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RATING:  
SINGAPORE : It's been reported that China apparently took "Avatar" off the screens to forcefully make way for "Confucius", the big-budget government-financed biopic about the legendary Chinese sage. That's so not the Confucius way. And neither is this dreary film.
You know Confucius. The great theorist and ideologist who lived from 551BC to 479BC; educator and thinker whose philosophy focused on personal, social and governmental morality, justice and sincerity. The film jumps right in, tracing his rise and eventual tiff with the ruling families.
Director Hu Mei, known for her historical TV dramas, never quite finds her footing here on the silver screen, as she delivers a middling, dull biographical study. Even with Chow Yun Fatt taking a break from Hollywood to do most of the film's heavy-lifting as the titular sage, the film might have worked better as a documentary than a dramatic film.
It is Confucius' teachings rather than his life-events that ultimately show his greatness, and thus the film's lack of story-push and genuine drama disappoints. Which then makes the inclusion of ancient war battle scenes and leading lady in the form of Zhou Xun as the queen of the Wei Kingdom seem more desperate than inspiring.
What we want is a deeper study of the philosopher whose thoughts revolutionised the politics of China. But all we get is a film that barely scratches the surface.
- TODAY/ra
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