Da Tang Xuan Zang

My actual rating of this film would be an 8 or perhaps 9 out of 10, but I gave it a 10 because I certainly feel it deserves better than it's current rating of 6. This is certainly not a film for everyone. As previous reviewers have noted, it has a very slow pace and it is not an action movie, but then it never claimed to be. Just because it is Asian does not mean it's going to have kung fu sequences.

This film is about a monk's journey. The why of the journey is really not the main focus, it's about the journey itself. It's about pilgrimage. One can learn about the historical Xuan Zang (and the subsequent fictionalized versions of his life) elsewhere. What this movie captures is more along the lines of films such as the 2006 Russian movie Ostrov (The Island). It is about the character's spiritual journey and the effects he has on those he encounters, as well as how his faith carries him through both hardships and triumphs.

Gorgeously filmed with a beautiful soundtrack, this is a quiet, reflective movie which will not appeal to everyone, and certainly not to people looking for anything fast-paced or action oriented.

Imagery, music, and quest are all seamlessly synthesised to produce an immersive experience. Let yourself go ...

The story is straightforward and lack of a sense of rhythm from beginning to the end. The leading actor Xiaoming Huang made me feel sleepy when he said the lines. Jin Luo and Kai Tan is the only two roles that can make me believe in, the other supporting roles were set as props, neither vitality nor personality. Therefore, the biggest drawback of this film is that the characters are shaped by very dull way.

Of course, the advantage of this film is the original music and photography technology.If you want to appreciate Buddhism scenic spot in India, if you like Tang dynasty costumes, and visit beautiful scenery of the silk road, all of these has been put in the movie.

The film has truly wonderful visuals. Amazing landscapes, but also the filming makes the best of them.

But I was immensely irritated by the slow incomplete English subtitles. Cheap little fantasy or kung-fu movies do a much better job.

Much of the time, there was a subtitle in Chinese ideograms, but no clue to the context for an English-speaker. And more than half the world does not no Chinese or Indian languages. An amazing failing.

When there was something in English, it often seemed to pop up well after the events it related to.

A silly waste for a high-budget film with some noted actors.

If anyone decides to re-do it and have a proper version that might be popular outside of China and India, it would be good to give more context. We do get the bad translations explained, but people would wonder why Tang China is not letting people travel.

They also need to be told that this was before the rise of Islam, so a mix of Buddhism and Hinduism was the norm on the path the man followed.

Looking more widely, I noticed that when the man gets a follower, he has this servant carry his pack. Buddhism when institutionalised tends to be as bad as Christianity at rendering practical service to oppression.

Likewise I was unimpressed by an admired guru sitting well above everyone else, assembled to admire them. Not what I'd see as holiness.

I did see it as an excellent rendering of some interesting cultures. Which is why the sloppy English subtitles. And why I still give it a decent mark.

Xuan Zang's journey showed many obstacles in his path to gain an even deeper spiritual truth. Xuan Zang displayed great endurance and perseverance in the face of these obstacles.

At times I had to suspend disbelief for example when an elephant tipped over into a river, sunk and did not drown. Why is this important? I feel they went out of their way to show that Xuan Zang was not responsible for the death of any living creature which is a central tenant to Buddhism.

Where this movie breaks down is in detailing spiritual truth. The movie talked about debate and showed a winner with no debate! I would have liked to have seen at least a couple of minutes of debate interspersed.