Jadesoturi (2006) Reviews

• Something Old & Something New... a Fine Fantasy Film

  dont_b_so_BBC2006-12-18

  Although it's obvious that Jadesoturi is a modern fantasy-- everyone suffers some interference from their "cultural memory". So audiences with fewer preconceptions about the Kalevala or wuxia will probably get into Jadesoturi more easily-- provided they pay close attention to the first 15-20 minutes of exposition (INSTEAD of any preconceptions they have). I watched Jadesoturi again after reading some (unrelated) comics and it suddenly "worked" for me: the basic "historical" premise is really simple-- 4000 years ago, some Finnish-speaking tribes/ civilizations made contact with some Mandarin-speaking ones-- which explains why 1) Sintai looks caucasian and speaks Mandarin (mother-Finnish, father-Mandarin), and 2) Pin Yu knows Sintai's father and speaks a little (bad) Finnish. Just don't ask why they spoke modern Finnish/ Mandarin 4000 years ago and exactly where in Eurasia it all happened-- it's NOT a documentary. But although I noticed more meaningful details the 2nd time round (e.g someone biting his fingernails...), I still didn't get some of the "mumbo-jumbo" (Iron? Fire?)-- could be the subtitles, or maybe Jadesoturi is just too subtle and foreign to me. And while the whole film was shot beautifully, many big "moments" were hinted at rather than shown-- with some of the "best" ones already in the trailer. So 2 things must be "accepted" in order to enjoy Jadesoturi: 1) it's a derivative genre film, 2) with a relatively small budget. *SPOILERS* Now the specifics: LIKED the way it paid "tribute" to all those wuxia-fantasy genre-- it's tough coming up with interesting spins on the wuxia clichés like martial chopsticks, flapping cloaks, exotic weapons, etc (there are at least 5-10 more). It's amazing that this film sometimes felt like a Kalevala-inspired Chinese fantasy, instead of vice-versa.... NOT to be confused with Tarantino's kung-fu "spoofs". LOVED the Chinese dialogue: directly translating the Finnish script to colloquial Mandarin (with terms like "beloved") avoided the sometimes awkward mimicking of "pseudo-classical" speech in Chinese wuxia/ historical films. And the understated, "world-weary" style of delivery allowed the lines to carry themselves, which added nicely to the sense of desperation pervading the film. The Finnish actors spoke good Mandarin (i.e. comprehensible), though the pronuniciation inevitably slips in the longer or quicker phrases. LOVED Zhang Jingchu's and Markku Peltola's performances: they were amazingly "spot-on" in all their fighting and speaking scenes-- despite the "fuzzy" premise, they were completely focused and knew exactly what they needed to do in each shot. But unfortunately, Tommi Eronen & most other actors were mostly "required" to look hurt or bewildered. Especially Tommi Eronen-- I think he needs more focus and ACTING in the fight scenes. LIKED the fight choreography: where the director tries to balance the "flow" of the stunts with the actors' "reaction shots" in order to capture the MOTIVATIONS-- which made the fight where Pin Yu tests Sintai (but gets "teased" by him) really "interesting". But the "flow" of the final fight was too broken up by talking and flashbacks (more wuxia clichés) for me-- unlike the earlier fights where people were just "testing" each other, this show-down/ climax can do with tighter pacing/ editing. LIKED the film overall: for me, Jadesoturi was an interesting fantasy film that was worth more than one look-- but it uses so many "symbols" that everyone will probably see it differently. However, the "serious" archaeological approach is definitely NOT the way to look at the film. (E.g. the ancient Chinese "seal script" used in the film is 3000 years old max, not 4000-- a "trivia" or "goof"?) Ultimately, perhaps the greatest praise AND complaint of Jadesoturi is that it left the audience expecting more-- I mean, who didn't want to see Pin Yu kick some more butt with that cool weapon of hers and those cool moves! Alas-- the only real wuxia (warrior) in Jadesoturi is Pin Yu, who had to "struggle with self-sacrifice for the greater good". P.S. Regarding the last comment by tirkkanen-- Jadesoturi is definitely a cut above the sloppier kung-fu B-movies, but nobody should be making THAT kind of comparisons, right? And without meaning any offence, film-editing is "snappier" in Asia for the simple reason that Asians have become more used to "following" kung-fu moves-- it's a (film) culture thing, like the impossible metallurgy, biology, physics, etc..

• Beautiful elements in a well made movie

  AlmaCuerpocaliente2006-09-11

  I was fortunate to catch this movie at the Toronto International FIlm Festival. It was a well made movie with some beautiful scenes. A few elements that I really enjoyed: 1. The romantic expression in the eyes was well captured without being overblown. You understood exactly what was going on, without having to read the subtitles. 2. I loved the treatment of the combat scenes. Particularly the use of dust and dry leaves and the sound that accompanied. 3. There was enough mystery and non-explanation that you didn't feel like the plot was force fed to you. 4. The cross-time, fantasy+mythology+ a little bit of philosophy(?) was fun/unique. Oh and I love how the hero was not perfect...and he wanted love more than glory. Overall, just a pleasure to watch. Not a perfect movie but a good one. It is so hard to rate movies, but approx: 7.5/10

