Review: "The Legend of the Black Scorpion" (2006)

Inspired by Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, “The Legend of the Black Scorpion” (originally screened in Hong Kong under the title “Ye Yan” or “Night Banquet”) presents a visually gorgeous façade that cloaks a story that is emotionally hollow.

Taking place during the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Ziyi stars as Little Wan who is secretly in love with the Crown Prince Wu Luan (Daniel Wu). When his father takes Little Wan as his bride and Empress, the young Prince is banished into exile where he spends his time studying the dramatic arts. But he becomes the target of assassins when his Uncle Li murders his father and takes over both throne and Empress. Escaping death he returns to the palace to plot revenge. Political and romantic entanglements ensue hurtling toward a midnight banquet where death is predictably on the menu. The twist on the Hamlet story is that “The Legend of the Black Scorpion” is told from the perspective of the Empress Wan whose desire for love is equal to her desire for power.

“The Legend of the Black Scorpion” is beautifully filmed and unfolds like a stage play: the cinematography, set design and costumes are exceptional. Unfortunately, it is primarily the visual spectacle that dazzles as the film fails to deliver on the powerful emotions that should resonate with such an epic story. Add to that an overly complex plot which obscures who is conspiring against whom coupled with a relentlessly bleak tone and the result is a film that struggles to engage the viewer on a deeper level.

Although Zhang Ziyi gives a charismatic performance as the Empress Wan, the complexity of her character -- the struggle between her ambition and her love for the Crown Prince -- is not fully realized. This may be a function of her youth (the role was originally written for the older actress Gong Li) as Zhang’s Empress comes across more as a petulant girl than a seasoned woman who is driven by her ambition and desire for power to deception and betrayal.

The kung-fu acrobatics are beautiful to watch but don’t really pack much of a punch for anyone hoping for full on action. Yuen Woo-Ping choreographs the action in a highly stylized and sometimes surreal manner reminiscent of a slow-motion ballet, with lots of flying and floating but very little direct combat. The most creative action sequence takes place early on when the Crown Prince and his theatrical troupe battle the Emperor’s assassins in an open-air theatre in the midst of a bamboo forest.