The Great Battle

What's not to like when there are weapons with such names as malevolent wood, siege tower and wolf teeth striker? When, after an attack is launched, one character matter-of-factly says, "quite intense," audiences will know exactly how he feels.

It is visually appealing, packed from top to bottom with action and combat, dressed in appealing costumes, and backed by a stirring soundtrack by Yoon Il-sang.

I loved how brute force is never the answer- trying to shove soldiers into a bottleneck just gets them killed, which is why Emperor Taizong keeps having to regroup the army, to his increasing psychotic agitation.

The Great Battle provides action with sprinklings of light-heartedness, but falls short on screenwriting.

To my surprise, director Kim Kwang-sik did a clever job of masking his actors' weak points and making the most of their strengths in this action-packed flick.

Imagine a film featuring multiple Helm's Deep battles and you've got a good idea what's in store. Any of the action sequences would be the final battle in most war films.

...chugs along like a rollicking hybrid of Seven Samurai, 300 and Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Terrifically enjoyable.