What makes it different from others?

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Set at the end of the Tang Dynasty when China has broken into various warring kingdoms Wu Luan, the Crown Prince of one such kingdom, has left the palace to study drama after his father marries Wan, the woman he loves. His reign isn't long though; the Emperor's brother poisons him, usurps the thrown and plans to make his wife the new empress. Assassins are dispatched to kill the Wu Luan but he has been warned and survives. Returning to the palace he discovers the truth about his father's death. He wants revenge but it is very dangerous; upsetting the emperor can lead to death; not just of the person involved but also of his clan. Wu Luan isn't the only person wanting the Emperor dead; Empress Wan may outwardly appear to love him but she really wants to protect her prince and when she thinks he is dead she wants revenge.Having read that this story is loosely based on 'Hamlet' it came as no surprise that this is a tragedy without a happy ending. As is usually the case with Wuxia films everything looks stunningly beautiful and the fight scenes are amazingly choreographed; more ballet than battle as the characters move like dancers as the blood paints their stage. This is particularly noticeably in the opening scene where black clad assassins ambush the white clad members of the Prince's Theatre group. The acting was good; Ziyi Zhang is delightfully ambiguous as the Empress and You Ge is menacing as the Emperor. The film nicely captured the oppressive nature of the palace; everybody trying to please the emperor through fear rather than respect. If you are a fan of the genre this is well worth watching even if there are better examples.

Zhang Ziyi stars in a tale inspired by Hamlet. When the emperor marries his sons lover the son flees into the country. The Emperor is murdered by his brother who has designs on the wife and wants the son dead. Failing to fall victim to his uncles plot, the son returns to the palace and the family's bickering goes into over drive.The look of this film is mind blowing. from the sets, costumes, action sequences, and even the smallest motions of the actors, nothing seems out of place. This is a world that is both real and unreal. This is a film with a high Gee Whiz factor that must be seen in wide screen.Its a work of visual art.Unfortunately this is tough to sit through.I don't think its a bad film, its just one that I wish would get on with things. Many sequences, especially the action ones, seem to go on and on and on (especially since they are all shot in stylized slow motion). At other times things don't seem to have gone on long enough. Some of Zhang Ziyi early scenes left me a little confused as to what he deal was, she seemed more to be an actress trying to find a character instead of a real person on the screen. And while things got better as the film went on I never really bought her in the later scenes simply because of the fumbling early on. Worth a look for those who love on screen opulence or those who can be a bit more forgiving than I can with the pacing.This would make an interesting double feature with Curse of the Golden Flower, another tale of family dysfunction in ancient China

I'm gonna say it directly about my thought of this movie. The plot is too long and too boring, the story somehow ridiculous and Daniel's character especially is very weak and his character doesn't a bit close enough with "Hamlet". The setting is good but it's too dark since almost everything are in black and red. This is somehow a bit disappointment and "Curse of the golden flower" is much better than this movie. The director couldn't bring the talents of the artists. Zhang Zi Yi and Zhou Xun are may be who acted well. The ending also silly and unexplained. The queen just died without being explained who's the killer. Enough of this quite disappointment movie.I won't suggest any of you to watch this movie.

Movies out of HK and China are increasingly rivaling or surpassing the best out of Hollywood in acting, cinematography, costuming and artistic vision. 'The Banquet' is a shining example.This is a loosely based interpretation of Hamlet adapted for the Tang dynasty period. In my opinion there is too much energy spent on this site debating whether it is a good adaptation of Hamlet, comparing it to other Hamlet films, etc. It is not a straight "remake" of Hamlet - it obviously takes inspiration from the play, and uses many of its elements, and that's it. So just sit back, watch it and judge it on its own merits.This is primarily a drama but it's sprinkled with great martial arts choreography a la Yuen Wo Ping. Many fight scenes follow the wu xia (fantasy kung fu) genre – just suspend your disbelief and enjoy the beautiful spectacle of it.A riveting moment comes when a one of the Emperor's mandarins (scholars who rule over the provinces) introduces Wan as "Dowager Empress", language that means Wan is the mother of an Emperor (Prince Wu Luan) and is a slap in the face to Li. Wan and Generals alike must decide where their allegiances lie.The acting is very good and I enjoyed Zhang Ziyi playing the lecherous Empress, You Ge playing a convincingly imperial Emperor and Xun Zhou as the naïve Qing in love with our 'Hamlet'.One of The Banquet's strong points is it is absolutely stunning visually, right from the first scene in a verdant and swaying bamboo forest that makes you wonder if such a beautiful place really exists. The costumes throughout are incredibly rich and detailed.It lags a little in the last half hour (maybe I was just tired) but to its credit does not run much longer than 2 hours.Highly recommended.