Jadesoturi (2006) User Reviews

Something Old & Something New... a Fine Fantasy Film

[dont_b_so_BBC · 6/10 · 18 December 2006]

Although it's obvious that Jadesoturi is a modern fantasy-- everyone suffers some interference from their "cultural memory". So audiences with fewer preconceptions about the Kalevala or wuxia will probably get into Jadesoturi more easily-- provided they pay close attention to the first 15-20 minutes of exposition (INSTEAD of any preconceptions they have). I watched Jadesoturi again after reading some (unrelated) comics and it suddenly "worked" for me: the basic "historical" premise is really simple--

4000 years ago, some Finnish-speaking tribes/ civilizations made contact with some Mandarin-speaking ones-- which explains why 1) Sintai looks caucasian and speaks Mandarin (mother-Finnish, father-Mandarin), and 2) Pin Yu knows Sintai's father and speaks a little (bad) Finnish. Just don't ask why they spoke modern Finnish/ Mandarin 4000 years ago and exactly where in Eurasia it all happened-- it's NOT a documentary.

But although I noticed more meaningful details the 2nd time round (e.g someone biting his fingernails...), I still didn't get some of the "mumbo-jumbo" (Iron? Fire?)-- could be the subtitles, or maybe Jadesoturi is just too subtle and foreign to me. And while the whole film was shot beautifully, many big "moments" were hinted at rather than shown-- with some of the "best" ones already in the trailer. So 2 things must be "accepted" in order to enjoy Jadesoturi: 1) it's a derivative genre film, 2) with a relatively small budget.

*SPOILERS*

Now the specifics: LIKED the way it paid "tribute" to all those wuxia-fantasy genre-- it's tough coming up with interesting spins on the wuxia clichés like martial chopsticks, flapping cloaks, exotic weapons, etc (there are at least 5-10 more). It's amazing that this film sometimes felt like a Kalevala-inspired Chinese fantasy, instead of vice-versa.... NOT to be confused with Tarantino's kung-fu "spoofs".

LOVED the Chinese dialogue: directly translating the Finnish script to colloquial Mandarin (with terms like "beloved") avoided the sometimes awkward mimicking of "pseudo-classical" speech in Chinese wuxia/ historical films. And the understated, "world-weary" style of delivery allowed the lines to carry themselves, which added nicely to the sense of desperation pervading the film. The Finnish actors spoke good Mandarin (i.e. comprehensible), though the pronuniciation inevitably slips in the longer or quicker phrases.

LOVED Zhang Jingchu's and Markku Peltola's performances: they were amazingly "spot-on" in all their fighting and speaking scenes-- despite the "fuzzy" premise, they were completely focused and knew exactly what they needed to do in each shot. But unfortunately, Tommi Eronen & most other actors were mostly "required" to look hurt or bewildered. Especially Tommi Eronen-- I think he needs more focus and ACTING in the fight scenes.

LIKED the fight choreography: where the director tries to balance the "flow" of the stunts with the actors' "reaction shots" in order to capture the MOTIVATIONS-- which made the fight where Pin Yu tests Sintai (but gets "teased" by him) really "interesting". But the "flow" of the final fight was too broken up by talking and flashbacks (more wuxia clichés) for me-- unlike the earlier fights where people were just "testing" each other, this show-down/ climax can do with tighter pacing/ editing.

LIKED the film overall: for me, Jadesoturi was an interesting fantasy film that was worth more than one look-- but it uses so many "symbols" that everyone will probably see it differently. However, the "serious" archaeological approach is definitely NOT the way to look at the film. (E.g. the ancient Chinese "seal script" used in the film is 3000 years old max, not 4000-- a "trivia" or "goof"?)

Ultimately, perhaps the greatest praise AND complaint of Jadesoturi is that it left the audience expecting more-- I mean, who didn't want to see Pin Yu kick some more butt with that cool weapon of hers and those cool moves! Alas-- the only real wuxia (warrior) in Jadesoturi is Pin Yu, who had to "struggle with self-sacrifice for the greater good".

P.S. Regarding the last comment by tirkkanen-- Jadesoturi is definitely a cut above the sloppier kung-fu B-movies, but nobody should be making THAT kind of comparisons, right? And without meaning any offence, film-editing is "snappier" in Asia for the simple reason that Asians have become more used to "following" kung-fu moves-- it's a (film) culture thing, like the impossible metallurgy, biology, physics, etc..

