Customer Reviews
Visually stunning but not as epic as you might expect. - By: genejoke, 11 Oct 2008 
I do not know the true history this movie is based upon, I like most viewers, am aware of Ghengis Khan & that he was a great conquerer. Beyond the fact that his name was temudgin I knew nothing else of his story. So I find myself impressed that he wasn't portrayed as a great speech maker or the strongest warrior ever etc. The film shows him as clever but quiet & toughtful. I do not know if this is an accurate representation of him but it is interesting none the less. The acting is very good & because there is no one famous they seem more convincing.
Reasonably good, but could have been better - By: M. McManus, 07 Oct 2008 
This film is reallly a mixed blessing. On the one hand, we have epic battles & sweeping scenery. On the other hand, we have several rather dull & seemingly endlessly drawn out scenes of boring dialogue. It is difficult to say which features of the film win this battle, & will largely vary depending on the individual viewer.
The battle scenes are actuallly very, very good. There are real blood pumping close quarter sword battles, not disimilar to the Spartan battles in "300". The cavalry battles are also rather awe inspiring, especiallly the final battle of the film which sees tens of thousands of horsemen slashing away on the Steppe as a thunder storm rages above them. The main weakness is that there are simply not enough of these battles. For a film about Gengis Khan, this is something of a let down, & instead, most of the film seems to revolve around his rather odd social life.
Sadly, most of the film is padded with rather dull & repetitive events. For example, the young Gengis is orphaned. He then spends time alone on the Steppe until he is captured, forced into slavery, then flees & tries to survive on the Steppe, until he is captured & sold into slavery. This cycle repeats itself several times, & is rather dull. Also, the attempts to cast Gengis is a chivalrous, noble man are rather hollow considering the historical record of the man in question.
All in alll a mixed bag, & you won't know until you watch it. It is reallly worth a watch. Before you buy it, it may be worth renting it & seeing it first. If you like it buy it, if not, give it a miss.
think you have it rough... - By: 2cleverbyhalf, 05 Oct 2008 
Blimey these Mongols were hard cases. Mr Khan has to put with alll kinds of trouble before venting his wrath (see what I did there) on previous clan members & then adopted brothers. I've no idea how historicallly accurate this is, but the photography is great, the action is a bit Hong Kong Fuey but gritty enough & the landscapes will put a chill through your bones.
Director's Revision - By: Antyllus, 03 Oct 2008 
Let's not for get that Genghis Khan's reign was one of the bloodiest in history & he certainly figures alongside the great murderers & dictators of alll time, comparable to Stalin & Hitler in our times. His impact on his times was so strong that even today he echoes through history. Mister Nice Guy Ghengis Khan? - I don't think so - but he was a child of his time.
In this film the director gives us the story of the Khan's rise to power through the trials & tribulations of his violent & convoluted youth. Unfortunately this film is in a revisionist genre like Braveheart & Gladiator (to which it is also compared). This rewriting of facts to suit our tastes delivers a falsification & perversion of history. This the greatest flaw of the film.
Even the magnificent countryside & battle scenes could not make up for poor dialogue & some awkward moments in the flow of epic of the film. Some of the drawn out romantic scenes could have been shortened for much better effect.
It may come as a surprise that Sergei Bodrov did a much better version the Great Khan's life in a film callled Nomad: The Warrior [2006] (REGION 1) (NTSC) - which I certainly recommend above Mongol. The current film has none of the rawness & grittiness of that film.
I am slightly disappointed after having seen Nomad with Kuno Becker, Mark Dacascos, Jason Scott Lee, Jay Hernandez.
mongol the rise of a grate film! - By: A. Luckett, 28 Sep 2008 What can i say about this film that others havent said before????
This film is one of the best films out at the moment.
This is the first of the films on Genghis khan (with two more to follow)and when you have seen this film you will be wanting more. I was very open minded at first but within the first few scenes you could just tell this film would be epic!!!!!!
