The Promise

This is one of the best Asian fantasy films I've seen in along time, it is so visually stunning that you get lost in the scenery and you just get swept away by the story. The two main characters are played by Cecilia Cheung and Dong-Kun Jang and they do a wonderful job, it's amazing that they don't get lost in the complexity of the story. The characters that they portray are so well crafted that you can't help but be drawn into their plight, and hope that things will turn their way in the story.A young girl makes a promise with a God for life and beauty and then becomes the center of a battle between two men for her love that they can never have. The idea that the Gods have some say in the outcome of a mortals destiny is the focus, but this is ultimately a love story that has you asking just how far would you go for your true love. The swordplay that is everywhere through out the film is expertly done and rivals some of the best sequences done in the martial arts genre. Some of the special effects that are done here are marvelous; from the vastness of the cities to the battle sequences each effect that used just lends more to the believability of the story.
Fantasy films are usually quite fanciful and a little unbelievable but this film keeps enough of the story rooted in reality that you almost begin to think that some of the story could really have happened. This is one of those movies that a lot of people haven't heard of and probably would pass by without a second thought. I for one would like to tell any one who enjoys a good fantasy with a little bit of a love story; you have to check this one out. And don't be afraid of the fact that its an Asian film, there is an English soundtrack for the dialog so any one who shies away from subtitles should be fine.