Review of Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan (2007) by Austin V — 05 Jun 2009

I don't know how accurate this film reflects actual history, but this epic portrait of Genghis Khan is brutal, empassioned, and beautifully presented. It certainly paints him in a much more romantic and heroic light than the caricature of a rampaging warlord (ahem - Bill & Ted) that usually comes to mind.

My main criticism of the movie is that it jarringly skips past a lot of things. For example, on a couple occasions he suddenly goes from being a lone nomad to having an army at his command. We never see any recruitment or gradual increase in his forces. Other examples abound in which an interesting or suspenseful scene is set up, the picture fades and the story moves past it. As a viewer, I want to see the resolution of these immediacies, not just their aftermath.

I was also very unsatisfied with the Blu-Ray. There were no supplementary materials, not even a trailer or commentary. Considering the rich historical legacy of Genghis Khan, this material deserves more than a menu that says "Play Movie". The lack of deleted scenes is particularly disappointing for the reason I mentioned above - the film feels like a lot was left out.