First of all the movie is historically very inaccurate. The director "kills" Zuchi some 20 years earlier than he was supposed to die, "makes" Jamukha to kill Tooril, who was actually killed by Naimans, and so on. I know to put the story of Genghis Khan into a single movie is very difficult. The movie seems to be mostly talking about whether Temujin is Esukhei's son and whether Zuchi is Temujin's son. This topic might be interesting for many, but Temujin is a very strong historical figure and it is hard to believe that he was depressed too much over this dispute. HEWell, my point is this movie is not for learning history at all. Somehow for mongolianss the behaviors of main characters seem quite comical. People couldn't help but burst to laughter when Temujin makes quick movements to hold his woman.
12 Reviews
A lot of spectacle, a lot of melodrama, a lot of horses. And Genghis Khan, we're told, is kind of a nice guy
Terrell-41 September 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Genghis Khan was one of the great murdering conquerors in history, dining at the same table with Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolph Hitler. One assumes that their lust for land, power and the deaths of their enemies and victims, along with a practical indifference to the deaths of their own soldiers and people, sprang from how easily bored they could be.
In Genghis Khans' case, if this movie is to believed (not a good idea with most movies' presentations of "history"), the melodrama of Genghis Khan's soap-opera life with Hoelun, his mother; Bolte, his wife; Kulan, his great-looking female bodyguard and occasional bed partner; and his sons and brothers would be enough to drive anyone away from the yurt and onto a horse. This isn't helped when Kulan, while she's wearing a Mongolian soldier's armor and a tufted helmet, looks a little like Leonardo DiCaprio.
The movie tells the tale of the ascent of Temujin as unifier of the Mongols, conqueror of tribes and of vast lands, and leaves us, with Temujin now called Genghis Khan, as he charges toward the Great Wall of China, eager to take on the Jin dynasty.
There is no tension to the story, no gradual building of the drama to match the story of greater and greater conquest. Narration is used to bridge the years and tell us of one more difficulty Temujin will face, which we then see acted for us. The movie is not boring, not with all those thundering horses, backward arrow shooting on horseback and a look at life in a yurt, but the sameness with which the story is told eventually becomes predictable. At least, even with the family melodrama and, for Western eyes, the overacting of the main characters, the movie doesn't ladle up the creamed corn that was John Wayne as a drawling Temujin and Susan Hayward as a frowning, red-haired Bolte.
The movie settles into a rhythmic pattern early on: A battle, exciting and well managed, then melodrama, overwrought and tiresome. Then, another battle, another drama, another battle, over and over for 136 minutes. This Japanese movie was filmed in Mongolia and features primarily Japanese actors and what looks like most of the Mongolian army on leased horses. The battles get bigger and bigger as the movie progresses. It looked to me like there wasn't much Computer Generated Overkill used. With all the battles, I hope the producers had plenty of veterinarians on hand. A lot of horses took violent falls. There are some wonderful scenes of Mongolia's green, rolling, treeless hills and an interesting look at life in encampments.
Just before Genghis Khan sets off to take on the Jin, he and Kulan exchange a bit of conquering philosophy.
"I will go on as far as I can," says the man on horseback. "With every land I conquer, more borders between nations will vanish. People will travel freely and trade will flourish. Cultures and customs will be honored and all will live well."
"But make war and there will be bloodshed," Kulan says to him.
Replies Genghis Khan, "That is bloodshed that cannot be helped, to insure that no further blood need be spilled," Oh, brother. How many times has humanity heard that one?
In Genghis Khans' case, if this movie is to believed (not a good idea with most movies' presentations of "history"), the melodrama of Genghis Khan's soap-opera life with Hoelun, his mother; Bolte, his wife; Kulan, his great-looking female bodyguard and occasional bed partner; and his sons and brothers would be enough to drive anyone away from the yurt and onto a horse. This isn't helped when Kulan, while she's wearing a Mongolian soldier's armor and a tufted helmet, looks a little like Leonardo DiCaprio.
The movie tells the tale of the ascent of Temujin as unifier of the Mongols, conqueror of tribes and of vast lands, and leaves us, with Temujin now called Genghis Khan, as he charges toward the Great Wall of China, eager to take on the Jin dynasty.
