Great Architecture
I was very impressed by this film on many levels, script, story, cinematography, martial arts, sets, characters, etc. but will offer commentary only in my subject of expertise, Architecture. I may offer that the historical settings of the First Emperor's Royal Palace and environs were designed and shown with great power of design, exquisite detail and fine execution of color, light and materials. It is unknown if these architectural images are exact and historically accurate, but they seemed true and in character with historical scholarship available. Moreover, the siting of each structure was pristine, elegant and well staged with the large cast, offering a cinematic focus at both a large all-cast scale and a human one for the main characters simultaneously. I cannot recall any film in which this has been accomplished so successfully, but may add that this imagery was choreographed similarly in the opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics in 2009. I was so impressed that I made a study of this for my curriculum as there is great interest in ancient Chinese cities and historical sites today as China enters the forefront of the Architectural and Urban world stage with discovery of its ancient sites. This film has much information in many areas, and it is well worth owning a copy to view over and over, and for study of nuance, a truly successful artistic endeavor.