Everyone is talking about this movie. If you haven't watch it, go! I just watched it this past week. I must say I quite like the movie, even more than the book itself which I read over the Christmas holidays.
Although the story of the movie was changed slightly from the book, it flowed pretty well and still made sense. The only qualm I have is that the scenes seemed a bit rush to me. I thought the same of
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I think it's just that I've read the books before hand, which are usually in much more detail and a 2/3 hour movie just can't cover everything. Oh and I was a bit disappointed with
Sayuri's big solo dance. I didn't expect it to be a mad woman flailing her arms aimlessly looking like she's choking.
It's amazing to me that the whole movie was actually filmed in the US! And there I thought Japan is such a beautiful place, heh. Still, I think those Japanese gardens/parks are just exquisite. Would definitely want to visit there in the future.
The fact that the main actresses in the movie were all brilliant just made the movie even better. My favourite would have to be
Gong Li. I know she's supposed to be the bad girl, but I think her acting is far superior, not to mention she looks so much better than both
Michelle Yeoh and
Zhang Zhi Yi despite being 40!
One thing about the book/movie I find disturbing is the relationship between middle-aged/old man who are in their 40s, 50s or 60s, falling for girls who are 15 year olds! These days, they would be called paedophiles!
Overall, the movie is definitely worth watching. Gets at least a B+ from me! It's short enough to make you crave for more. The ending is short and sweet, unlike the book which dragged on and on and in the end, it was just anti-climax. One thing good about the book is that you get the whole story, plus the more detailed explanations on the customs of the Geisha and whatnot.
Now I can't wait for
The Davinci Code!
