Review of Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan (2007) by Tyson C — 21 Oct 2009

Good movie, fun to watch. I just wish the story spent more time on motive than just "it's destiny. deal with it." Half way through the film I was disappointed, not because of the film itself but the advertising of it. The trailer made me think that this was going to be a story similar to that of Gladiator with a lot of anger and seeking revenge on those that killed his family. It was not. Once I got past that I liked it. It may not have had what I was hoping for, but it did have some interesting elements in it.

There are some really drawn out shots that look pretty and very dramatic... but after a while it's like... ok lets keep it going here. Lots of Temudgin in bondage... he gets free, the he's back again, he's free then back again... it got a little repetitive but i'm guessing that it's all part of the legend so, if it is, I don't mind.

What I don't get that kind of bothers me... We never see Temudgin grow into his destiny... his character doesn't change at all from when he's a kid to when he is an adult... he gets put in bondage and is on the run for most of the film... but some how in the last moments of the film rises to power and knows how to lead... even though the last time he was exposed to that (in the film) was when he was 10 years old.Even if he's a natural born leader, we don't see any evidence of it... All we get is text on the screen saying "Take our word for it, this guy's good." Many characters in the film fear and respect him... but I can't remember a scene where he earned the respect from the audience... the film just assumes you will be on board. that bothered me. Maybe he does and I just missed it... but I doubt it.

I think that some of the long dramatic shots could have been cut shorter and that extra time could be used to help the audience actually care about the character. Heck I had more invested in the wife than in the main guy.

Fortunately this is a trilogy and maybe things that didn't show up here will show up in the next film.