The gorgeous backdrop (of what appears to be mostly China) is truly captivating in this historical piece. Sergei Bodrov managed to achieve an epic feel of realism through marvelous casting and non-annoying use of CGI. The battle scenes were superbly shot, and every character was well-acted. The deliberate pacing, though jarring at times, was good and moved the plot well enough. The love angle was a bit weak and feels forced and was my main beef with the film. Otherwise, I look forward to the next 2 films in this prospective trilogy.
3.5/5 stars
IMDB
