Just to reiterate, this is a thread for those who have seen “Mongol”. Unboxed spoilers ahead! The spoiler-free thread is here: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=471818&highlight=mongol
Anyway, I’ve seen it and here are my thoughts:
I will say this right off - it looks and sounds great. The period “look” is very well done and the shots of the steppe were stunning.
Second, the story starts well enough; it follows more or less along the lines of the Secret History. At least, at first. Missing were some of the well-known incidents which put him in a negative, or at least ambiguous, light - like murdering his brother over food when they were cast out of the tribe.
Naturally there are some departures and simplifications - I was quite willing to forgive those. BUT.
There were some huge, collosal blunders I was not willing to forgive:
- The combat. No doubt the film-makers found swordplay more cinematic than showers of arrows - but there was no excuse for borrowing tips from Frank Miller’s “300”. In one scene, the “great tactical innovation” was to have Mongols hold two swords out like wings, chopping down numerous enemies without effort. WTF?
No-where is it even hinted at that the reason Mongols won battles was because of the bow.
- The plot. Why on earth the huge and fake digression created by making Temujin a slave to the Tanguts for a year? This wasn’t in the Secret History and makes no sense plot-wise. One minute he’s a slave sprung from a Tangut prision, all his followers are dead - then, freed by his wife, he frolicks with his family a bit and the simply decides “I think I’ll unite the Mongol tribes”. Next thing you know, he’s leading an army. No explaination as to why.
The reasons why anyone would flock to his standard are not spelled out.
With those in mind, minor issues (like him letting Jamuka live) are easy to overlook.