• A breakthrough in Finnish cinema

  abstract_daddy2006-10-21

  Jade Warrior is a new and excellent achievement for Finnish films. Not only is it a martial arts film that was made with a budget of a few million euros (which is still exceptionally high for a Finnish film), but it's also produced and directed as if it was made with a much higher budget by an experienced director. This is no embarrassing first attempt or prototype, but a genre film that's easily on par with modern standards, and also has an interesting, original and intelligent storyline. If you replaced Tommi Eronen with a Chinese actor and removed the parts taking place in Finland, people might conceivably think that Yimou Zhang has released a new movie. Since Jade Warrior is a martial arts film, a lot of attention will naturally be paid to the fight scenes, which are well choreographed and fluidly shot, without excessive closeups and quick cuts. I particularly like the use of flying leaves in fight scenes. While there are some impossible physics, they are used sparsely, and aren't too exaggerated. The sets, costumes, effects and soundtrack are all outstanding, as are the actors. I think Markku Peltola's portrayal of the demon was especially interesting. Also, I don't mean to sound superficial, but Jingchu Zhang is stunningly and exceptionally beautiful. She's apparently a rising star in China, and is about to do a Hollywood film. I look forward to seeing her again. Finnish cinema has almost entirely consisted of drama and comedy, with a few war films, so Jade Warrior is clearly a breath of fresh air. Certainly there are many good Finnish films, but they're either drama or comedy. I don't know why we're so reluctant to try something new. It's not just a budget issue, you don't necessarily need millions to do an action film, for instance. The fact that we've restricted ourselves to the aforementioned genres became apparent when I watched the film, because some of the dialogue made me cringe, since films like Jade Warrior are never done here, and the dialogue seems out of place. This isn't the film's fault, of course. The limited international reaction seems to be very positive so far, and Finnish reviews have also been largely positive. Hopefully Jade Warrior will succeed to the point where we start doing more than low budget drama and comedy. Of course, this was a cooperative project with China, so credit must go to them as well.

• Jadewarrior may very well be the best Finnish film in decades, perhaps in history.

  Ol_Gaffer2006-09-21

  The first major genre-film in Finnish history, Jadewarrior is a slick and stylish movie of epic proportions. Combining both Chinese Wuxia and the national epic, Kalevala, into a seamless whole the movie creates a beautifully realized vision of alternate history and mythology. Kai is a blacksmith, living in the outskirts of Helsinki. After his girlfriend leaves him, and meeting a mysterious store owner with an obsession of the Kalevala - Kai is thrust into a battle between good and evil that has raged since ancient times. Should Kai fail, it would cost the lives of not only his beloved, but everyone in the world. Since it's conception, Finnish films have been in stuck in a rut of bad and repetitive storytelling, with films that you couldn't distinguish from each other without looking at their names. With only dozens upon dozens of war and drama films to our credit, Jadewarrior presents finally visions of grandeur of what Finnish cinema could become. Effortlessly switching between modern magical realities á la Neil Gaiman and the epic scopes of Zhang Yimous Hero and House of Flying Daggers, Jadewarrior is brimming with talented storytelling and visual delivery to match it. First time helmer, A.J Annila charges with leaps and bounds to the very small minority of interesting Scandinavian filmmakers to look out for. Filmed in locations around the world, such as China and it's home country of Finland, Jadewarrior boasts with visually powerful locales to match it's breathtaking action. With production values most Scandinavian films would die for, the film has the look and feel of a major Hollywood blockbuster, but with wit and heart to match it's brawn. Never force feeding it's centuries spanning plot, Jadewarrior constructs a surprisingly intelligent and heartfelt tale of tragedy without ever feeling forced or calculated. With actors ranging from Finnish newcomers (Krista Kosonen) to Chinese pro's (Jingchu Zhang), the film delivers. First time leading man, Tommi Eeronen works wonders with his challenging dual role as Kai and Sintai. Switching between his native language of Finnish to fully realized Mandarin Chinese effortlessly. Markku Peltola also succeeds in making his character both tremendously threatening and charming with small nuances, also delivering his performance partly in Mandarin. Chinese actress Zhang Jingchu has the fragile beauty of a young Michelle Yeoh, balancing her performance between the maiden in love and the battle hardener warrior. And while some of the Finnish dialog may sound cringe worthy to native speakers - thanks to it's melodramatic inspirations, Kalevala and Wuxia - the subtitled Chinese segments work better than anyone would have dared to imagine. With 2006 still having a good way to go before it's end, calling Jadewarrior one of the best films of the year may be a slight gamble. But calling it the best Finnish film in memory isn't. Beautiful, heartfelt, with action and set-pieces to die for - Jadewarrior marks hopefully the beginning of a new wave in Finnish film-making, and deserves all praise coming for it.

• It's raining mystique - one of a kind film, an eternal love-story.

  mattijam2006-10-16

  First of all, not every story can be that ultimate epic saga that makes your heart go hundred and fifty RPM for the three-and-a-half hours of amazing storytelling. Although someone could have brought together Kalevala, the Finnish national epic, and Chinese wuxia mystique in a more theatrical way, I'm actually glad that this time they didn't. Jade Warrior is a low-budget film in the European or Asian, not to mention American, scale. Exactly because of that, with all the love and passion they've managed to load this story with, Jade Warrior is a delightfully naive yet very one of a kind film. Its unique spirit is in the low-tone acting, in the settings, in the costumes, in the dialoque, in the mixture of these two exotic world-views and beautiful languages - it's everywhere. After it will have been recognized next year with international awards, Jade Warrior will become one of the few Finnish films every film freak will have to see - and hopefully it won't be the only Finnish-Chinese co-production we'll see in this decade or so.