There is no tension to the story, no gradual building of the drama to match the story of greater and greater conquest. Narration is used to bridge the years and tell us of one more difficulty Temujin will face, which we then see acted for us. The movie is not boring, not with all those thundering horses, backward arrow shooting on horseback and a look at life in a yurt, but the sameness with which the story is told eventually becomes predictable. At least, even with the family melodrama and, for Western eyes, the overacting of the main characters, the movie doesn't ladle up the creamed corn that was John Wayne as a drawling Temujin and Susan Hayward as a frowning, red-haired Bolte.
The movie settles into a rhythmic pattern early on: A battle, exciting and well managed, then melodrama, overwrought and tiresome. Then, another battle, another drama, another battle, over and over for 136 minutes. This Japanese movie was filmed in Mongolia and features primarily Japanese actors and what looks like most of the Mongolian army on leased horses. The battles get bigger and bigger as the movie progresses. It looked to me like there wasn't much Computer Generated Overkill used. With all the battles, I hope the producers had plenty of veterinarians on hand. A lot of horses took violent falls. There are some wonderful scenes of Mongolia's green, rolling, treeless hills and an interesting look at life in encampments.
Just before Genghis Khan sets off to take on the Jin, he and Kulan exchange a bit of conquering philosophy.
"I will go on as far as I can," says the man on horseback. "With every land I conquer, more borders between nations will vanish. People will travel freely and trade will flourish. Cultures and customs will be honored and all will live well."
"But make war and there will be bloodshed," Kulan says to him.
Replies Genghis Khan, "That is bloodshed that cannot be helped, to insure that no further blood need be spilled," Oh, brother. How many times has humanity heard that one?
A big budget epic that has the simple look of a TV miniseries
harry_tk_yung28 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
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.
Japanese Actors can not play the real characters of Mongolian
ucjerry4 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I have viewed the TV series acted by the local Mongolian people, which really show us the ambition and character of a big man, Tiemuzhen.
Actually, Tiemuzhen conquered the whole Aisa-Europe mainland. But why does the director stop in the middle. In the end of the movie, Tiemuzhen shoots out an arrow towards Chinese great wall. This is awful. Incomplete.
Japanese spend a fortune on this movie and will circulate the movie to more than 60 countries, including 40+ European countries. About more than 100 million people will have chance to take a look at this so-called great movie.
Those who know little about Mongolia will have a misunderstanding of Mongolia and this great historical figure.
It's a bad movie. I don't recommend this title.
Actually, Tiemuzhen conquered the whole Aisa-Europe mainland. But why does the director stop in the middle. In the end of the movie, Tiemuzhen shoots out an arrow towards Chinese great wall. This is awful. Incomplete.
Japanese spend a fortune on this movie and will circulate the movie to more than 60 countries, including 40+ European countries. About more than 100 million people will have chance to take a look at this so-called great movie.
Those who know little about Mongolia will have a misunderstanding of Mongolia and this great historical figure.
It's a bad movie. I don't recommend this title.
Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea
disdressed1223 May 2009
i thought this was a very well made movie,both from a technical and visual standpoint.i have no idea how historically factual it is.Obviously the character of Genghis Khan did exist and probably around the time the movie depicts.whether completely factual or not(and most movies,other than documentaries,are not)i did like how they depicted Khan.we see him at birth,as a young boy,growing into a man,finally at adulthood.they really showed him first as a human being,then a warrior.in this movie,he isn't some bloodthirsty tyrant.i also thought the battle scenes were pretty realistic.there was very little CG,maybe one overhead shot.the acting was very good,as was the music.the only thing i had a bit of a problem with was there were so many warring tribes,it was hard to keep track of who was who.and it is pretty long,about 130 minutes without end credits.this particular DVD had the option of dubbed English,or Japanese with English subtitles.i viewed the movie with the subtitles,after trying the dubbed version for the first few minutes,and finding it too distracting.my recommendation is the subtitles.for me,Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea is a 9/10
inappropriate, not worth to watch
pasany23 September 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Before I saw the Japanese letters I thought it's a Hollywood movie, its characteristic is so Hollywoodish: perceptibly big budget, nice effects, and baaad script. The movie has pretty nice battle scenes and costumes, but probably that's all positive in it.