Beautiful elements in a well made movie

[AlmaCuerpocaliente · 7/10 · 11 September 2006]

I was fortunate to catch this movie at the Toronto International FIlm Festival. It was a well made movie with some beautiful scenes.

A few elements that I really enjoyed: 1. The romantic expression in the eyes was well captured without being overblown. You understood exactly what was going on, without having to read the subtitles.

2. I loved the treatment of the combat scenes. Particularly the use of dust and dry leaves and the sound that accompanied.

3. There was enough mystery and non-explanation that you didn't feel like the plot was force fed to you.

4. The cross-time, fantasy+mythology+ a little bit of philosophy(?) was fun/unique.

Oh and I love how the hero was not perfect...and he wanted love more than glory.

Overall, just a pleasure to watch. Not a perfect movie but a good one.

It is so hard to rate movies, but approx: 7.5/10

Original, but not outstanding

[TheEmperorsBride · 7/10 · 26 November 2007]

I heard about this movie over a year before its release, and followed the progress of the project with mild curiosity throughout the production. When it finally premiered, I expected to see a campy martial arts film with tongue-in-cheek action sequences, and a feeble plot. What I got was the opposite; the movie turned out to be much less of a Kung Fu film than it was cracked up to be, but I was pleasantly surprised with the plot and the character development. Thus, I left the theatre with mixed feelings, though my general opinion of the movie was more on the positive side.

The first third of the film is rather... odd. It opens with a stunning scene set in ancient Finland, but when the story shifts into modern times, it temporarily loses its touch. The plot is dragging, and characters are introduced in a way that leaves the viewer confused about who they are, what they want, and what has happened to them prior to point where the story picks up with them. I suppose it's the director's fault that half of the time everything the characters do feels irrational and pointless. However, when the plot line set in ancient China kicks off, the quality of the movie immediately improves. The parallel stories support each other, the main character gets more depth, and the pace of the story becomes steadier. By the end of the movie, the two plot lines have neatly entwined into a coherent whole, providing the story a beautiful finale in perfect contrast to the messy beginning. In the end, the plot manages to even out its flaws, though only scarcely.

What I particularly liked about Jadesoturi was the delightfully original plot. Generally speaking, the plots of Kung Fu movies aren't exactly epitomes of originality and great character development, and I expected that the makers of the first and only Finnish Kung Fu movie ever wouldn't even need to bother themselves with a proper script as long as the action scenes work. That's why I was surprised that not only did Jadesoturi manage to tell a tremendously humane story about a man's fear and desperation when facing the inevitable, it also provided believable character development and an unexpected twist ending. And all free of the typical Hollywood clichés! The hero isn't your average sword-shielding action god, but a lonely, insecure man with a painful desire to love and be loved, who consciously disregards the greater good in order to pursue personal happiness. Even his name is an apt pun - Kai meaning "perhaps", and the 'pelko' part of his surname Pelkonen meaning "fear". His inner conflict is the heart of the movie, and the one thing that sets this movie apart from all the rest.

In addition to the good plot, the movie contains lots of beautiful imagery, like the shots of Kai's rundown workshop, and the secluded Chinese village. The action sequences are quite stunning, though more artistic than realistic. I also liked most of the actors. These are the reasons why I personally enjoyed the film enough to be able to forgive the movie for its flaws - such as the weak beginning, the pointless subplot including Ronja and Berg's co-worker, and the Worst Evil Scheme Thought Up By A Villain Ever (seriously, am I the only one why is still confused about what the demon was trying to achieve with his cunning plan in the first place?). Jadesoturi has also been criticized for the lack of Kung Fu scenes, which are limited to the minimum. I personally think the problem isn't the lack of martial arts itself, but the fact that it was marketed as a Kung Fu movie even though the emphasis was on the drama, not on the action. It's more of a fantasy/drama film with Kung Fu elements, rather than the reverse.

My opinion? Jadesoturi is an interesting movie, but not an outstanding one. It has plenty of flaws, but also an original story to tell.

Jadewarrior may very well be the best Finnish film in decades, perhaps in history.

[Ol_Gaffer · 21 September 2006]

The first major genre-film in Finnish history, Jadewarrior is a slick and stylish movie of epic proportions. Combining both Chinese Wuxia and the national epic, Kalevala, into a seamless whole the movie creates a beautifully realized vision of alternate history and mythology.

Kai is a blacksmith, living in the outskirts of Helsinki. After his girlfriend leaves him, and meeting a mysterious store owner with an obsession of the Kalevala - Kai is thrust into a battle between good and evil that has raged since ancient times. Should Kai fail, it would cost the lives of not only his beloved, but everyone in the world.

