On one level The Emperor and The White Snake is a simple Chinese film where good guys battle demons. It is spectacular and beautiful, with people who can walk on air and water, with demons that can change into people and giant monsters, and not a lot making sense.
Don't get me wrong; I like those films.
This film is more baffling than usual. But in a good way, I think. I guess my ignorance of Chinese myths and legends doesn't help me here.
Firstly, who was The Emperor? I assumed that it wasn't the Jet Li character, since he was referred to as the abbot. But as the film went on I waited for an emperor to arrive and none did. Odd. A bit of research after watching the movie revealed that it is more commonly known as The Sorcerer and the White Snake ... which is a better title ... since there is a sorcerer, and no emperor!
The other baffling thing was what the demons were supposed to represent. At the start they are bad things that hurt people. Then you get the idea that they are a metaphor for disease. The young doctor battles them with herbal medicine; whereas the religious guy battles them with magic.
It looks like we are going to get a story about science versus religion, but we don't. It gets more complicated when one of the demons falls in love with a mortal and one of the monks gets bitten by a demon.
Why it is so baffling is the ending. It doesn't make sense to me why the snake demon and the bat demon have the outcomes they do...
Anyway, it was an enjoyable film, if a bit confusing.
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