I enjoyed it

This film is loosely based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, using the play as a basic framework with enough big changes to make it its own whilst still holding familiarity to the original idea. The main characters are almost all there, apart from the ghost and Horatio, the latter working out fine especially as he could have easily turned into a sidekick figure in the scheme of things.

Moving away from the origins of the story, the cinematics were rather impressive. The fight and dance scenes were very well choreographed and articulated throughout, adding an artistic touch to a brutal story. The sets successfully helped provide the film with an aesthetic aspect also, especially seen in not only the physical scenery (just take a look at the cityscape at the coronation ceremony) but the lighting and colours too.

Overall I rather liked the adaptation of the Western classic. A very aesthetically pleasing film with awesome fight scenes that don’t overpower the film itself, providing a good balance. My only qualm was the very end, as the question hangs in the viewer’s mind: Who? But if this is the only problem I had with the film then that’s a good thing really. I recommend this movie to fans of Asian cinema and anyone curious to see how the Hamlet adaptation went. Its worth a watch.

7/10