Chinese fairy tale The screen adaptation of erotic myths and legends in the entourage of ancient China turned out to be a wonderful fairy tale for adults, combining elements of a fantastic plot and visual entertainment, balancing on the verge of genius and thrash, surprising many of its things, but not so frankly the frame as the characters and their actions.
First of all, it should be said that this is an erotic film, not porn. There is nothing super-detailed and frank in the picture, and all scenes of this nature are quite inherent in spectacular R-rated films, without excesses and conventions. In addition, the focus of the filmmakers went to female eroticism and, accordingly, the male audience. The phallic symbols and masculine virtues appearing in one way or another in the plot are most often covered or lined with hints, while charming Asian girls of model appearance are represented in a large abundance of naked bodies, sweetly shown from a variety of angles, but again without close-ups below the belt and without frames of penetration in sex scenes.
The film simultaneously leads two main ideas - passion and love, presenting them in different incarnations, intertwining and even distinguishing in a rigid way. In the plot, although obsessed with the sexual aspect of the relationship, the motives of friendship and betrayal, loyalty and betrayal, spiritual and physical violence, as obstacles to finding true love and harmony of relationships, constantly appear. Approaching as a result to the wise and “senile” morality that without sex you can live soul to soul for many years, being happy in old age, the film will constantly expose human vices from fits of anger and envy to the desire of other people’s brides and theft. However, one should not forget that the film is Asian and with Buddhist elements, so the goal of organizing a sermon on the ten Christian commandments here was not set, and reading lectures, fortunately, not foreseen.
Several main characters of noble status try to spend their youth on learning all the delights and beauty of carnal pleasures, learn erotic techniques and learn the highest pleasure. Legendary artifacts and “creatures” weave more and more fabulousness and conventions into what is happening, making the already colorful, tasty and impressive picture even more visually saturated and bright.
Erotic film in 3D-format perfectly justifies its status and the title, as more than meets all expectations. Here is so impressive and colorful 3D that even the initial screensaver with the flag firmly remains in memory, but the outstretched hand, flying daggers and, in the end, voluminous female charms – clearly will never allow you to forget the sight. A real three-dimensional attraction of erotica and entertainment, a men's holiday and a very funny movie!
Its plot glides from attempts to study the transformation of the human relationship to intimacy to bizarre tales about replacing human male dignity with horse, so to speak, to increase proportions. Freud and classical psychoanalysts would applaud the film standing for twenty minutes, exquisitely commenting on all the complexes and metaphors played out, filling the entire video series with interpretation, and will be right - the film really exposes not only the bodies of the participants and human vices, but also the soul with reason, throwing out the whole range of psychology of intersex relations and sexual conflicts, both external and internal.
An important element here is the pathos and epic of what is happening. Of course, large-scale state wars should not be expected, but the significance of events is presented with such color and chords that even scenes of sex under a powerful musical accompaniment capture their atmosphere. Small events are always associated with large, secondary - with the main, and all this eventually reaches such a large-scale level that it spills over not to the territory of China or Asia, but affects universal understandings, mores and features.
The film is impeccable in its saturation of the frame and the number of spectacular scenes, it is beautiful and beautiful so that it is breathtaking, looks chic in a very classy three-dimensional format, but pumped up with its heroes. This, perhaps, is exactly the Asian picture, to which the expression-stamp “here all on one face” is easily applicable. And it would seem even in this case, it would be possible to distinguish the characters by the principle of primitive anime - by hairstyles, the only problem is that even hairstyles here are limited to a couple of three variations, and the characters of the film, like the heroines, are not difficult to confuse with each other during viewing. Characters are remembered - but there is no face, for a long time it will be possible to remember the main couple, and the villain with his faithful dagger guard, and the guru of sex with a crooked snake, but their faces will float from memory already at the beginning of the credits.
And even all the abundance of naked beauties will be remembered only individual scenes, such as lesbian bathing or tattooing for pleasure, but all these model beauties are like two drops of water. On the one hand, this is insanely good, and the film pleases literally continuous charming girls and women, on the other hand, it is possible to single out someone specifically only with great difficulty.
“Sex and Zen” are fascinating in its mythological action and entertain from the heart, but towards the end, all the beauty of the film abruptly sinks in the signature Asian meat grinder, made for the most part primitive and funny, when the main emotional culmination of the plot develops directly on the screen in parallel. A beautiful fairy tale at the moment becomes bloody and creepy, heroes and villains acquire completely completed types, playing victims and sadists, and although this brings even more entertainment, the tone of the film changes too radically and unpleasantly, barely leveling to a sensual and solemn end.
Chinese fairy tale for adults, with its quirks and oddities, will be able to amuse and have fun, give a lot of advice to young couples in love about intimate life and just rally, excite to create an atmosphere of intimate romance. After such a picture, you want, perhaps, something similar about the invention of the poses of the Kama Sutra with a detailed approach to physiology and psychology, including a large set of all sorts of erotic myths of ancient peoples. “Sex and Zen” is, of course, a film-phenomenon and an example of bright skill, a magnificent creation of cinema, able to stimulate the appearance of similar pictures. Very spectacular, beautiful and colorful, and most importantly - extremely exciting. It looks amazing!
8 out of 10
Original