Since it's conception, Finnish films have been in stuck in a rut of bad and repetitive storytelling, with films that you couldn't distinguish from each other without looking at their names. With only dozens upon dozens of war and drama films to our credit, Jadewarrior presents finally visions of grandeur of what Finnish cinema could become. Effortlessly switching between modern magical realities á la Neil Gaiman and the epic scopes of Zhang Yimous Hero and House of Flying Daggers, Jadewarrior is brimming with talented storytelling and visual delivery to match it. First time helmer, A.J Annila charges with leaps and bounds to the very small minority of interesting Scandinavian filmmakers to look out for.

Filmed in locations around the world, such as China and it's home country of Finland, Jadewarrior boasts with visually powerful locales to match it's breathtaking action. With production values most Scandinavian films would die for, the film has the look and feel of a major Hollywood blockbuster, but with wit and heart to match it's brawn. Never force feeding it's centuries spanning plot, Jadewarrior constructs a surprisingly intelligent and heartfelt tale of tragedy without ever feeling forced or calculated.

With actors ranging from Finnish newcomers (Krista Kosonen) to Chinese pro's (Jingchu Zhang), the film delivers. First time leading man, Tommi Eeronen works wonders with his challenging dual role as Kai and Sintai. Switching between his native language of Finnish to fully realized Mandarin Chinese effortlessly. Markku Peltola also succeeds in making his character both tremendously threatening and charming with small nuances, also delivering his performance partly in Mandarin. Chinese actress Zhang Jingchu has the fragile beauty of a young Michelle Yeoh, balancing her performance between the maiden in love and the battle hardener warrior. And while some of the Finnish dialog may sound cringe worthy to native speakers - thanks to it's melodramatic inspirations, Kalevala and Wuxia - the subtitled Chinese segments work better than anyone would have dared to imagine.

With 2006 still having a good way to go before it's end, calling Jadewarrior one of the best films of the year may be a slight gamble. But calling it the best Finnish film in memory isn't. Beautiful, heartfelt, with action and set-pieces to die for - Jadewarrior marks hopefully the beginning of a new wave in Finnish film-making, and deserves all praise coming for it.

entertaining, but a bit too disordered

[KitKate · 7/10 · 31 October 2006]

The movie mixes together Finnish and Chinese mythology, a very interesting and definitely unique basis. Visually the fighting scenes were excellent and I really enjoyed watching them, there just were too few of them. Of course it's good that the movie is more than just fighting, so there would be plenty of time to tell the - as said, interesting - story. Two stories are told at one time, one from ancient China and the second from present-day Finland, and they mixed very well together. But unfortunately the characters remain blank through the whole movie. I didn't get anything out of them, though the story made me yearn to know everything. The characters are captivating, especially Pin Yu's person and Kai's and Ronja's relationship, but too much stays as a mystery. The beginning half is very entertaining and makes your imagination fly. But then the movie becomes disordered and the spectator becomes confused. There are lots of things that are left unexplained, and some things don't seem to have anything to do with the movie. Sometimes it feels like 'a scene has now been cut away from here, and it would explain what I now don't understand.' Those missing little parts didn't start to haunt me after I went to sleep though, the movie wasn't that special. It was definitely entertaining, worth watching, but perhaps not twice. A big plus for the imaginative theme, good music and the courage to do such a film.

Jadesoturi: "Mo Gik" of Finland version?!!

[Foenix · 4/10 · 31 October 2006]

I can't understand why so many movie fans from Finland loved this film,in my opinion,"Jade Warrior" is the worst so-called blockbuster I've seen this year!Not only me,but also most people of China who have seen it.

It is said that the story of "Jade Warrior" came from the myth "Kalevala" of Finland.As to the story which is adapted from the myth,I have to say,it's attracting,here is the general storyline :2000BC,Sintai,son of a blacksmith,has the power to destroy the 10th son of the Monster and eradicate the evil,which survived from Sintai's selfish desire,for he falls in love with a beautiful Chinese girl named PinYu before killing Monster's 10th son.But PinYu has already been engaged to another man,Sintai expects to see PinYu in his next life,which he wants to repeat again and again until she loves him.Unfortunately,love always comes at a cost,which is to let the 10th son of Monster slip away so that he has the chance to meet PinYu.Sintai did it over and over in his every new life,and so does the evil doing harm to the human being.Eventually,Sintai realizes that he couldn't satisfy his own desire while disregarding the entire human beings' safety.Once,in Sintai's new life of modern time,who is named Kai,made up his mind to kill the 10th son of evil finally,after which he has to leave his lover.

