coup and take revenge upon the king. Yet decoys assume a life of their own, and the shadow twin may take the power and possessions of the one he serves, but only if he is willing to strike and at the right moment. A love interest could provide all the motivation he needs, or perhaps all the distraction to cause him to fail and to be recognized for who he is. There are many layers to this complex and resplendent film. Every frame is beautiful. Backgrounds are in bold black and white, with human figures providing the color. There is pulse quickening action, seductive romance, the eerily enchanting chords of the Chinese harp and ambient sound of rain and running water, wonderful dialogue, humor, history, yin and yang, intriguing stories, attractive people, fantastic acting and sword play, constant surprises, and more. Deng Shao plays both the shadow and the commander, and he does so brilliantly.
Movie Trailer
Shadow released on September 30th, 2018.
Should you watch Shadow?
It really depends on who you are and how much free time you have. If you’re me, then you are extremely happy that you stumbled across this movie while browsing the large selection at Best Buy. When I saw the cover it made me think of Ghost of Tsushima right away. That game and this movie are similar in some ways, but also very different. Mainly one being Japanese and the other Chinese. Shadow did however satisfy my desire to see a movie of the same cloth as a game I recently played and enjoyed very much.
Shadow is a bit slow at times, but luckily you are treated with stunning visuals and music that will have you feeling all sorts of on edge. Once fighting scenes finally do start to occur, they are glorious. The mixture of rain with over the top martial arts and unique weapons create an atmosphere that is truly worth the wait.
Don’t let this movie being in Mandarin throw you off. It is super easy to follow and it’s pace is steadily keeping you from getting lost.
The best part by far is just how amazing it looked and sounded in 4K. Most of the movie was in deep inky blacks with grey and white. There was still color in the characters skin and blood splatters, just enough to make you feel like this wasn’t a black and white only film.
So I’d say yes you should watch this if you get the chance. Just don’t come screaming at me if it’s not your thing. I did my best to describe what was going on in the movie without giving away any spoilers.
