I just watched Musa. I'll try not to give any plot points since most of you haven't seen it.
I liked it. I thought it was good. It wasn't as good as CTHD or tRH, but not many movies are.
However Z still shines through the rest of the cast.
Z was just bad as Princess Buyong. Not 'bad' bad though! She even made me
want to slap her and I would never ever ever think about touching Z. I think that just
goes to show you how stuck up and bratty she was. The governor's daughter in CTHD was still
very likeable even after all the trouble she caused. But Musa's princess, ugh! You could see
why everyone hated her so much. However, the last fourth of the film, she starts to grow a some
compassion... too bad the people protecting her now want her dead. So your disgust for the
princess now turns to sympathy. You don't want her to give up. Z's ability on screen is again
showcased. Musa was her first big movie after RH2, and you can tell that she has matured since
CTHD. All Z needs to do is put on a costume and she automatically becomes somebody else in
body, mind, and soul. If I didn't like Z as much as I do, I don't know what I would have said
about the stuck up Princess before haha! So if you can't tell, Z was great in this movie.
The movie was a little longer than most - 155 minutes. Although the ending felt like it just
stopped. What's going to happen next? Does everyone get to where they need to get? ... roll
credits, start music... It didn't seem complete. The princess is just stuck there. hmm...
Also, for some reason, the ending reminded me a lot of Starlight. The wave and the face
so similar to Starlight! And the music with the vocals reminded me of Starlight's music too
even though I can't really remember it that well. Odd.
It was a war movie, so expect lots of violence. There is blood spraying everywhere, the
occasional severed limb, and cruelty to horses (lol I like animals), but I can handle all of
that. Some people may not be able to though. The good thing for you is that most of the battle
shots switched rapidly so they weren't lingering too much on the gore. Another thing... it
sounded to me like the sound effects of a spear hitting someone was a little too loud.
Now, I've never heard anyone get hit by a spear, but I would think it wouldn't be nearly that
loud LOL.
The costumes were good. Too bad they had to spoil them all with blood. Z's golden robe was
great! Her first appearance was special. You see her walking out of the carriage with the
golden robe and the white veil. Then a close up to the veil where you can just barely make out
Z's features behind it. As she is being led back into the carriage, a breeze catches the veil
and you see those great Princess eyes of hers. That was lovely.
The last problem I had was with the subtitles. Like Virgule said earlier (I think), the
subtitles were broken English. They didn't flow. The names were also weird. Sometimes they
would be spelled one way and the next another (??). Add to that some ridiculously fast cut off
times and it became harder to understand what they were trying to say. The quick erase time was
really only a problem in the very first part of the film though. I didn't know who was who and
what they were trying to do at first. This should be number one on their 'to do list' for the
US release if there is one.
The music was ok. I would have liked more traditional music. The more modernized sound doesn't
really fit in when you are trying to make a historical epic. The music at the very end and
credits did not fit in IMO. It was a vocal one too. I think "A Love Before Time" in CTHD worked
well because it woke you up from that mystical land you were dreaming about. Musa's just
didn't fit in though. However, one music section really caught my ear. It was at the
end during the final battle. It was sad and chilling. I liked it a lot.
The actual DVD was great. Only the first part of the movie had some blotches. One scene also
had a faint vertical line running across the sky and desert. The extra disc was devoted solely
to extras. If you can understand Korean, then it's a real treat. Being aimed at Koreans though
kind of hurt the Z extras I think. If she could speak Korean, the DVD would be loaded with more
interviews/other extras of hers. There were interviews with each of the major cast except Z.
There were bios of the cast/crew. There were several 'Making of Musa' videos along with two
trailers. The pic gallery was great. There is a 'Favorite Music' section, which I need to
listen to. And there is an Outtakes feature with a couple funny Z stuff. I hope what
I heard about them scraping the second disc is not true. It was very professional and it would
be a shame to lose it all. This second disc is what CTHD should have had.
It's a Z movie, so of course you guys have to see it! If you can understand Korean then
definately get it now. If you can't, I would suggest waiting till the US release for some
better subtitles, although at the cost of possibly losing the second disc and all its extras.
It's a tough choice. If you like war/action movies you'll like it.