The storyline is beautiful,however,As to the film,"beautiful" deteriorates to "awful",and I doubt how many people understand it under the the director's awful direction.So many direct flashbacks between the past and the present,which easily make the audience confused,and the dialogues,which sounds almost retarded,Especially Sintai/Kai in his Chinese talking,it's not people's usual talk at all!!!I am not pointing his strange accent,I mean his words meaning.

About the love between Sintai and PinYu,at the beginning,PinYu refused Sintai,then without a day,PinYu changed her mind and decided to marry him!!!What happened??Not enough pavement for her behavior,and there are so many sudden turnings like this.I guess that may be the main reason we are not touched by the love story.

Let's focus on the most acclaimed parts,the kung fu scenes and cinematography,oh,god,if that were kung fu,"Hero" and "Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon" must be the best film in the world ever!!!!!!!when they fight,it's like two people dancing slowly with the music!!How ridiculous is that!!!And the cinematography,I would say it's just OK,without a engrossing,lively screenplay attracting the audience,best cinematography counts nothing.

During watching "Jade Warrior",the audience just sit there,trying really hard to understand actors' every abnormal behavior,how tired the audience are!!

Last year,we talked about "Mo Gik",and considered it as the worst legendary movie about myth of 2005.Today,I would say,"Jade Warrior" has already won the title of 2006,sorry.

A good story is not properly laid out,what a pity for "JW",the director's fault?maybe.

Strange Skirmishes On The Sino-Finnish Border

[rpowell-4 · 6/10 · 3 November 2006]

There is an old Soviet joke where the punch line is that all is quiet on the Finnish-Chinese border. That is where, psychologically at least, this film is set. It is a pioneering Finnish- Estonian-Chinese co-production, which takes the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, as its starting point.

It was clearly made on a limited budget, without much provision for travel. The result is that, in effect, we have two films with parallel plots and casts, one set in ancient China and one in a sort of modern Finland, where most of the action is divided between a junk shop, a museum and a subterranean forge. Only Tommi Eronen, who plays both protagonists, Kai and Sintai, appears in both parts. The dialogue is split roughly 50:50 between Finnish and Chinese. In style it is much more Asian than Finno-Ugric - swords-and-sorcery with mysterious sacred items, along with the aerial acrobatics and severed heads that have long characterised Asian martial arts flicks.

I found it intriguing rather than gripping or exciting, and had to work quite hard at times to follow it. Some of the symbolism was mystifying. Why was a yellow plastic duck floating in a barrel in the forge? What is the significance of the fly on the face of a dumb, or at least silent middle-aged woman? Still, trying to work out what is happening brings pleasures of its own. And much about the film deserves praise – the acting is generally good, the special effects work, and the costumes and settings looked good, though without a real wow factor. The musical score fitted the film until the very end, when an English-language rock theme tune rapidly dispelled illusions which had taken nearly two hours to build.

Six out of ten.

They told me not shouting crap in the summary

[khornetto · 3/10 · 1 March 2008]

This movie is a joke. It doesn't go anywhere, it doesn't say anything. Mediocre acting, too little fighting considering the genre, scrip-wise erratic. Premises are promising, but they aren't fulfilled at all. What everybody do for all the movie long is just TALKING, TALKING, TALKING... and you won't understand what they are talking about. EVEN WITH SUBTITLES ON. What you expect from this movie is not a talking-inconsistent mishmash of semi-mythical talking whatsoever. Production values are substantially high considering the lack of consistency in the scrip. Just do yourself a favor. WATCH IT, while drinking ridiculous amounts of alcohol! (THE FINNISH WAY)

(From an Italian and Swedish guy living in JAPAN)

A breakthrough in Finnish cinema

[abstract_daddy · 9/10 · 21 October 2006]

Jade Warrior is a new and excellent achievement for Finnish films. Not only is it a martial arts film that was made with a budget of a few million euros (which is still exceptionally high for a Finnish film), but it's also produced and directed as if it was made with a much higher budget by an experienced director. This is no embarrassing first attempt or prototype, but a genre film that's easily on par with modern standards, and also has an interesting, original and intelligent storyline. If you replaced Tommi Eronen with a Chinese actor and removed the parts taking place in Finland, people might conceivably think that Yimou Zhang has released a new movie. Since Jade Warrior is a martial arts film, a lot of attention will naturally be paid to the fight scenes, which are well choreographed and fluidly shot, without excessive closeups and quick cuts. I particularly like the use of flying leaves in fight scenes. While there are some impossible physics, they are used sparsely, and aren't too exaggerated.

