Viewer Comments:Butterfly And Sword
All Content Used With Permission.
I liked this film more than I thought I would. The action is good, along with the acting. My favorite kind of wuxia.
Good plot. Good fight scenes. I also liked the special effects.
This movie is pretty good. I thought sometimes some of the fight sequences were in fast-forward mode but were still entertaining. I was told this movie was rubbish, but I enjoyed it, especially Donnie Yen's character. I read a few reviews stating they didn't understand what was going on. I think I got what was going on, I only wished the movie was 20 minutes longer.
-AKURA SAMURAI (see my profile)
Sadly, this remake of "Killer Clans" falls way short--save the presence of Michelle Yeoh, and to a lesser extent that of Donny Yen. The story is pretty convoluted and it's somewhat fatiguing trying to make sense of it all. The action sequences are very good, and Joey Wang supplies her usual sexiness to the proceedings. Tony Leung was never really a wuxia star and his outing this time really doesn't convince either. All in all, I'd say this was something you might want just to round out a collection, otherwise, buy "Killer Clans" and enjoy it in all its cheesy splendor.
Vincent Zhao should have more roles. His display of the martial arts is crisp and refined, he's definitely a student of the arts. With that, the plot of this movie was great.
A good story and plenty of action. If you like "over the top" martial arts choreography than this movie is a must.
-Johnnie Freeze (see my profile)
Please do not listen to any of the reviews that say this movie is not good. This movie is over-the-top with wire kung fu action. If you get this movie and don't like it than you are not a true kung fu fan it is as simple as that. Like many of the reviewers said before me this movie is awesome. HKFlix recommends it!
| On the cover of my version it says "Even more impressive than Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon". This movie should never be compared with CTHD. They have only two things in common; Michelle Yeoh and people flying.
But Yeoh is nothing in this movie compared to Crouching Tiger. Almost all fighting sequences are destroyed by idiotic camera angles and the fact that camera angles change so often that it is impossible to get an overview of the fighting. And where CTHD had beautiful dreamlike flying scenes, flying in this movie is usually also destroyed by poor camera. And some even remind me of the flying in Superman. I read fairly good reviews of this movie and was therefore very disappointed by it. If you like fighing scenes like the ones in Jackie Chan's movies (referring to coreography and camera) or e.g. the Jet Li movie "Once upon a time in China", this movie will disappoint you. |
Features the "human bow and arrow," the "magic ball game," a Freddy Krueger claw, and lotsa wire-flying tricks. (Remake of an early 80s Shaw Bros. film called "Killer Clan".)
-hokazak
The plot, among other things, was the worst part of the movie. If you were able to follow through after the first 30 minutes I will worship you from the buttom of my heart.... ok just kidding. The action was ok but not great; very strong on romance but wasn't very realistic either. The only good thing about the movie was Donnie Yen and his character. I love him in every movie I've seen him in and this is not an exception! I feel kinda sorry for his character, because he was the most loyal to the boss(which happens to be the girl of her dreams!) but instead she ignores his feelings for her. I think I'll give it a 3/10.
-pjshimmer
This was an enjoyable swordplay movie with sentimental love themes. Tony and Donnie played their characters well and the action scenes were cool. The plot could have been more developed but overall the film was good. 7.5/10
-illmatic
Heart pounding swordsplay, complicated story line, Joey Wong....damn - everything you love about HK movies is here. A must see and certainly the best from HK in 1993.
-RLM
| A rather dark, gloomy tale set in a world resembling a cross between samurai Japan and 1800 China. This is one of the more graphic, blood-ladened stories from HK fantasy. In the first 5 minutes, limbs, entrails and heads fly a plenty under the assault of an assassin. Throughout the story more heads fall victim, which is too bad since it tends to distract from some nice fight scenes (especially Michelle's sword-wielding skills in a bamboo forest). The story's momentum suffers in places with several flashbacks that leave the viewer confused. Despite this shortcoming the story is intriguing, maintains interest, has a strange sort of bad guy (a Freddy Krueger clone), and provides some wonderful stunts, fight scenes and scenery (my favorite is the bamboo forest). Michelle shows her fighting skills fairly well--although she's far more refined in her latest movies. Her costumes--a blend of Japanese kimono and Chinese court wear--are wonderful (after all, she's beautiful no matter WHAT she wears). This movie would interest those wanting to see Michelle's return after she trained to be a dancer (she's thinner, more lean as she is now) or for pure entertainment. It was done around the same time as Wing Chun but lacks the entertainment and humor of that movie. From a HK production value I'd rate this movie fair and worth checking out. |
| This high art fantasy over-the-top costume piece is a "wire fu" lover's delight. All characters are dressed in coloful drapey, billowy robes and garments. The musical score is unusually well-orchestrated from beginning to end. But does everyone have to twirl 10 times while going 16 feet from point A to point B. There is very little walking in this film. Everyone twirls, flies, swings, flips, rotates, revolves (is that different from rotate?), levitates, somersaults, jacknifes, or pirohuettes (sp?) in nearly every frame. The fighting is fantastical and violent, to say the least. While the film is certainly different from the classic old-school kung fu film, I do, in fact, give the movie high marks within its own fantasy genre. Technically, the wire artistry and effects are mind-boggling, yet at times numbing. If wire fu is your cup of tea, I suppose this is your eye candy. For others, it's probably worth a peek, as I would suspect it is probably one of the best in its genre. |
This window is a "pop-up" from Butterfly And Sword at HKFlix.com.
If you've arrived here from somewhere else,
please CLICK HERE for our home page!
