The Keeper Of The Lost Cities is a fascinating and suspenseful film directed by Steven Soderbergh. It’s a classic story about a boy ( Daniel Craig ) who must cross through mountains and wastelands to find a mysterious and enormous stone. It’s the ultimate adrenaline rush, and sees Daniel Craig take an amazing and daring ride in one of the most iconic vehicles known to man. This article examines The Keeper Of The Lost Cities movie, and offers our own opinion on its excellent cinematography, acting performances and story.
Once we begin, we will note immediately that this movie is a very fast paced film, with very few long moments. Whilst the pace does pick up after the first half hour or so, it’s mostly spent running from one action sequence to another, and is occasionally interrupted by long pauses for character dialogue. The Keeper Of The Lost Cities feels like an hour and forty-five minutes in real time, although it feels longer due to the fast pace. There’s also a lot of continuity throughout the movie, especially between the first few minutes and the final part where the movie picks back up. Other than that, the film flows quite seamlessly, with very little noticeable interruptions.
The movie starts in Tibet, where a Chinese named Lin Feng (iu Hong) finds the stone – and quickly realizes that it holds great power. However, he cannot use it to either help himself or anyone else, and decides to hide it away. Five years later, Lin Feng becomes the head of a monastery and is tasked with retrieving the stone for scientific purposes. When he does, however, his daughter Song (Hung Siu) arrives to investigate. Meanwhile, Lin Feng gets more than he bargained for when he gets captured by the enemy – the Tibetan military.
The Keeper Of The Lost Cities follows the stone’s journey through the Ages, as it is used by many different people through out history. Through the centuries, it is passed down through family, until it ends up with the hands of a Chinese called Wu Xian (IQ), who wants to use it for something miraculous. Wu Xian doesn’t have time to study the stone – he must find it first, and bring it back to his family before it fades away. In the meantime, Lin Feng and Song continue their investigation, only to get even closer to the stone while they are searching. Then, the movie takes a turn for the worst…
One interesting aspect about The Keeper Of The Lost Cities movie is the use of mnemonics. When something has to be done to make an historical setting come alive – such as in a story about the Stone ofstones – the use of mnemonics is a great way to do it. In this movie, Qi Lu actually uses mnemonics to help her remember things about her past, and she is able to remember more than just the general details. It helps her to actually pinpoint who created the stone, and exactly where it was hidden – which leads her to finally finding and restoring it to its previous glory.
The Keeper Of The Lost Cities Movie continues in the years immediately following the discovery of the stone, when Qi Lu is assigned to guard the cache that once belonged to the powerful emperor. Everything goes well until one day a mysterious man enters the library and tries to steal the stone. He tells everyone that the stone is capable of taking human form, and that if he steals it, he will become the new strongest keeper of the Lost Cities. In order to stop him, Qi Lu’s father sends her to find out who he is. This doesn’t take long, since he learns that he is the marquis de Sade, the most powerful jeweler in France, and that he is looking to duplicate the stone in order to marry his beautiful daughter, Songting.
Once inside the library, however, Qi Lu realizes that the marquis isn’t the only one who knows the identity of the keeper, and that there might be others as well. She gathers a team, including two Chinese women she met during her trip to China, and they begin to investigate the mysterious man and the reasons for his quest. While there are several surprises along the way, the movie isn’t too exciting, and the romantic element doesn’t really come into play. Instead, the story drags along quite a bit, and there are some decent twists at the end.
Overall, Keeper Of The Lost Cities is a fun film with an interesting plot. However, it lacks the visual beauty and heart that makes some films truly stand out – especially the Lord Of The Rings films. Luckily, the visual elements are well done here, and the movie is more entertaining than most movies released in 2021. It is worth seeing, but not a great choice for those looking for a unique film that has a lot to offer. If you are looking for a fantasy film about the history of the Mandarins and the journey towards The Gate, this might be worth checking out.
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