Hong Kong (2008)
Starring: Charlene Choi, Chun Wu, Ge Hu
Butterfly Lovers itself as a movie didn't really "wow" me on many levels. The story however is altogether something else. This movie is based on a story that is almost 2000 years old and is a traditional folktale in China. Liang Zhu as the tale is often referred to, in honor of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, is a love story that has truly transcended history to bring us a tale of two lovers who are bound by a love so strong heaven itself cast them to live upon the earth and never truly realize that which they sought after most. It is a fascinating story and may be older then it's Hindi counterpart Heer Ranjha and certainly older then our western Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. When comparing the similarities of the major characters in these stories the parallels are quite amazing. It makes me wonder if such stories spread and with a change of characters and local were brought back to life and made famous again in a foreign land, or if the stories have absolutely no connection and from arbitrary chance one story was believed to have happened while something very similar was dreamed up with no influence passing either way.
The main actress and the director in this movie both get slammed in popular reviews citing she is not believable in her role. There are a few moments where I felt the same way, but there's a few good giggles, a couple decent martial arts scenes, an evil villain fighting to possess a heart that is not destined to be his, and then of course the story that makes butterfly lovers of Butterfly Lovers. I enjoyed the movie and the history lesson I received while trying to bring you the background on it. I enjoyed it. If you're looking for a romantic martial arts flick, I will stand behind this one.
Quote: Butterflies should be a pair, one left behind will be lonely. So wait for me.
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