More risible than poetic
Comment
08/30/09
The Promise (2005)
31
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:77
Fresh:24
Rotten:53
Average Rating:5.1/10
Consensus: An incoherent plot and ridiculously obvious CGI effects doom this effort from the usually outstanding Chinese director Chen Kaige.
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: A sweeping martial arts epic in the mode of CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, THE PROMISE is a crowd-pleasing stew of action, fairy tale conventions, wire-fu, and romance with undeniable... [More]
Starring: Cecilia Cheung, Nicholas Tse, Hiroyuki Sanada, Jang Dong-Kun
Director: Chen Kaige
Reviews for The Promise
The Promise is an over-wrought and laughably goofy film, an empty and pale imitation of the far better films that have gone on before it.
02/28/08
Faustian bargain with a goddess. Huge armies march. Men out-race the wind. Assassins make devious plots. Spectacular scenes generated largely in computers.
05/13/07
Medieval Chinese legend, along with myths of the new market economy.
04/29/07
A queer camp classic.
01/19/07
A fairy tale for adults that allows the viewer to inhabit an entirely different world, and in doing so, becomes an exercise of the imagination.
09/27/06
Beautiful but slight.
05/26/06
Has been criticized by some reviewers for its low-tech special effects. Curiously, I found this technical transparency part of the film's enormous charm.
05/25/06
An epic fantasy that tries to outdo Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon but doesn't touch us emotionally.
05/25/06
Chen Kaige may seriously think he's creating film art in his empty Promise, but he's best at slinging bull, lots of them.
05/11/06
if you can plant your tongue in your cheek and accept the exuberant goofiness of the special effects, "The Promise" actually turns out to be a decently entertaining slash-and-kick flick.
05/11/06
Just about everything is choppy.
05/08/06
Dazzling if not always coherent.
05/06/06
This isn't nearly as good as it claims to be.
05/06/06
Confused and cartoonish
05/05/06
The finale [is] literally a deus ex machina, which will thrill classic-lit majors but leave everyone else feel cheated.
05/05/06
Flimsy, fake-looking weaponry, bad wigs, grandiose scoring, overacting, simplistic dialogue, illogically elaborate staging, and a plot that goes out of its way to be predictable...
05/05/06
Chen Kaige clearly intended this Chinese fantasy-action spectacle to top Zhang Yimou's Hero, and I must admit that I prefer it to the earlier movie.
05/05/06
The Promise is too full of frenetic disconnection and arbitrary comings and goings to connect meaningfully with the hearts and minds of its audience.
05/05/06
Chen's tale of mythic chivalry is filled with beautifully designed sets, lovingly detailed costumes and elaborate martial-arts sequences. Unfortunately, it also sports amateurish digital effects that often mar the beauty of this world.
05/05/06
Latest News for The Promise
May 07, 2006:
Box Office Wrapup: "Mission: Impossible III" Big, But Not Huge at #1
Tom Cruise climbed into his usual number one spot at the box office with his heavily-hyped spy sequel Mission: Impossible III, however ticket sales fell below most industry... More...
May 04, 2006:
Box Office Forecast: "Mission: Impossible III" Ignites Blockbuster Season
The summer movie marathon kicks off on Friday with the much-anticipated launch of the Tom Cruise spy sequel Mission: Impossible III which will easily dominate the worldwide box... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube 
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds