Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa. James Hong. Genghis Khan. Moon. The cast and the title should be all it takes to draw in an audience. These actors are all but legendary, and to see them share the screen is a gift.
Yet don't get too excited. Like catnip or treats placed in a carrier before a scheduled vet visit, the attractants oversell the experience a bit.
'Genghis Khan conquers the moon' isn't abjectly bad. The filming locations are great, and set decoration is superb, as is costume design. I love Pantawit Kiangsiri's music, which to some degree reminds of the heavily styled scores of Basil Poledouris. The visual effects are swell. The title, in and of itself, suggests a wonderfully cheeky story idea. The direction this short actually takes is significantly different, but also very much worth exploring.
It's regrettable that this film's greatest assets aren't exercised to their full potential. It's a joy to watch the two as scene partners. Yet Hiroyuki-Tagawa was apparently instructed to partly mumble his way through every line of dialogue. Hong, one may suppose, was directed to carry the same air of mysticism and peculiarity that he has brought to so many other roles - yet somewhat downplayed. With two great actors seemingly given the Harrison Bergeron treatment, what value we had hoped of in a warlord meeting a wizard is diminished.
Just as much to the point though - the course of events doesn't impart nearly the profundity that is intended. True, I suppose it's fair to say that a tranquil air about the climax is appropriate given its setting. Yet the short is ultimately not satisfying - only wanting, with a pervasive sense of something missing. The promise held in the casting, and in the premise, is not kept.
No doubt some other viewers will find 'Genghis Khan conquers the moon' more enjoyable and impactful than I have - I hope that's true; I wanted to like this. Personally, though, I just can't especially imagine recommending this to someone unless they're enormous fans of the cast.
Yet don't get too excited. Like catnip or treats placed in a carrier before a scheduled vet visit, the attractants oversell the experience a bit.
'Genghis Khan conquers the moon' isn't abjectly bad. The filming locations are great, and set decoration is superb, as is costume design. I love Pantawit Kiangsiri's music, which to some degree reminds of the heavily styled scores of Basil Poledouris. The visual effects are swell. The title, in and of itself, suggests a wonderfully cheeky story idea. The direction this short actually takes is significantly different, but also very much worth exploring.
It's regrettable that this film's greatest assets aren't exercised to their full potential. It's a joy to watch the two as scene partners. Yet Hiroyuki-Tagawa was apparently instructed to partly mumble his way through every line of dialogue. Hong, one may suppose, was directed to carry the same air of mysticism and peculiarity that he has brought to so many other roles - yet somewhat downplayed. With two great actors seemingly given the Harrison Bergeron treatment, what value we had hoped of in a warlord meeting a wizard is diminished.
Just as much to the point though - the course of events doesn't impart nearly the profundity that is intended. True, I suppose it's fair to say that a tranquil air about the climax is appropriate given its setting. Yet the short is ultimately not satisfying - only wanting, with a pervasive sense of something missing. The promise held in the casting, and in the premise, is not kept.
No doubt some other viewers will find 'Genghis Khan conquers the moon' more enjoyable and impactful than I have - I hope that's true; I wanted to like this. Personally, though, I just can't especially imagine recommending this to someone unless they're enormous fans of the cast.
