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Mongol is the first part of a trilogy of films on the life of Genghis Khan by Russian director Sergei Bodrov. With that in mind, you shouldn't be surprised when the film ends suddenly with Genghis' rise to power, as two more films are expected in the next few years.
It is also a wise decision on behalf of Bodrov to make a trilogy considering that other attempts at condensing the Khan's life into a two or three hour slot have failed so miserably in the past (Howard Hughes/John Wayne's 1956 film the Conqueror being the most notable).

This first half starts with Genghis as a nine-year-old boy, then called Temujin (spelt Temudgin in the film's subtitles) as he sets off with his father to choose a bride from a rival tribe, the Merkits. Along the way he makes an unexpected choice by selecting a girl called Borte, receiving a luxurious black sable coat in return as a dowry.
This choice will have a huge effect on Temujin's life, as it sets in motion a series of events that will see his father assassinated, his right as tribal leader usurped, his bride abducted, and himself captured, humiliated, and enslaved.
Defying the odds, and with almost supernatural support from the Mongols' chief deity, Temujin strikes back against his betrayers in a final gigantic battle against the assembled tribes of Mongolia. With his enemies defeated, Temujin rises to become the Great King, Genghis Khan, of all the Mongols.

The film does follow the basic outline of Genghis' early life, but it mostly plays fast and loose with the facts. Sometimes this works to the film's benefit, but at other times it doesn't. For instance, much of the story is simplified, as the constant struggles between the various tribes would have been to confusing for the viewer. At other times, the choices seem to be confusing. According to most sources Genghis was captured only once in his life, but several scenes in this film consist of Genghis being captured and later escaping only to be re-captured and enslaved again. This repetitive storyline does begin to grate at times, considering it isn't really necessary to further the plot or character development, and it's a strange addition considering most of these events never took place.

Worst of all it seems that much of the interesting events of the Khan's rise to power are omitted so that more of these chase and capture scenes can be included. It gets to be so frequent that at times it feels like you are watching a medieval version of Prison Break.
The ending also feels rushed in my opinion, as Temujin with the help of Borte, escapes from a Tangut prison, only to rush off in anger when he hears that the tribes of Mongolia have fallen into anarchy and lawlessness. The next time we see him, he has assembled a large army. No back-story is given to how he has achieved this, or how he's gone from penniless outlaw to powerful Warlord. This is the film's biggest failure in my opinion, as this should have been the back-story of the film.

That said, the film makes up for this with its great acting, its bloody battles and its wonderful cinematography. Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano (famous for his samurai roles in films like Zatoichi) makes a convincing Khan. He's good at portraying the ruthless warlord who executes and carves his way through his enemies, but he also shows the human side to the man, including his deep love for Borte and his illegitimate children.
Honglei Sun also throws in a brilliant performance as Jamukha, a drink sodden warrior and Genghis's blood brother.
Bodrov also does a good job of portraying the Mongolian landscape, with its vast and empty steppe, his rolling hills and its flowing lakes and rivers.

Overall this is a good film that has a few flaws in its storyline. It might not be completely accurate, but it does have plenty of entertaining scenes. It's also a nice change from the recent flow of Hollywood epics with their emphasis on ancient European history. Medieval Mongolia has never been so brilliantly re-created on screen before, and fans of these types of movies will enjoy it. This film isn't for everybody, and war and action fans might be disappointed if they expect nothing but bloody battles from start to finish, but there's plenty here to fascinate movie fans if they give it a chance.

DVD Features:

No. of disks - 1.
Region: 2.
Rating: 15 for strong battle violence.
Sound: Mongolian language in 5.1 and 2.0.
Subtitles: English only.
Picture: 2:35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen.
Running time: 2 hours approx.
Special features: Making of Mongol Documentary (Russian with English subtitles) plus Mongol trailer. Running time 38 Mins approx.

Highly inventive super scary flick. A true gem and not to be missed by any
horror/thriller/scary films' fans!

I was given this as a present recently, and i have to admit it never really appealed to me as i am a huge fan of Scrubs and always maintained it was the best programme on television....How wrong was i.

After watching Grey's anatomy season 1 i have become totally addicted and have recently purchased season 2 from amazon.co.uk (brilliant service!) I am also currently awaiting the arrival of Seasons 3+4.

In a nutshell if you like scrubs and house md you'll love this, it's basically a combination of both! However T.R Knight is not great but the rest of the cast make up for this, especially Sandra Oh and Ellen Pompeo.