The sets, costumes, effects and soundtrack are all outstanding, as are the actors. I think Markku Peltola's portrayal of the demon was especially interesting. Also, I don't mean to sound superficial, but Jingchu Zhang is stunningly and exceptionally beautiful. She's apparently a rising star in China, and is about to do a Hollywood film. I look forward to seeing her again.

Finnish cinema has almost entirely consisted of drama and comedy, with a few war films, so Jade Warrior is clearly a breath of fresh air. Certainly there are many good Finnish films, but they're either drama or comedy. I don't know why we're so reluctant to try something new. It's not just a budget issue, you don't necessarily need millions to do an action film, for instance. The fact that we've restricted ourselves to the aforementioned genres became apparent when I watched the film, because some of the dialogue made me cringe, since films like Jade Warrior are never done here, and the dialogue seems out of place. This isn't the film's fault, of course.

The limited international reaction seems to be very positive so far, and Finnish reviews have also been largely positive. Hopefully Jade Warrior will succeed to the point where we start doing more than low budget drama and comedy. Of course, this was a cooperative project with China, so credit must go to them as well.

Disappointed! Too little action, too shallow lore.

[tommi-gustafsson-2 · 4/10 · 24 October 2006]

I went to see this movie, expecting to get Kung Fu style action in Chinese settings. I was also enthusiastic to see Finnish people to have put their best into this one, and see what they have accomplished. Well, in all honesty, I was disappointed. There were no meaningful fights. The few included had no connection to the plot and were shown only in the show style. Most of the movie consisted of shallow Sampo lore, which was repeated over and over again. I was even expecting one nice end-fight, but there was not one (1 sword swing does not count!). What a disappointment! I had a feeling that the creators had centered on a few good lore ideas that could have made a 15-minute short film, but it was extended to a full length movie. The movie had too little flesh on the skeleton. In the end, it left an empty and shallow feeling.

I would say that this was the first Finnish "Hollywood" movie, with beautiful coating, good marketing, but little inside. The jade warrior was a striking name, but it was totally made up for the film. It could have been anything else as well. Well, these shortcomings could have been forgiven, had they included a few good, meaningful fight scenes. But alas! In the end, the movie became the second movie I've ever wanted to leave the cinema in the middle (the first one was Master and Commander), but I was seated in so middle in the theater that I dared not disturb other people. Some people in the audience did leave prematurily (it's pretty rare in Finland).

I give the movie 4/10, which I consider a good rating for this one. Some people may like this movie, but I certainly did not. Finally, I want to warn other people who are expecting this to be an action movie. It is not one.

It's raining mystique - one of a kind film, an eternal love-story.

[mattijam · 8/10 · 16 October 2006]

First of all, not every story can be that ultimate epic saga that makes your heart go hundred and fifty RPM for the three-and-a-half hours of amazing storytelling. Although someone could have brought together Kalevala, the Finnish national epic, and Chinese wuxia mystique in a more theatrical way, I'm actually glad that this time they didn't.

Jade Warrior is a low-budget film in the European or Asian, not to mention American, scale. Exactly because of that, with all the love and passion they've managed to load this story with, Jade Warrior is a delightfully naive yet very one of a kind film. Its unique spirit is in the low-tone acting, in the settings, in the costumes, in the dialoque, in the mixture of these two exotic world-views and beautiful languages - it's everywhere. After it will have been recognized next year with international awards, Jade Warrior will become one of the few Finnish films every film freak will have to see - and hopefully it won't be the only Finnish-Chinese co-production we'll see in this decade or so.

just an okay movie for me

[pdqpaul · 2/10 · 25 July 2019]

I found it to be to confusing, I think the acting is excellent, but the plot and the movie are slow, and also things seem irrelevant, of course I realize it's suppose to be a love story of sorts, but just doesn't impress me.

