Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011) Blu-ray 3D [Region Locked / Free]

[cinerama]

Originally Posted by mysticwaterfall

For those who don't know, this is on Netflix 3d. Watched it aittle bit ago.

Netflix changed their site and they no longer have a 3D section. The movies that were in 3D are now only 2D.

I contacted Netflix and they said:

Okay so it turns out that the 3D titles are currently down for maintenance. We ran into some trouble with them so we took them down to work on them. We don't currently have an ETA but we are working very hard to get them back up as soon as possible.

[cinerama]

Originally Posted by Noober60

I purchased this movie yesterday only to find it will not play in 3D. So far I have tried it in a Toshiba BDX3200KY, PS3 and a soniq player.

I get this message on all three players:

Attachment 76019

Attachment 76020

Lots of people having this problem but no fixes.

I have this movie, plays in 3D on my PS3 and Sony Blu-ray player but mine is a two-disc set - not the same cover as you pictured. Mine cover looks like the one on Blu-ray.com

[BleedOrange11]

Flyings Swords of Dragon Gate is actually a remake/sequel of a remake/sequel of a landmark 1967 film in the wuxia genre, so I decided to watch its previous two entries as well.


Dragon Gate Inn (1967)
Movie: 4/5
1 Golden Horse Award, Best Feature Film Nominee

Dragon Gate Inn is famous for its slow and steady build-up, creating tension as the story builds until it is finally released during an excellent kung-fu finale. I particularly enjoyed the beginning sequence where the protagonist, Xiao, enters the inn and embarrasses his East Agency assailants with an umbrella while seated. The film creates great well-rounded characters who each have their own schemes and agendas, but find common ground in their loyalty to a defeated general and their resistance against a ruthless Imperial eunuch. Much of the fighting is practical with lots of sword-play and is punctuated with a unique psychedelic Asian score.


New Dragon Gate Inn (1992)
Movie: 3/5
1 Golden Horse Award

New Dragon Gate Inn is a less involving but faster-paced and more stylized reimagining with an added romance subplot. It has several problems. First, a cast of dull one-note characters replace the characters of the original with the exception of the charmingly selfish and sexy inn owner, played by Maggie Cheung. Second, there is some great production design and desert cinematography here, but I did not enjoy the action scenes. It looked like an overcrowded, blurry dance of stunt doubles doing somersaults rather than actual fighting. Characters can be hard to differentiate during the fights because they all wore the same color. Third, I have to give a thumbs down for that silly ending.


Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011)
Movie: 2/5, 3D: 5/5
1 Golden Horse Award
5 Hong Kong Film Awards, Best Picture Nominee

Flying Swords of Dragon Gate opens with a thrilling fly-in shot, sweeping the viewer through a naval shipyard and landing in a palace courtyard. Here, opposite to events of the 1992 film, an upstart hero (Jet Li) assassinates a powerful Imperial eunuch who strongly resembles the blonde antagonist of the 1967 film, signaling that this is not a simple remake of either. And It certainly isn’t… The plot is a jumbled fusion of elements of the two previous films with additional new tropes. Jet Li and his rebels are hunting corrupt eunuch leaders, an evil eunuch and his police are hunting a pregnant maid, and a group of Mongolian rogues are hunting a Chinese “El Dorado” city of treasure. Naturally, they all meet at Dragon Gate Inn. From here, confusion ensues as they try to resolve all subplots at once. It is suggested that the two of the main protagonists are surviving characters from the 1992 film with different names, but this matter is left frustratingly unclear. Very little character development is brought to the expressionless Jet Li, and the supporting cast is similarly uninteresting and one-dimensional. Their dialogue simply moves the plot along, rather than revealing anything about the characters themselves. All that is left to propel the movie forward are it’s action sequences.

Without much emotional weight behind the characters, the action is not very meaningful. However, if you can deal with an emphasis on 3D CGI over physical stunts, the choreography provides some entertainment. There are a number of elaborate sequences, but the best is a "Wizard of Oz" tornado battle, created by a sandstorm encroaching upon Dragon Gate Inn. All in glorious 3D and enhanced by strong depth and motivated pop-outs, Tsui Hark’s first 3D Asian blockbuster is a sight to behold, even if the writing sours the experience.

The 3D brings the gorgeous cinematography and period setting to life, trekking across oceans, rivers, fields, and deserts, but as the title suggests, the 3D action is the star of the show. A vast assortment of sharp weapons and CGI effects fly inside and outside the screen throughout the numerous fights. It is all orchestrated in a uniquely intelligent and controlled manner. Tsui clearly has a passion for creating entertaining 3D visuals that is matched by few filmmakers alive today. Although his writing can be inconsistent, his recent movies are the new master class on how to support a story with 3D action.

