No matter what anyone says, this is utterly fantastic. A historical drama based on the founding of the Republic of China when nationalist forces led by Sun Yat-sen overthrew the Qing Dynasty. The metaphors in this movie are so abundant. It holds the attention but demands complete suspension of logic.From an artistic standpoint, there were some plot elements and character developments I didn't think were totally needed. They do however drive the story, which seemed to be their purpose, so I can accept them. By the end, we feel that we have learned a great deal about the characters and the community that produced them. What a concept that is. I give this one a final rating of 7 out of 10, and it deserves it.

Very disappointing. I was expecting a decent docu-drama on the 1911 Chinese revolution. However, even calling this a docu-drama might be giving it more credibility than it is due. Much of the "history" seems contrived for nationalistic purposes. There is a huge amount of embellishment, many of it simply to glorify the revolutionaries and put down everyone else, including the west. In some ways it is nothing more than Chinese propaganda.Script is lame. Dialogue could not be more unrealistic. Even the battle scenes are over-dramatized. Plus, because Jackie Chan is included in the cast we are obliged to have a gratuitous, totally-out- of-place martial arts fight scene...Performances are mostly woeful.Avoid.

Plot: Modernising Chinese revolutionaries try to overthrow the corrupt and antiquated government.Essentially a very expensive drama-documentary, "1911" commendably tries to pay tribute to all involved in the 1911 Revolution - and in doing so makes the story incomprehensible to anyone who isn't an expert and unemotionally involving even to those who are. This is because of the frequent jumps between disparate groups, events and time periods and the lack of explanation and of character development. The closest this film gets to being a conventional historical epic is in the characters of Sun Yat-Sen, who puts the case for the revolution gracefully whilst provides firm leadership, and Jackie Chan's charismatic general (who has only one kung fu scene, included almost as a sop to Jackie Chan films). International audiences will notice that Jackie Chan can act and will appreciate the ferocious battle scenes but will be mystified by the plot. It's worth noting the careful path this film treads: still revolutionary (i.e. seeing the 1911 Revolution as the predecessor to the Communist state founded in 1949, as official doctrine prescribes) whilst noting the approval shown to the more Western aspects (the necessity of popular support for the state). Ultimately a worthy but failed venture - especially as the film fails to take note of the devastation caused by the 1911 Revolution (which weakened the traditional state without fully replacing it, leading to the bloody anarchy that bedevilled China in the 1920s and 1930s).

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed certain parts of this film with some superb performances from the main cast. But for the most part it was distinctly average verging on boring, mainly let down by the poor editing (although Singaporean censors may be partly to blame for that) and some laughable acting and scripting, A good example of the latter is the cringeworthy English dialogue for the character of Homer Lea, which is played by (what seems to be) an inexperienced Western actor. Maybe it's the script's fault, but he's the Jar Jar Binks of this production. Fortunately his scenes are very limited in number, but the film could have done without them altogether and be better for it.All in all, I learned a little Chinese history. I just wish it was more entertaining.