Doesn't amount to much

[Vartiainen · 3/10 · 9 February 2013]

It's a strange idea to try and combine Finnish and Chinese folklores into one cohesive whole. A strange idea, but not necessarily a bad one, because in all honesty I could see Kalevala done in wuxia style with big choreographic fight scenes, hauntingly majestic landscapes and lots of mist and mysticism. The thing is, it should be all wuxia, if you're going to do it at all. And the reason for that is that Finnish and Chinese aesthetics don't mix well. This movie being the major example. First we have few scenes of utter Finnish film tradition with bleak visuals, lots of grey and smudge, and then we're suddenly transported into a wuxia film with exotic dresses, weapons and people. And this keeps happening over and over again, leaving the viewer jarred out of his comfort zone and not in a good way.

Then again, this film didn't have a budget to go full wuxia, so I can't exactly blame it for that. Still, it is a flaw and it brings the movie down when you cannot get into the film. Or films, because in reality this is two different films. They do try to bridge them together, and the main character (Tommi Eronen) has a role in both of them - even though he stands out in China like a sore thumb - but they have very little in common.

But, style flaws aside, it could have worked. Unfortunately the story brings the whole film crashing down. It does this by being so noncommittal and vague that you're not really sure whether it's really even telling a story or just reading the footnotes for a one. Words like Kalevala and Sampo get thrown around every now and then, but none of them are really explained or given context within the story. Sampo, for example, is this big box of something that needs to be build again, because it will do something, and it has done something in the past, no one really knows, and it shouldn't be built again, because something will happen... and you're starting to see the problem here.

Otherwise the movie is fine, truth be told. The actors are talented, the fight scenes are nothing new, but they're not bad, the music isn't bad and the scenes in China look surprisingly good, given the budget. It's just the poor execution of an idea and the story especially that keep this from being a good movie. Now it's intriguing concept and nothing more. That might be enough for some to see it, but I wouldn't personally recommend it.

Sorry, but I just don't consider this to be a good movie

[pdqpaul · 2/10 · 19 February 2019]

Not even a decent plot, very complicated to watch, very disappointing movie, which I will not watch again. it's very difficult for me to give bad ratings to a movie, but whatever was trying to be displayed here is beyond me, and I have a decent IQ, not genius, but decent and this movie just does nothing for me whatsoever. I think I'm being generous in giving it two stars, only because I know some people, (maybe on drugs) would find it entertaining, but not me.

"think different"

[tane-6 · 10/10 · 19 October 2006]

We haven't seen any attempts to combine Kalevala, the old stories, gods, myth, etc with any other culture or epic before. This film deserves a high rating score for being bold enough to try and manage it quite well indeed. A different kind of movie, feels and tastes fresh, contains enough little oddities and elements to be of cult stuff. I hope somebody will take it from here: develop the excellent old stories even further into something equally fresh. Same thing could be done with the equally rich stories of Aesir and the norsk gods etc. Along the lines of Neil Gaima's "American gods" and other such brilliant works.

Not my cup of multi-cultural tea...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 17 May 2022]

Now, I wanted to like and enjoy this 2006 multi-cultural movie titled "Jadesoturi" (aka "Jade Warrior") from writers Antti-Jussi Annila, Marko Jatkola, Petri Jokiranta and Iiro Küttner. But it was just so difficult to get into the atmosphere and whole concept of the movie.

The storyline told in "Jadesoturi" fell completely short of providing me with much of any entertainment. And it was somewhat of a scrambled mess of a storyline to sit through. And I have to admit that my attention span was quickly waning as the storyline trotted on and on without delivering anything worthwhile watching.

"Jadesoturi" has an interesting enough cast list, all of which I was not familiar with. It should be noted that they had managed to bring in talented actors and actresses from both the Finnish and Chinese side of the story.

Visually then "Jadesoturi" was a nice enough movie, for sure. But visual effects, visual presentation and special effects can only do so much for a movie whose storyline just never found any rooting. There were some nice enough fights and cinematography throughout the course of the movie, but it just didn't prove enough for a lack of a proper storyline.

I remember sitting down to watch "Jadesoturi" back in the mid-2000s, maybe even the late 2000s, but I have to be bluntly honest and say that all I remembered from the movie was the title and the cover.

My rating of "Jadesoturi" from director Antti-Jussi Annila lands on a generous three out of ten stars.

not bad but the complicated structure may easily confuse watchers

[wujie · 8/10 · 3 December 2006]

I should first of all say that it is very interesting for a Chinese to see how Finnish and Chinese mythologies (including the Chinese Buddhist idea of reincarnation) are sewed together and the resulting story does not make so bad a sense. In general I won't rate it low.

However, the structure of the film is quite annoying. The interleaving of the past and present scenes might seem attractive artistically, but really confusing for movie watchers. Such a way of rolling out the whole story makes it hard to understand the causal relations between some of the story elements.

