rsaintj

I think folks here are being a little harsh on THE PROMISE. For the sake of brevity, I'll say this: I found it more engaging than HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS and as gorgeous (if not more so) than HERO. The special effects were the finest I've seen to come out of Asia, ever; some surpassed REVENGE OF THE SITH, though they've got some little work left to do on LOTR-like effects with Massive and compositing overall.

But overall, I thought it was an exceptionally entertaining film with some fine performances. Almost as good as HERO overall, and very, erm, promising for Chen Kaige. I'd skipped THE EMPEROR AND THE ASSASSIN because it seemed so close to HERO, but now I'm going to track it down.

I loved it in a way I haven't loved a movie in a long time. I loved it for truly disturbing me, for really keeping me unnerved. I don't scare easily, but the building of horror upon horror in this film really got under my skin. I walked in thinking I'd probably "like" it or enjoy it, but that there really wasn't much left to do with an alien invasion movie, especially in a story already done. I was wrong. Whatever was going on in my head and my heart during the events of 9/11, Spielberg managed to tap right into that part of me again.

Oh, and Oscars for Dakota Fanning, Michael Babcock (sound designer... BEST SOUND IN A MOVIE... EVER!!!!) and Dennis Muren.

I know some have faulted it for not showing us enough big SFX battles. That is like the son, Robbie. He had to see it. It's something inside of us that keeps us glued to the TV on days like 9/11, or when the US invaded Iraq. We have to see it. But in this movie, we are completely limited to what Ray sees and experiences, with few exceptions. I thought that was kind of brilliant, and by never taking us out of his shoes, that's what makes the horror work. It's immersive in a way similar (in effect) to Blair Witch Project, without having to rely on a video camera. So in the end, we're like Robbie. We want to see it all. When we go to movies, we're used to seeing it all, as if the audience is omniscient. When we don't see it, it gets under our skin. And when what happens does happen, it's all the more effective.

I loved the ending, especially for not taking the easy way out: to try to outdo everything that's been done before.