jack_o_hasanov

Every year, around Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, I try to watch movies with this theme. In the past, I started earlier and watched several movies over a few days. This year, I did not really feel the same excitement. Only at the last moment, I decided to watch one movie with this theme. I had heard a lot about this film, so I chose it. It is clearly a metaphorical movie, but even if you forget that and watch it as a fantasy adventure, it is still enjoyable. Unfortunately, I did not watch this movie as a child, but for the first time at the age of 30. The movie was interesting and good, and the metaphor worked well. If I had watched it as a child, it would definitely be one of my favorites. Even watching it now, I still liked it.

Sometimes after watching historical movies, people (including me) say things like this is historically wrong, events were changed for drama, and so on. People often say that movies should be more accurate to real history. This movie is exactly that kind of film. Of course, it is not 100% the same as real history, and that is also very hard to achieve. But from a historical point of view, it is very accurate. The fact that it was directed by a Scottish director may be one of the reasons for this. When a movie follows history closely, it can sometimes feel a bit boring. This movie is slightly boring. Braveheart, on the other hand, is almost completely wrong historically, but it is an excellent movie. This film continues the story of the events after Braveheart. This movie is very accurate historically, but a bit weaker as a film. Only a bit. The muddy battles and sword fight scenes feel very real, and you can clearly see how much effort was put into them. That deserves appreciation. Also, during this period, Scots did not wear kilts yet. This detail is historically correct in the film. The cinematography is very good for a Netflix production and feels almost like a high-quality TV film. The acting is not exaggerated. It is calm, realistic, and fits the story well. It is a good movie. But if you watch it after Braveheart, it may not feel very epic. Braveheart is a Hollywood movie, while this one is not, really. Overall, it is a solid film, both historically and as a movie.

This movie was planned as a trilogy, but I do not know why it was never continued. It had strong potential. First of all, the film is not about Temujin's conquest period. Instead, it tells his origin story, from childhood until he unites Mongolia. I liked this approach. The movie moves slowly, but because it is an origin story, this did not bother me. From a historical point of view, the film includes many realistic and accurate elements. The final battle scene was also not bad. However, after watching the movie, I still do not understand why that scene was turned into a YouTube clip with the song "Dombra". I do not see the connection. There is one major issue that lowers the movie's score for me. Temujin suddenly becomes a khan, gathers an army, and even has elite soldiers. How did this happen so fast ? In movies about historical leaders and commanders, I want to see this process. How did he gather that army ? What kind of leadership, strategy, or manipulation did he use ? These parts are missing. It feels like they were cut out. Suddenly, Temujin already has an army, fights wars, unites Mongolia, and becomes Genghis Khan. And then... that is it. The ending feels very rushed. I wanted to see how he truly reached that position. Most likely, this was planned for the second movie, but since there is no sequel (and many years have passed, so I have little hope), the film feels incomplete. It is a shame, because the movie had good potential. These issues reduce the quality and interest level of the film. Still, it is not a bad movie.