Search - The Last Days of Hsin Yang on DVD

I Like The Film, but the DVD Is Pretty Bad

Sunnyside | Astoria, NY United States | 07/01/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The film is quite decent -- very interesting for a while, and even compelling in a few spots -- but the disc is pretty bad. Despite claims of being "remastered," the video looks just like a straight-from-VHS transfer. In very dark scenes, like in the cave, it's almost unwatchable. Subtitles are "burned in" on the print, and are white, often hard to read and cropped off despite the LBX presentation. (And I doubt it's anamorphic as claimed on the back cover.) At least there are chapter stops, twelve of them, and the original trailer is provided, as well as that to another flick, both of which trailers run back-to-back.

The movie was surprisingly enjoyable, though the amazon editorial is in error: for one thing, it's a princess being escorted through enemy territory, not some prince-in-hiding who takes up with a small family. The story was actually dramatic at times, and I think there was pretty good acting, especially from the two con-men characters. Those looking for martial arts action won't find much of interest here, though there are the obligatory fights. The real strength of this film lies in its drama (though it could have been even better with more character development), and it's a shame that more wasn't done to really flesh out the story, instead of attempting some action, which is barely okay, overall....

I bought this in the store for like $15 but I think it's only worth $5-8 (bargain bin prices), considering the video quality, though the movie itself is fairly entertaining. I'm glad I saw it, and own it."