Laura and I just got back from seeing Hero, and, as the title of this entry implies, I thought it was phenomenal. The artistry was incredible, and although it was so intense it was almost palpable, it didn't get in the way of the story at all. Quite the opposite: the feeling it gave me was that it set an elaborate scene in order to invite me to discover the story on my own. I felt volumes of unspoken dialog in nearly every scene, and the meanings poured themselves out effortlessly. At the same time, although the film made me feel as if I understood things instinctively, I was aware of even more depth and texture and nuance of meaning that I couldn't yet identify or draw out.
I plan to buy it as soon as possible, and watch it many many times. I plan to learn about the symbolism of the five Chinese elements, the symbolism of each color, and anything else that occurs to me, and then look for one theme or repeated element at a time. I plan to discover as much of what the film has to offer as possible.
Watching most movies feels to me like the intellectual equivalent of gorging myself on gummi-worms. Watching Hero felt more like meditating.
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