"Kingdom of War"--which was the title I saw it under in a two-disc DVD set from Magnolia Home Entertainment--has some things going against it but a lot more going for it. For Westerners unfamiliar with Thai history, it gets a bit confusing because so many historical names and places are mentioned and the shifting political and military alliances change so often that it's hard to tell the players without a scorecard and, as other reviewers have mentioned, the acting is, at times, somewhat stilted. Also, I know that royalty is revered in Thailand, possibly more so than in other countries, but seeing the complete subservience of everyone to the various kings and lords--there were even scenes of people walking toward the king on their knees because apparently no one is allowed to stand taller than the king, something I'd never seen before--is somewhat hard for Westerners to take (we're much more comfortable cursing and swearing at our leaders than prostrating ourselves in front of them, as much as they'd no doubt probably like us to).That's all small potatoes, though. Overall, I enjoyed this film way more than I thought I would. It's an epic in every conceivable sense of the word--thousands of extras, huge and fantastic sets, beautiful costumes and interiors (palaces, throne rooms, etc.), and truly spectacular battle scenes. The story--after you finally figure out who is who--is fascinating and not all the acting is stilted; the actress who plays Princess Lekin is not only one of the most ravishingly beautiful women I've ever seen but gives a first-rate performance, possibly the best one in the film. The man who plays King Nerusuan--the Special Features section, which you should really watch, says he is actually a Thai Army colonel who was hired because the producers wanted someone with military experience to play one of Thailand's great military heroes--also contributes an excellent job, along with several other actors in lesser roles (the head monk and Prince Menechan, among others).As I said, it's a bit hard to slog through in the beginning, but once you get the different characters, kingdoms, etc., straightened out, it's an incredibly enjoyable film, both visually and story-wise. I recommend it.

although this film was to be done in one long 'epic' feature film, it was instead broken down to many films. Looking upon this film and seeing it was made in Thailand, the first thing going through my head was that this film may be like the terribly disgusting Ong Bak film that lacked everything but the story. I was wrong. This film doesn't lack much but certainly deserve the rating it has on IMDb. Because it was broken down to fit in the time schedule, we don't know how many days have passed where we see lots of scenes in daylight and it seems like one whole day but it isn't. It started off slowly but gradually get into it. nevertheless an amazing film with a lot of good scenes and definitely brings us into the story for the next film.

After seen two episodes of this movie, I can say it's better than Suriyothai in every aspect, especially in story telling. But it's still not good enough to give the audience of its full picture. Time in movie's confusing, at any moment, I couldn't know whether it'd been a day or a month. Just felt that people moved from city to city so fast. The film also spent significant time on side line stories that, IMHO, unnecessary. However, I like sound effect and music, it fitted nicely with many scenes. Especially, in episode 2, it gave great feeling in many battle scenes. Totally, I like this movie. I consider it as the best & great Thai movie for current time and hope to see it better in future time.

The Legend of Naresuan was originally planned a one long epic film that would contain all the historically facts and fiction; however, later compromised by Momchao Chatrichalerm Yukol to be cut into three separate films; and hence crippled by this. The first film of the trilogy was planned to be an explosion of Siamese pride and euphoria, not only for its history, but also a revitalization of Thailand's decrescendo of its movie industry. The film overall was quite satisfactory, from the emotional flashbacks of how the great Siamese kingdom of Ayodhya was so easily and effortlessly relinquished; to the exhilarating scenes of the royally-endorsed cockfight between the Burmese heir-apparent's son's cock and Naresuan's. The witty scenes between Naresuan, his guiding monk, Boonthing, and Manichan add seriously need comic relief to the film; yet at the end of the film; most would agree that it was over all too abruptly; and are forced to tie up loose ends in possibly another six hours of storytelling. In short, engulf but unfulfilled trilogy-opening film.