A 4th generation martial arts film in the Crouching Tiger style, with a surprise that took me a while to realize. It is a retelling of a quintessential tale of envy, betrayal, murder, doubt, revenge, and unexpected consequences; in a word Shakespeare's Hamlet.
There are numerous changes, generally of reasonable artistic license, for example the fair and innocent Ophelia character no longer has her well worn emotionally deranged scenes after being jilted harshly by Prince Hamlet, just anguish, then dieing in a different manner. The Prince is not at university, but acting school, practicing his craft in a fabulous open air theatre in the woods with a giant slide in the center of the stage; not very practical for a theatre, but excellent for a dramatic assassination attempt that is staged there. The queen has the largest rewrite, portraying her nearly sympathetically; originally a childhood playmate of Hamlet, she becomes the Prince's mother by marriage which obviates some of the awkward intimate scenes (though probably not awkward originally).
It is filial love that conflicts her as she realizes the King plans to kill him and this turns her finally against the King. Yet with these many changes and more, from the King's brother assassinating him for his wife, to the final corpse strewn stage of woe, it is without a doubt, Hamlet.
Like Crouching Tiger and House of Flying Daggers, it departs from true fight films, and melds martial arts, dance, and acrobatics; here most elegantly in a scene between the queen and Prince, as they practice one of their childhood Kata, an exercise to perfect their sword handling technique. Filmed in slow motion, the swirl of the huge sleeves and tails of their gowns and the flash of the swords truly weds martial arts & dance.
It is not surprising that one of today's innovative & talented young directors took a shot at one of literature's great stories, but though this is likely to register disagreement, in truth the martial arts were a distraction rather than an enhancement. Hamlet is full of physical action and sword play, but most of it is an explosive accent, usually with unexpected consequences, the sword play more a means to an end. Though beautiful and thrilling, the martial arts in Scorpion have suffer mission bloat, swelling from a single hasty stab, into a 12 man major engagement on several occasions. You begin wondering when the next big fight scene is, instead of when will Hamlet end his anguished debate and strike for himself and for justice.
I would offer Throne of Blood/ Macbeth and Ran/ King Lear, as examples of two Asian adaptations of Shakespeare where the new setting does not distract from the essential dramatic action.
There are numerous changes, generally of reasonable artistic license, for example the fair and innocent Ophelia character no longer has her well worn emotionally deranged scenes after being jilted harshly by Prince Hamlet, just anguish, then dieing in a different manner. The Prince is not at university, but acting school, practicing his craft in a fabulous open air theatre in the woods with a giant slide in the center of the stage; not very practical for a theatre, but excellent for a dramatic assassination attempt that is staged there. The queen has the largest rewrite, portraying her nearly sympathetically; originally a childhood playmate of Hamlet, she becomes the Prince's mother by marriage which obviates some of the awkward intimate scenes (though probably not awkward originally).
It is filial love that conflicts her as she realizes the King plans to kill him and this turns her finally against the King. Yet with these many changes and more, from the King's brother assassinating him for his wife, to the final corpse strewn stage of woe, it is without a doubt, Hamlet.
Like Crouching Tiger and House of Flying Daggers, it departs from true fight films, and melds martial arts, dance, and acrobatics; here most elegantly in a scene between the queen and Prince, as they practice one of their childhood Kata, an exercise to perfect their sword handling technique. Filmed in slow motion, the swirl of the huge sleeves and tails of their gowns and the flash of the swords truly weds martial arts & dance.
It is not surprising that one of today's innovative & talented young directors took a shot at one of literature's great stories, but though this is likely to register disagreement, in truth the martial arts were a distraction rather than an enhancement. Hamlet is full of physical action and sword play, but most of it is an explosive accent, usually with unexpected consequences, the sword play more a means to an end. Though beautiful and thrilling, the martial arts in Scorpion have suffer mission bloat, swelling from a single hasty stab, into a 12 man major engagement on several occasions. You begin wondering when the next big fight scene is, instead of when will Hamlet end his anguished debate and strike for himself and for justice.
I would offer Throne of Blood/ Macbeth and Ran/ King Lear, as examples of two Asian adaptations of Shakespeare where the new setting does not distract from the essential dramatic action.