The Great Battle

I'm a fan of historical Korean films, but it took me a while to watch this one because it's not available in Prime Video for Philippines.

Having its ties with Jumong, my all-time favourite, set incredibly high standards for the film. In my opinion, Jumong series stands as a remarkable masterpiece in the Korean entertainment industry.

However, The Great War didn't manage to inspire the same level of thrill and amazement. The battle scenes were, indeed, engaging and compelling from start to end, confirming it as an enjoyable watch and definite entertainment.

Although, if one attempts to match this to the epic loftiness of the Jumong series, they might find it falling short.

The title exactly describes this movie: A great battle.

While watching, you definitely will be reminded of great battles scenes from Middle Earth (but obviously without mythical creatures) like Helm's Deep or Minas Tirith. Perhaps you also get a small feeling of being in Jerusalem during Kingdom's Heaven.

A charismatic cast of characters with somewhat unique personalities ( look out for the Gimli-Legolas friendship), a small defence army fighting a nearly hopeless fight against an overwhelming number of attackers, a plot which serves the needs of such a movie, an atmospheric score and - of course - great and diverse battle scenes with many bad dass moments.

Do not expect big history accuracy - but honestly I think this was also never attempted or wanted - and you should also not look for a historic depiction in such a movie.

Overall, a war movie worth watching if you know what to expect and if you sometimes just want to see spectacular fight scenes with a nice and easy to follow story in Asia.

Chinese Emperor Tang defeats a Korean army of 150,000, leaving only 10,000 survivors. The battle scene has horses in armor. In his way is the Ansi Fortress, defended by 4000 Koreans. The movie shows the battle in epic proportions, in a way that is seldom seen in movies. It is a Chinese period piece, and in checking out one historical website, the battle for the fortress unfolds basically as depicted in the movie. There is plenty of action, plenty of carnage, and the role of the Korean Commander, Poong, is very well cast. He comes across as a very brilliant tactician. There is a betrayal that adds interest to the movie at the right point. If one wants a movie with a lot of action and bloodshed, this movie will check all the boxes.

The Great Battle (2018 Korean movie streaming currently on Hi-Yah) is a gem of a picture got a very limited US release (at the same time as Venom). It is hard to find , but worth tracking down. This is the Korean version of 300 mixed with Braveheart. What it may lack in historical accuracy it makes up for in style and jaw dropping battles many of which rival the Two Towers

It is visually appealing, packed from top to bottom with action and combat, dressed in appealing costumes, and backed by a stirring soundtrack by Yoon Il-sang.

Absolutely treat to watch. good story line and awesome screen capturing. Amazing acting and superb story. Dramatic war and drama scenes. Great Korean battle..