Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

During China's Ming Dynasty his eunuchs have assumed considerable power with one running the East and West Bureaus which act as spies and the nations strict police; they also don't want the emperor to know that they are corrupt. During an operation to crack down on those who would expose them the head of the East Bureau is killed by Zhao Huai'an. Meanwhile the emperor's chief concubine has had the West Bureau execute three courtesans who got pregnant and ordered them to hunt down a fourth. This fourth one is about to be killed but is rescued by somebody claiming to be Zhao Huai'an; this is witnessed by the real Zhao. The fake Zhao and the courtesan head to the Dragon Gate in where they hope to wait out an approaching sandstorm. There are many others there drawn by a legend which says that a city, with lots of treasure, will be uncovered during such a sandstorm. By the time the storm arrives the West Bureau has arrived, there is also a man who looks almost identical to its leader; a group of Mongols and various bandits… conflict is inevitable and when it comes things get confusing at times.As this film got underway I quickly prepared to be disappointed as the opening scene featured some very obvious CGI… thankfully after that things improved somewhat and the effects towards the end where much better. The story was a little confusing at times with a large cast of characters, some of whom look identical… ultimately this doesn't matter too much as we can tell who the main characters are except when there is deliberate confusion. There is plenty of solid action which fans of Wuxia style fighting are likely to enjoy. The cast, which includes Jet Li, does a fine job. Overall this isn't a classic of the genre but it is still well worth watching.These comments are based on watching the film in Mandarin with English subtitles; an English dub is also available but I can't comment on its quality.

Jet Lee did some great stuff over the years. This is not one of those. Plot is worse than Disney.Entire movie has 0 decent martial art choreography. This is NOT a martial arts movie! What it is, is nonstop unrealistically stupid, badly done, CGI.Part I hated the most is that there is better flow of moves in Batman Origins Video Game than in this movie. Good for Batman Origins, very, very bad for unmemorable Dragon Gate.These is far too much posing, stopping, pausing, centering on badly acted facial expressions ... I really do not like Anime, so maybe that is part of the problem here, but this thing felt like C-budget Live Action Anime Roleplay by fans who are not really actors and have no professional experience.

The first of Tsui's wuxai epics I have seen. Has a very gripping plot with twists you can see happening and some that come out of nowhere leaving you thinking "I didn't see that coming." I personally loved how the plot came about and left the viewer surprised, a popular review mentions that the film failed to use it's best asset in Jet Li. I disagree mightily, Epics in general are about the grand story and not the over saturation of a single character.If anything (while I admit I have not seen others in the Dragon Inn series) I felt the story wasn't quite big enough. Especially with how the opening scene led you to believe it was going. It could have also done with a slight bit more character development.The action scenes were amazing, definitely no complaints there. I felt that one in particular near the ending was a bit over the top, but Tsui was lured into using 3D technology as much as possible.Xun Zhao gave the best acting performance and stood out for her strong delivery and dry persona that told the story of her character. She was also able to display other emotions well when the time was needed. Very solid performance from her.Kwan Lun-Mei was also very effective in her role as the Tatar leader and displayed a cool dark screen presence. Overall, I rated the movie very high as it was intelligent and had some suspenseful elements that spoke to the story telling which is saying quite a bit as it still had a bit of room for improvement.True Score: 8.1

I watched this in 3-D and have to say it was worth it. There are some amazing effects on display here. Something even the critics will not deny the movie. What they will say of course is, that the movie is a bit of a mess when it comes to the plot/story department. And that accusation is not wrong. It's the visuals Tsui Hark is most concerned about. Which means you get more than a handful beautiful staged and choreographed scenes and sequences.But the story isn't that bad and though bumpy, still easy to follow. Not many will criticize Michael Bay or any other Hollywood director for their focus on the technical aspect rather than the development of plot and character. This still is superior in the character department, even though it has some major flaws there too.Still, if you want a good time with an enjoyable Eastern you could pick worse movies.