Why does America ALWAYS have to edit foreign films??

yea, but illl still go see for what expirience i can get out of the cut version, then im sure on the dvd they will include both versions, they always do.

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It's going to suck no matter how it's edited though.

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I saw the full-length Chinese version (twice). But, the full length version which may answer some questions raised by the cut-down down one leaves the plot wide open to even more questions! The problem is a weak script and some mindless direction. I guess throwing in needless special effects (some very bad ones too-- in spite of the budget they are woefully fake) was supposed to blind people to all that. Films which rely heavily on special effects are notoriously lacking in a strong plot.

I kept feeling as I watched the original version that it should have been better edited. Good editing can often salvage bad filmmaking. The plot could have worked but maybe only with extensive re-writes and more attention to continuity.

From the first scene, the audience is led to believe this is Princess Qingcheng's story since she is the opening character and she is the one who makes "the promise" yet none of the back-peddling this story does ever gives you a real clue about how she got to where she was as a princess. Instead, her character may just be the one with the least amount of screen time! So, from the first, the focus of this film is downright confusing. It's a confusion that lasts all 102-128 minutes-- depending on whichever version you happen to see.

The version I paid to see was choppy and a little brief in terms of some scenes andediting, but I'm not sure how much of that can be blamed on an American edit.

However, they did end up cutting some of the scenes that made me want to see the movie in the first place, since I thought it really was a fantasy-comedy. In the scene with the emperor and the princess, where the latter starts stripping, the Duke uses his secondary weapon (the golden hand on a stick, instead of the fans) to show his approval. Instead of the pointed index finger indicating where the archers should fire, there's a giant thumbs up instead.

I think I saw that the goddess has some other scenes too but my Mandarin is weak so I have no idea how important that would be.

When the movie is less terrible though, it's sincerely good. I really liked one arbitrary set piece with rotating screens in concentric circles and the cinematography is amazing on a bigger screen, even if things floating across the screen is an abused visual motif that happens all the time.

ive got the region free dvd, and its got 2 versions of the film, one is 120mins-ish and the other is 150mins, ive still yet to see the longer version, the film was good, but ended very badily for me