I purchased the Limited Edition Hong Kong BD3D version from DDDHouse.com because it contains the original 1.78:1 IMAX aspect ratio, director-approved color corrections, 96kHz 16-bit Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio, and a PIP commentary track. My only disappointment with the presentation is the English subtitles, which are often poorly placed inside the 3D depth. They generally stay on screen long enough to read but occasionally split across both left and right sides of the screen instead of breaking a line. Also note that the disc defaults to the Cantonese audio track, and the original Mandarin must be manually selected.

[Zivouhr]

Well said reviews BleedOrange. Cool you were able to check out the other films in the Dragon Gate series.

[Damon1281]

Just ordered. Couldn't pass it up at $7.80 US (Amazon)

[BleedOrange11]

Originally Posted by Damon1281

Just ordered. Couldn't pass it up at $7.80 US (Amazon)

Awesome! Enjoy the 3D.

[Menteith]

The HK Version is actually the preferred version: It has been specially re-mastered by Tsui Hark for the 3D version.
- The aspect ratio has been opened up completely
- The color grading has been changed/adapted for a better 3D experience through glasses
- It contains the "original" mandarin track

Just wanted to point this out for those who like this film.

[levcore]

wonderful, stunning 3D but I find this movie really hard work to get through, like a lot of Asian cinema to be honest. I can never get through it in one sitting and find the plot hard to follow and the multitude of different characters difficult to identify. However the visual presentation is second to none.

[BleedOrange11]

Not sure I'd put that label on all Asian cinema! There are thousands of great Asian movies. From the cinema of Akira Kurosawa and Studio Ghibli in Japan to Wong Kar-wai and Johnnie To in Hong Kong to Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook in Korea, some of the best movies I've ever seen in my life are Asian.

Flying Swords is one of the battiest, most incoherent plots ever in a somewhat critically acclaimed movie. The writing rivals what you'd find in the IMDB bottom 250. The craziness is kind of a Tsui Hark staple, but Young Detective Dee and Tiger Mountain were much more enjoyable story-telling.

[Zivouhr]

It's an interesting movie and I'm a fan of the action, though I agree, it's best absorbed in smaller viewings if limited on time, as I like to fast forward to the action scenes and the ending. Awesome, strong filmed 3D layers and some pop outs.

[levcore]

Originally Posted by BleedOrange11

Not sure I'd put that label on all Asian cinema! There are thousands of great Asian movies. From the cinema of Akira Kurosawa and Studio Ghibli in Japan to Wong Kar-wai and Johnnie To in Hong Kong to Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook in Korea, some of the best movies I've ever seen in my life are Asian.

Flying Swords is one of the battiest, most incoherent plots ever in a somewhat critically acclaimed movie. The writing rivals what you'd find in the IMDB bottom 250. The craziness is kind of a Tsui Hark staple, but Young Detective Dee and Tiger Mountain were much more enjoyable story-telling.

I was only speaking from my own perspective at least. I find the vast majority of Asian cinema pretty hard to digest. I don't like cartoons so I've never watched any Studio Ghibli but I know I would not enjoy them just from the look of them. Kurosawa is really not my thing at all. I think the last Asian movie I really enjoyed was The Good, The Bad, The Weird which I think might be a Korean movie.

That said I do love Casshern and Goemon, both Japanese productions I think.

[ghidorah]

Before i go for the US issue of this can someone just confirm about the subtitles. In the UK version the English subs are only with the 'hard of hearing' option. Does the US version have normal English subs option for the Manderin track?
Thanks

[the13thman]

Originally Posted by ghidorah

In the UK version the English subs are only with the 'hard of hearing' option.

I don't think this is true, there are regular non-HOH subs too.

The English subs in the UK version are formatted to appear within the 3D image but (I guess because they aren't always in the same position) my brain just couldn't handle them, I had to watch the film dubbed.

I've since bought the Limited Edition from Hong Kong so that will be the first time I watch this with subtitles.

[BigManDeath]

Originally Posted by ghidorah

Before i go for the US issue of this can someone just confirm about the subtitles. In the UK version the English subs are only with the 'hard of hearing' option. Does the US version have normal English subs option for the Manderin track?
Thanks

The US release has proper subtitles on the 2D disc, but only SDH (hard of hearing) subtitles on the 3D disc. I emailed Indomina Releasing about the problem, but they never responded.

[ghidorah]

Originally Posted by BigManDeath

The US release has proper subtitles on the 2D disc, but only SDH (hard of hearing) subtitles on the 3D disc. I emailed Indomina Releasing about the problem, but they never responded.

Damn! Thanks for that. Won't get it then. I find the SDH really distracting ( no offense to hard of hearing folk!)

[presidentevil3d]

just got this in CEX uk for £4

seems a bargain going off the comments