Fantastic medical drama!!

although having 6 episodes shorter than the previous 2 seasons...it is more than made up in the sheer quality of the episodes.
season 1 and 2 basically got the whole how set up and we all got the j hist of what was going on, the pace was fast yet it had never got the sheer spectacular standard that Buffy the Vampire Slayer set for all the shows in this genre.
but Supernaturals' third outing is quite a remarkable one which can be extremely scary one moment and then utterly camp the next.
this season has made me a dedicated fan...yes the first 2 need to be seen first but here is where everything kicks off.
all 17 episodes are on top form.
also contains 3 of the greatest episodes ever-A Very Supernatural Christmas,Just In Bello ans First blood...all three stand out from the perfect crowd.
Ghost Facers also comes close which is shot in an entirely Blair Witch style...which only adds to the intensity of the episode.
this is perfect viewing and the finale is intense.
Bring on season 4...it can only get better.
:)

series 1 started off everything(makes sense)but seriously if it weren't for the success of this series then the show wouldn't have survived...thanks to the amazing writers and crew behind it and some fab actors.
eppy guide-
Rose-4/5-the start...and what a great start it is too...Billie Piper CAN act as the great Rose Tyler and the Autons are very creepy.
The end of the world-4/5-very good all round episode tht boasts some amazing visuals.
the unquiet dead-4/5-very scary episode with some terrifying zombies...and the doctor meets Charles Dickens.
Aliens of London-2/5-a decent episode but not fantastical...contains the infamous big ben crash scene...but not much else.
World War Three-2.5/5-slightly better but the Slitheen aren't the greatest looking aliens i have seen and look very tacky...but the story is still good.
Dalek*-5/5-the best episode from series 1 and in my top ten(#10)which boasts a terrifying Dalek and a great script...it kept me on the edge of my seat.
the long game-2/5-an okay episode but nothing special...Simon Pegg is good as the main villain though.
Fathers day-3/5-an effective episode that adds depth to Roses character.
the empty child-4/5-an effective episode that is genuinly scary...Moffetts debut...and Captain Jack is introduced to us:P
the doctor dances-4.5/5-captain Jack joins the TARDIS crew as they face the zombie children in a great second part of an effective storyline...Moffet doesn't beat this standard until series fours silence in the library/forest of the dead.
Boom Town-3.5/5-Russel brings back the last surviving Slitheen in an episode that is a lot better than the earlier two parter.
Bad Wolf-4/5-a fun episode that sees the TARDIS crew face autobots on a game station...but who is in control???.
the parting of the ways-4/5-a very good end as the TARDIS crew face off against the Daleks and the Dalek empreror...we bid farewell to doc#9 and say a welcome hello to David Tennant:):):)!!!
an all in all good series which only gets better as it goes along...series 4 is definately my favourite!!!!

Impeccable acting. Speech and deportment faultless. How nice to be able to hear every word spoken, unlike some recent Austen adaptations, e.g. Kate Beckinsale and Keira Knightley, both of whom were far too 21st century slovenly.

Season 1 got me hooked, Season 2 made me fall in love and Season 3 just made me giddy. If someone told me this show couldn't get better, I would be inclined to agree. At the end of Season 2, House was shot and he asked to be given Ketamine which would help fix his leg. Season 3 starts off with, what seems to be a completely new House, he's happy and he's walking without an aid and doing his job without Vicodin. This is cool, it shows us just how much the leg problems have affected House and his personality. It doesn't last, as within a few episodes he's back to using the Cane and popping pills every hour.

During mid season House also gains himself a Vogler-esque type enemy, only this time it's a cop, and it lands House in some serious trouble. He's constantly haunted by this cop who insists on making House's life a misery until he's behind bars. House just carries on as usual, so the cop known as Tritter starts on his friends, first off is Wilson. This is a big test for their friendship as Wilson's life is almost destroyed by Tritter, but he refuses to give him up. Can we say the same for the team? Even Chase? Watch it and find out, you wont be disappointed.

You know the greatest thing about this show across all seasons? It's not the witty one liners or the likable supporting cast or the complex Dr. House. It's that the show isn't cliché, it doesn't have a case and solve it every episode and then make out like everything's cool. It shows you that actually life isn't like that and not everybody pulls through the rare life threatening illness. Although House may solve most of the cases, a lot of the time it's too late or sacrifices have to be made by patient relatives in order to save the patients life. This makes the situation more realistic and makes it genuinely more intense as you're wondering every episode whether the patient will pull through.

Naturally Season 3 is bound to have the classic lines. Below are some of my favourites.

From Episode 1: The Meaning

Cameron: "You're lucky he didn't die."
House: "I'm lucky? He's the one who didn't die."

From Episode 8: Whac-A-Mole

House: "Okay, fine. I'll father your child. But first you gotta write me a Vicodin prescription. Just so I can get through the foreplay."

From Episode 14: Insensitive

House: "I was curious. Since I'm not a cat, that's not dangerous."

From Episode 22: Resignation

House: "Personally, I can't believe I had the same three employees for three years."

This is a Christmas classic DVD - no christmas household should be without it - adults and children simply deserve to have this from the beginning of December.
I grew up with these stories and now my children are too - it's a fantastic feeling to pass on something so precious!

My 2 year old adores this film and will watch it every day if allowed!! She mimiks the penguins walking (Hilarious!) and even sings along to a lot of the songs. Even though I've watched it with her hundreds of times I haven't tired of it. It is truly a great movie.

i loved the first 3 series, its getting tiresome now seeing them lose all the time and to be quite honest i think the characters have been exhausted. Jez in particular i find annoying now, its still funny at times, but i fear peep show has run its course, its become a one trick pony. Quit while youre still just about ahead lads.