Curse of the Golden Flower
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: December 21, 2006
7.4
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 102 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
71
Mixed:
19
Negative:
12
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
5
SylocatAug 17, 2008
To say that the visual aesthetic of this film is stunning would be the understatement of the century; this movie is so gorgeous that it almost deserves a viewing on the big screen for that alone, and the battle sequences are among the most To say that the visual aesthetic of this film is stunning would be the understatement of the century; this movie is so gorgeous that it almost deserves a viewing on the big screen for that alone, and the battle sequences are among the most epic in the history of wuxia movies. That said, the story of the film is a stunning exemplification of every problem I have with wuxia movies. The overblown symbolism, the soap-opera plot, and the ending so pointlessly depressing that you could almost picture the writer(s) laying awake in bed at night trying to think up the method to cynically jerk the most tears out of the pretentious art-film audience. The emperor in this case is so cartoonishly sadistic that I found myself thinking, "Surely they wouldn't go to all this trouble to hammer into us how evil this guy is without planning to dethrone him in the end," but sure enough, they did exactly that, because having the powerful remain in power and the rebellious characters die is an ingrained staple of this genre, and the moment I realized they were in fact going to do that (about a half-hour short of the finish line), I felt like turning it off in disgust. They raised our hopes at the very end again, only to dash them. Now that's a metaphor for the movie.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful
5
GarielT.Dec 26, 2006
Spoiled by not a good ending.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
SteveJan 13, 2007
Another sad story. Very little martial arts. Great costumes and scenery. Don't bother.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
IlanJan 3, 2007
Visually stunning, but ultimately done in by key, unanswered questions about the characters' backstories: why does Gong Li's character despise the Emperor? What happened between the Emperor and his first wife? If only they'd Visually stunning, but ultimately done in by key, unanswered questions about the characters' backstories: why does Gong Li's character despise the Emperor? What happened between the Emperor and his first wife? If only they'd answered these, it could have been truly great.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
ChipL.Jan 16, 2007
Full of grand spectacle, but leaves the audience feeling empty.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
BillGJan 17, 2007
Somewhat boring and superficial film; doesn't come close to other similar genre stuff. Relationships don't seem credible, and there are too few of the fantasy choreographed fight scenes to keep interest.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
SKJan 21, 2007
Boring, disappointing, long, maybe bad cast for the story, or... the story just sucks. Whatever it is, this movie was a waste of my money.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
ErikaL.Dec 26, 2006
A good name for this movie should be House Of The Flairing Nostrils, as can be seen on the frequent close ups of Gong Li's face as her eyes well up for the Nth time too many. She usually is a great actress but in this film I find her A good name for this movie should be House Of The Flairing Nostrils, as can be seen on the frequent close ups of Gong Li's face as her eyes well up for the Nth time too many. She usually is a great actress but in this film I find her expressions repetitive and monotonous. I also highly doubt that in 10th century China Victoria Secret pushup bras were in fashion.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
TresidentevilFeb 6, 2012
As expected with Chinese films the use of colour is simply breathtaking, almost like a piece of art in itself. The same can be said of the style and scale of the film. It really does feel epic in every sense of the word. This fails to hideAs expected with Chinese films the use of colour is simply breathtaking, almost like a piece of art in itself. The same can be said of the style and scale of the film. It really does feel epic in every sense of the word. This fails to hide the fact the storyline is kind of basic and predictable, I only have issue with this because fight scenes are incredibly few and far between. I think people expect to see martial arts in Chinese films and this is maybe unfair but the film just doesn't help itself. As usual for Chinese stuff the film comes with a fair degree of cheese, I put this down to cultural differences but it will scare viewers not used to Chinese films. As always the ending is unhappy which I've always adored in Chinese films. It's surely worth a watch but don't expect to be blown away.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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