The summary line is not meant to be judgmental, just a statement of an impression.
"Blue wolf", referring to the legendary origin of the blood line of great Mongolian leaders, is a biographical account of Genghis Khan, filmed by Japan. It is quite in interesting that three movies set in Mongolia or about Mongolian that I watched within a month are shot in three different languages: this one in Japanese, "Tuya de hun shi" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0949564/usercomments-2) in Chinese and "Hyazgar" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0969276/usercomments-2) in Mongolian (as well as Korean).
When I say "biographical account", it refers not only to the content, but also the presentation. The story is told in a very simple manner, as voice over from Temujin's (the name Genghis Khan is known by during the first 99% of the movie) mother (WAKAMURA Mayumi), starting from before his birth, and she appears right through the movie to the end when he becomes the Khan of the entire Mongolian empire. The makeup team has done a good job in transforming her from a beautiful young bride, through the various stages of the story, into a still graceful looking old lady.
The story is told from an interesting angle: how Temujin's life is shaped by three women closest to him his mother, as mentioned, his wife (KIKUKAWA Rei) and Kulan, his Amazon-warrior-cum-bodyguard-cum-lover (rising young Korean idol Ara). Woven into the main theme of Temujin's story is the lamentation of the general fate of Mongolian women during that time of endless fights among nomadic tribes, turning them into loots for the victors. They were, according to the story, not invariably ravaged and enslaved. Some were well-treated and taken as wives, as Temujin's mother and, later on, his own wife. But that results in doubts of whether he was the true offspring from his father's line, and the same doubt later arose with his own son. It was through their heroic action, as the story goes, that prove that they carried the true blood of the "Blue wolf".
While the three women all had their roles in Temujin's life, the two most affecting intimate story lines are those with his son whom he doubted, and with his boyhood buddy who later became his strongest rival for power.
There are some beautiful shots of the splendor of Mongolia. The battle scenes demonstrate thoughtful planning and execution, from some 50 soldiers at Temujin's humble origin to the colossal army at the height of his power (aided by CGI).
SORIMACHI Takashi, known to his TV fans best as a rebellious youth and an unorthodox young school teacher, carries well the role of Genghis Khan from early manhood to the height of his power.
"Blue wolf", referring to the legendary origin of the blood line of great Mongolian leaders, is a biographical account of Genghis Khan, filmed by Japan. It is quite in interesting that three movies set in Mongolia or about Mongolian that I watched within a month are shot in three different languages: this one in Japanese, "Tuya de hun shi" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0949564/usercomments-2) in Chinese and "Hyazgar" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0969276/usercomments-2) in Mongolian (as well as Korean).
When I say "biographical account", it refers not only to the content, but also the presentation. The story is told in a very simple manner, as voice over from Temujin's (the name Genghis Khan is known by during the first 99% of the movie) mother (WAKAMURA Mayumi), starting from before his birth, and she appears right through the movie to the end when he becomes the Khan of the entire Mongolian empire. The makeup team has done a good job in transforming her from a beautiful young bride, through the various stages of the story, into a still graceful looking old lady.
The story is told from an interesting angle: how Temujin's life is shaped by three women closest to him his mother, as mentioned, his wife (KIKUKAWA Rei) and Kulan, his Amazon-warrior-cum-bodyguard-cum-lover (rising young Korean idol Ara). Woven into the main theme of Temujin's story is the lamentation of the general fate of Mongolian women during that time of endless fights among nomadic tribes, turning them into loots for the victors. They were, according to the story, not invariably ravaged and enslaved. Some were well-treated and taken as wives, as Temujin's mother and, later on, his own wife. But that results in doubts of whether he was the true offspring from his father's line, and the same doubt later arose with his own son. It was through their heroic action, as the story goes, that prove that they carried the true blood of the "Blue wolf".
While the three women all had their roles in Temujin's life, the two most affecting intimate story lines are those with his son whom he doubted, and with his boyhood buddy who later became his strongest rival for power.
There are some beautiful shots of the splendor of Mongolia. The battle scenes demonstrate thoughtful planning and execution, from some 50 soldiers at Temujin's humble origin to the colossal army at the height of his power (aided by CGI).
SORIMACHI Takashi, known to his TV fans best as a rebellious youth and an unorthodox young school teacher, carries well the role of Genghis Khan from early manhood to the height of his power.