thisissubtitledmovies excerpt, more at my location - Given Tsui Hark's lengthy CV, expectations are understandably high for any of his films, and Seven Swords is no exception. An explosion of unlikely influences, a celebration of genre, a clash of cultures, it should be a multifaceted film wrapped up in layers of meaning. But whether Hark satisfies the challenge that he has set himself remains debatable.Seven Swords is an admirably accessible beginner's guide to Eastern cinema, but for most, it has opened the doors far too wide and the substance has fallen out. Perhaps original and bold for fearless genre experimentation, and certainly striking for its imagery, it offers nothing to challenge the viewer or even engage them. Placing audiences in an ambiguous position, it makes for uncomfortable viewing - is Hark sharing a story with them, or just patronising them? In either case, more fool him: boredom is inevitable in this painful and over budgeted mess.

JoeytheBrit This was my first taste of the director Tsui Hark's work and, considering the man's reputation, I can only assume I picked one of his duds as an introduction to his CV. The sublime, painstaking craftsmanship is plain to see in every frame – the film is astonishingly beautiful – but it's so very, very dull. And somehow, when you consider the fact you have a world-class director, a 'Seven Samurai' story, martial arts and violence, the suspicion arises that someone is guilty of pulling off a monumental blunder because, with ingredients like that in the pot, it's surely easier to produce a juicy delight than it is to make a tasteless stew like this.Apparently the film was originally intended to be four hours long – I don't even want to think about that – which is probably where the problem lies. Cut anything in half and it just isn't going to be the same, whether it's a film, a foot or a stupefied viewer's attention span. Characters seem to be arbitrarily introduced into the plot with no unique personalities and no back-story, making it nearly impossible to tell them apart. And if you can't identify the characters you're watching, you can't identify with them on any level, so you don't become involved in their plight. Only Honglei Sun, as the unfortunately named Firewind, a villain with a snigger like Dick Dastardly's sidekick Muttley, strikes any sparks.

GyatsoLa I really wanted to like this movie - and there is a lot to like in it. There are some spectacular fight scenes, especially near the end, great photography, and some good acting (but also some awful examples of bad casting). But the whole thing is let down by an incoherent, plot, numerous sub plots that should have been deleted, and a very predictable storyline. The attempts to make a more earthy, back to basics swordplay movie is welcome, but it clearly needed a more disciplined approach. For a movie of this length there is really no excuse for not working harder to develop the characters and background to the action scenes. Some posters here have accused it of being a rip-off of Seven Samurai - it clearly is not. However, I can't help wishing someone sat the makers down in front of Seven Samurai (or any Kurosawa period movie), to show that you can make a great action movie while also telling a complex story - and give characters that you want to believe in.

mabuse786 I mean I am really flattered by this movie. I bow in front of Hark Tsui who did IMO a real EPIC movie! The four hour version would have been definitely better, however, the 153 minutes version give you an impression. In my understanding the love story could have been a lot more extensive than it is in the move. The martial arts part is just overwhelming! I have never seen anything like this before and I saw some - I guess some people know better. This is really a great movie, which stole from other movies, however, it stays unique and is no copy. Hark Tsui, if you read this and the studio, please give us the 4 hours directors cut! For me especially the scenes with the meteroites on mount heaven lacked a lot of story building. Highly recommended movie for the Asian and Star Wars movie fan.