While watching it I kept feeling it's not how steppe people behave, and sometimes I felt it's not like any people behave. Many scenes were overacted and/or corny. Gengishes character was quite different than the real life Gengish probably was. And the movies atmosphere was killed by the totally inappropriate music. That bugged me the most, they constantly used those customary corny symphonic tones we usually hear in the love scenes in Hollywood films! The finishing stroke was the end title music, which was some pop song! For a movie like this they should have used some Central Asian music! Only that would fit.
I try to cite some real wtf moments (SPOILERS HERE!): (I think the whole childhood part could be cited, it's the worst part of the movie. I'm not sure if the young actors were bad or the script or both, but that part got really screwed!)
(All the above-mentioned scenes are from the childhood part!!!)
Well, there are much more, but these came to my mind now. And I think it's enough to see why is this movie a failure.
While watching it I kept feeling it's not how steppe people behave, and sometimes I felt it's not like any people behave. Many scenes were overacted and/or corny. Gengishes character was quite different than the real life Gengish probably was. And the movies atmosphere was killed by the totally inappropriate music. That bugged me the most, they constantly used those customary corny symphonic tones we usually hear in the love scenes in Hollywood films! The finishing stroke was the end title music, which was some pop song! For a movie like this they should have used some Central Asian music! Only that would fit.
I try to cite some real wtf moments (SPOILERS HERE!): (I think the whole childhood part could be cited, it's the worst part of the movie. I'm not sure if the young actors were bad or the script or both, but that part got really screwed!)
- When Gengish goes with his father go to look for a wife, there is a kinda stupid conversation between them in which the father mentions the blue wolf, as if the 14 years old boy haven't heard about that before. It's clear that he actually tells it to the audience, not to his son, but then why must he tell it?! They use a narrator, why doesn't she tells it instead? That would sound much less stupid!
- When Gengish meets Börte, they just stand near each other, and the writers couldn't give them any intelligent lines!
- Then comes Börtes friend, Jamuka (or how it's written), he just meets Genghis, they speak a very few words to each other, and they go for an archery contest right away. (Of course Gengish wins, with exceptional accuracy.)
- After the contest they vow eternal friendship. (Remember, they know each other for no longer than an hour!!!)
- As they vow, Jamuka explains to Genghis (actually to the audience again) what this friendship means, as if he didn't know! Again, why couldn't they use the narrator for the explanation, this makes Genghis look like a complete idiot!
- 1-2 days later a messenger comes with bad news, and instead of telling them right away, he says "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" for minutes. And when he finally tells, Genghis acts like a total moron again!
- One time he is too coward to pull out his sword and fight his enemy. He runs away, than returns and kills his enemy when he sleeps. I'm not sure, maybe this was his true personality, but then why do they suggest differently other times? And if they want to picture him as a positive hero, then why didn't they make him win in a sword-fight?
(All the above-mentioned scenes are from the childhood part!!!)
- In the whole movie people sit (or stand) not in front of, but next to each other (and in front of the camera). It's so unreal!
- When he captures Jamuka (after bloody fights, where even he almost got killed), he offers him to be his right hand, but Jamuka turns it down and asks Gengish to choke him with his own hands. Gengish does this only after a long hesitation (and Jamukas body don't twitch a single time when he is chocked!). Common who buys this bullshit?!
- When his son dies, Gengish overacts his role so much, I almost turned the player off right away!
- There is a very stupid conversation at the end between Genghis and his bodyguard: she asks him why does he continue the conquests, when he managed to unify the Mongol tribes. He says that wherever he gets, borders are washed away, this makes flourish the trade, life will be richer, and ultimately, there will be peace! This is a lie from the mouth of any conquer, but especially bullshit from such a ruthless one as him! Yeah, thriving trade and richer life, when most people of the conquered towns are slaughtered mercilessly, and the rest are enslaved!
- The movie ends as he orders a cavalry assault against the Great Wall. Cavalry assault against a fort!!! Like that they would have never conquered China!
- Every tribe had uniforms! In the 12-13th century! That's not very realistic is it? But actually this is forgivable, because like that it's easy to make difference between the units in the battle scenes. It's still unreal tough.
Well, there are much more, but these came to my mind now. And I think it's enough to see why is this movie a failure.
Very good, realistic movie
Wotan1315 March 2008
A very good movie about Temujiin's early life and how he became Genghis Khan, leader of all Mongol tribes. The acting was simply good, the costumes worn seemed very realistic and combined with spherical shots of the Mongolian steppes makes that you really get sucked into the story and the world in which it takes place. Battle scenes were also abundant and realistic, showing the mounted warfare of past times.
