The Bride with White Hair

Several weeks ago I saw the "Forbidden Kingdom" at the theater. This movie bills itself as the only movie that Jet Le and Jackie Chan appears in together (which is true). Anyhow, I hope to share more of my opinions about the movie at some point in the future (e.g. the story was too simplistic and obviously geared towards an Anglo-American market) and how much it has made me reappreicate Jet Li and his no-shadow kick (I [heart] Jet Li). However, at the moment, I'm going to gripe about how unhappy I am about how the movie reimagined the Bride with White Hair.

[FYI--SPOILERS--you are on notice.]

So what I really love about the "Forbidden Kingdom" is the fact that it's a homage to A LOT of Chinese action movies and the characters from these movies. The "Forbidden Kingdom" incorporates into its story, a character similar to the the Bride with White Hair (a character from an older, but very popular Chinese movie), but refers to its character as the "white-haired witch." Anyhow the "Forbidden Kingdom" recasts the Bride with White Hair as an evil character. Yes, the movie has it's right to reimagine the Bride with White Hair as an evil person, set on becoming immortal. However, in the original movies (there's the original and a sequel), the Bride with White Hair was a misunderstood woman, scorned by her true love, and then went on a killing spree. Okay, for those who have never seen the original movies, it sounds like the Bride with White Hair is evil, but she's not. As I already stated, she's just a misunderstood woman (seriously, you should check out the original movies).

Okay, so that's my gripe for now. I would encourage you all to watch the original Chinese movies, the Bride with White Hair, part one and two.