An example (might be a content spoiler): it was quite a sudden when SinTai and PinYu appeared to fall in love, since that was a ridiculously quick move in emotion and it's all a magic burst of chemistry because of absolutely nothing. But at the end of film, it became more or less clear and therefore understandable: PinYu thought her engaged lover was dead/killed, thus when SinTai showed up and knew a strike that was previously only known by her engaged lover, she (mis)believed that SinTai was perhaps a gift to her that had sth. special to do with her engaged lover (in fact SinTai and her engaged lover are good friends).

Also SinTai's attitude towards/choice between saving the other common people by killing the daemon and saving his own hopeless/unfounded love by at least 10 times of incarnation makes the figure a little bit selfish. We do hope a hero (non-common person) to be as perfect as possible, don't we? Well, the director gave the story a happy end at last.

Surely, Kai/SinTai's Mandarin is not perfect, but good enough for a Finnish speaker, I would say. Another shortcoming, which is mentioned by other commenters too, is that the filming of the Kungfu scenes is bad. The actions of the actors are simply dances or anything but Kungfu!

Actually, I could't recall if I had seen any Finnish films before. This Finnish/Chinese co-production is not a bad start for me. I'd be interested in grabbing more, if available, to have a look.

Takes a hold on the person watching

[tirkkanen · 9/10 · 17 December 2006]

I am a big fan of kung fu movies. This is not so much of a kung fu movie, although the action scenes are very fluent and clear. You often see much worse scenes in actual Asian kung fu action films. Sometimes the action is too fast, too sloppy and edited like crap. Not here. The fights are used sparsely and with good taste. The comment posted by wujie is off considering the choreography in comparison. And I'm finding it hard to believe the comments about this film, because the name suggests he/she is Asian origin. If you've seen 10 Asian kung fu flicks, you've most likely seen 5 films with worse action than here. The plot is good. Acting is good. Occasionally you might be a little confused about the progression though. But overall it binds you to your seat for the duration. I guess you can call this an epic drama spiced with occasional action scenes. In Finnish standards this film rocks. And even if you're not a Finn you will most probably be happy with the experience after watching this. Of course the differencies with cultures may be an issue. But to European and American taste this is definitely worth watching. And compared to Asian cinema I find this more "normal", if you'll allow me to say this without being offended. Asian cinema often has weird characters that are strangely eccentric and odd. Here I found the characters to be human, normal, not perfect (wujie comments on this being a bad thing). So along the good fight scenes, which are meant at times to be like dancing to represent other issues than mere fighting (again wujie commented on this subject), there is content to keep you interested in the plot all the way until the end. If you read this comment, read also the comment from Asian perspective (wujie) and then make up your mind.

This is a really good movie

[ccadwallad · 8/10 · 10 December 2006]

I watched this movie on DVD just the other day, and wow what a movie. This is certainly the best film I have seen out of Finland. The martial arts scenes are great, the story is great. I watched it without subtitles in the original version, it is way over the top. If you can find it, get it, it is well worth it. Being a first time director, this guy has done the most amazing job. He has taken all sorts of talent and blended them into a seamless film. The composition of the filming is incredible, as well as the use of a very detailed story. When it is purchased by a major studio I hope they do not edit it from it's original form, because itg is perfect.

Great movie!

[eksellentz · 10/10 · 24 March 2007]

Jadesoturi is a truly great movie. Wonderful story, great filming, superb acting - the movie catches you and does not let go! :)

This is actually the first ever Finnish movie I truly enjoyed watching to from the beginning to the end and once it was over I instantly wanted to watch it again!

Real masterpiece! What is most amazing - the movie is done mostly by beginners in the movie business.

Hope the Finnish "big-time producers" will learn some lessons out of the success of this movie and will finally start to invest in the quality films, instead of usual crap they throw at as year after year...

Requires careful watching, but worth to do so

[c_s_p_r · 10/10 · 21 November 2010]

At first it seems that this movie is a some kind of kung-fu movie with cool CGI etc. For a Finnish film a lot of effort has been but into filming of fight scenes and CGI. The visual outcome is nice to watch, although it does not quite reach the level of massive Hollywood productions.

However, luckily this movie is not about showing cool fighting and unbelievable CGI, this movie is about telling a story of a man and his faith. The story is quite complex as it travels between two ages and two cultures. Also for non-Finnish viewers the lack of knowledge about Finnish mythology "Kalevala" might cause some extra work when trying to understand it. But this compelxity and tight coupling to mythological stories is the thing what makes this movie so captivating.