As a rather critical person when it comes to historical accuracy, I'd recommend this to anyone that likes historical movies. Though this movie has it's inaccuracies, they do not hurt Temujin's character or the movie in general. Coming from the West, I also had no problem with the actors speaking Japanese instead of Mongolian. Simply see it if you have the chance, you won't be disappointed.
As a rather critical person when it comes to historical accuracy, I'd recommend this to anyone that likes historical movies. Though this movie has it's inaccuracies, they do not hurt Temujin's character or the movie in general. Coming from the West, I also had no problem with the actors speaking Japanese instead of Mongolian. Simply see it if you have the chance, you won't be disappointed.
Not impressed, waste of time
dariga_3010197726 October 2007
I was a bit disappointed with the film, I had an impression as if I watched some kind of samurai film, sorry about that :-) Secondly, Mongolians look a bit differently.I mean their physical constitution, face colour; clothes should be adopted to harsh continental climate.Yurts were with wheels on. OK :-) actually who cares of these petty things, that's fine. I liked the music- really nice. What I couldn't understand- you could clearly see the makeup on women. Sorry, but that's really out of place- women in Mongolia were not geishas. They should have worked more seriously as it is a historical character and consulted with Mongolians.
Great movie but not for everyone
Sandeep_Sudhakaran11 January 2009
Let me start by telling you some great reasons NOT to watch this movie. If you are looking for mindless violence, superbly choreographed action sequences, historical accuracy, big budget movie feel or fast paced narration, then avoid this movie. It offers you none of these.
What this movie does have is a good story line, compelling narration that involves the audience, play of human emotions and great acting. It is memorable because of all these factors.
Genghis Khan in real life was a ruthless man and unlikely to posses any of the stellar qualities ascribed to him in this movie. But that is the creative license we must allow film makers to have. Otherwise it would be drab world where all movies are documentaries.
If you want to know about the real Genghis Khan, read a book.If you want to be immersed in good story telling, then watch this movie.
What this movie does have is a good story line, compelling narration that involves the audience, play of human emotions and great acting. It is memorable because of all these factors.
Genghis Khan in real life was a ruthless man and unlikely to posses any of the stellar qualities ascribed to him in this movie. But that is the creative license we must allow film makers to have. Otherwise it would be drab world where all movies are documentaries.
If you want to know about the real Genghis Khan, read a book.If you want to be immersed in good story telling, then watch this movie.
Great movie and money well spent
desrtfx-11 March 2008
For this genre of Movie this was a excellent epic. Go see this picture and then watch Coen Bros Oscar film and wonder why the Blue Wolf wasn't distributed in the States and up for the Oscar. The comment that was made about Mongol woman should not have make up is silly. Only women in England get to wear make up? That is sad. Did Cleopatra or the women playing in Ben Hur. This is a movie, not a documentary. Fact is many Japanese have always revered Temujin. Having great Japanese actors sure beats having the folks in Hollywood or Pinewood studios dressing up as the great Blue Horde. You just don't get good epic pictures anymore. I applaud Shinichirô Sawai & Takashi Sorimachi. I was very happy with this picture. I hope more Japanese productions like this get made, with wider distribution so more people see these wonderful films! Hooray Onehei HanKacho!
YOU KHAN DO THIS MOVIE
Richie-67-48585221 December 2020
Its an epic well told story of a time and a place that in general we know what happened but in the details we lack. That is why it is allowed to take liberties with the in-betweens and if well done the end result is we were entertained which is the primary result. The movie captures the tough times, never ending war, cold, defeats and conquests of the people who lived on these harsh plains and survived. There is temptation to criticize but don't give in to it instead, get yourself a snack, a tasty drink or even a sandwich and relax for this long movie. Interesting to note the horses which are bred for this part of the world as is the animals and of course the clothing along with what must have been a rough life. However those tents seem to keep it all outside and help those that lived back then get their rest to begin anew. Simple life with pleasures. Enjoy
Decent biopic
bettycjung18 March 2018
3/16/18. This movie was ok, from an entertainment standpoint, great scenery, battles and costumes. Story could have used some editing so it would flow better. For example, there's no explanation how the baby Jochi is an adolescent the very next scene. This happens several times so that the viewer is never sure of when things are happening.
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