For me it took the second round of watching to finally understand the story, but I'm now more than happy that I did so because otherwise I would have missed the one of the best mystic stories in movie history.

Well made movie from Finland at last

[jeroi · 10/10 · 6 November 2006]

First of all, I don't know any fools that taught this movie to be action movie in Finland, so this one Finnish guys made me post this message.

First of all in academic way of thinking, these Finnish lyrics was great, although to abroad people it may sound something else than great, and yeah to English the best word would be "shallow". To my taught, mandarin was well spoken in my ears by Eronen, but once again Chinese may think other ways. Story line was great, although now Chinese would say that this story is THE MOST common story in China, but I would say that Kalevala is also very common story or "folk tale" in Finland. I really enjoyed this overwhelming spiritual movie, which kind of do not often come from Hollywood. I would say to these people who look budgets, that make your storyline worth the budget and maybe the movie would then be a good one. To think what kind of a wow effect this movie made to me, I would say that this is the most best Hollywood movie ever, although it is a "Finwood" movie with very good cost/get ratio. Last good ratio movie from Hollywood was Braindead I think.

These few action scenes was well made without going "overboard". I did specially like the scene where hero sliced the head of. To me that is a beautiful scene where the folk tales made their best out. Yet to remember that kalevala is not Hollywood action epic and by reading it should help most the viewers to understand most of the happenings. Chinese story was very new to me and after that said, a beautiful Chinese story.

Anyway, sound was excellent although to me the end credits rock song made my wow go away, but this movie will definitely be the most talked movie this year.

Movie version of poem, sort of

[the_wolf_imdb · 8/10 · 18 May 2010]

This movie is very hard to describe. It is visually amazing, totally confusing, with two parallel plots and incredible amount of unspoken facts which do create mess for uninformed watcher. It is based on Finnish epos which is totally unfamiliar to me - and I can why some watchers are so confused. I'm not certain if there is any message in the movie or not - lots of strange things do happen at the same time. In the end the plots and subplots do connect somehow, but the story just does not give a sense as a whole. There is plenty of North / East mythology mixing, lot of melancholy, lot of love and even some combat. Actually I cannot say if the story ends with resolution or the reincarnation thing... just reincarnates into another life cycle. However there is a beautiful, sad poem in the move if you stop trying to find a sense in the plot. In this case you stop to care about loose ends and just enjoy the show. It is very slow movie, very good for romantic evening with your girlfriend. But if you do expect some Chinese action movie you will be very disappointed.

Finnish Kung Fu Film

[TheHande · 8/10 · 16 November 2008]

Jade Warrior is one of the finest Finnish films to have been released in recent years. Finnish films on the whole suffer from indifferent acting, boring stories and the fact their genres are limited to comedies, dramas and period pieces. An experimental film which combines the film making styles of the East and West while taking advantage of the typical weaknesses of Finnish films and turning them into strengths.

The story which has its basis in Kalevala works as a basic setup and essentially gives a film a nice fantasy-element to it. Though the film only really focuses on one aspect of Kalevala it would be perhaps unnecessary to probe the whole epic for one film with a pretty intimate storyline.

The visual-effects and fight-choreography enhance the film's look which is complemented with the audio-design which is by far one of the most competent in any Finnish film. A typically weak aspect of serious Finnish film, stiff dialogue scenes, add to the film with their inherent comedy value and thankfully the small cast of Finnish actors provide with enough mood to allow you to neglect the complete lack of moving character performances. The only weakness this movie suffers from is one faced by many Wuxia films: at times the film feels a little too still.

However, as an over-all achievement a great Kung Fu film.

An amazing movie

[johnironbear · 8/10 · 9 October 2023]

For those who understand how we reincarnate from life to life and how our thoughts, hopes and desires create our reality this is a wonderful movie. For those who do not however I think the low rating speaks to that.

Personally I found it refreshing and truthful in it's mystical, yet very real depiction of how we create our lives, and how we affect our lives to come. One of the most compelling aspects for me was the ending, and how we may without ever knowing or understanding, get in the way of God's plan out of our own desire to have, be or do what we should not, and if we do it must be resolved in an ensuing incarnation.

This is a movie for deep thinkers or esoteric spiritual students, and for either I think it will be greeted with understanding and appreciation. To me it deserves that much and more, which is why I give it eight stars.