bigwill55

Before I go into detail about the aspects of this show that I liked or disliked, I would like to point out that I'm not familiar with the history of Marco Polo or the time era in question. With that being said, here is how I felt about the series:

"Marco Polo" takes place in 13th century China, during the time in which the famed Kublai Khan (grandson of Genghis Khan and leader of Mongols) is fighting for power and control of all of China. Standing in his way, however, is a heavily fortified wall in Xiangyang, a city which has held off Mongol attacks for three decades. Within Xiangyang lies Jia Sidao (played by the great Chin Han), a Chancellor whose thirst for blood and power is driven by the cat and mouse game played between he and Kublai Khan.

Much of the focus of "Marco Polo" centers around Marco Polo himself, but there is much dedication to other characters, like Kublai Khan and Jia Sidao, among others. In terms of development, I felt that there was an equal timeshare between many of the major characters in the series, giving the viewer an opportunity to build emotion toward a specific figure. Although the show is titled "Marco Polo", there are many different points of view and there is a heavy focus on the power struggle between Khan and Sidao.

I urge those of you who have not given this a chance (or much of a chance) to get through at least half of the first season before forming an opinion. A number of forums/reviews I have read stated that there is too much sexual content and nudity. However, I only witnessed this within the first few episodes. Despite that, I felt that the sexual situations served a general purpose, rather than being thrown in for the hell of it, like many premium series seem to do.

"Marco Polo" is one of the most well-written series I have ever watched. The dialogue is what really hooked me and it is what I will remember most about the series. I felt engaged in every conversation, whether it was between two lovers or two enemies. Each character had their own unique characteristics, so I never felt bored or cheated by monotony. I give much credit to Mahesh Jadu, who plays Ahmad, a trusted servant of Kublai Khan's who was given the title of Central Secretariat. I had never heard of Jadu prior to this show, but I was enthralled by his acting as I felt he was the most memorable character in the show.

Overall, this is an excellent show with great writing, fantastic dialogue and some good, old-fashioned martial arts. I believe that those who give it a shot and finish the first season will agree.

Before I get started, I would like to say that I thought this was a good movie. With that being said, I would like to explain why I am only rating it a 6. I live in the US, so I watched the US trailer for this film and they displayed reviews such as, "If the Oscars added a category for best action movie it would be a shoo-in", "Like Die Hard meets 24 by way of Taken" and "Crazy action that just doesn't quit".

After reading these reviews and watching the trailer, I thought this movie was going to pack a big punch and deliver along the lines that were portrayed in the reviews. I was very disappointed to find out that they were wrong. There is action in the movie, but it certainly isn't non-stop, and it takes a while to get there anyway. The reviews are very misleading and the narration from the trailer doesn't accurately describe what actually happens in the film. Do yourself a favor and do not watch this film with the idea that it is going to be an action packed thrill ride like Die Hard or Taken.

Okay, now back to what I enjoyed about the film. I felt like the story was very believable. I really liked how the entire movie took place in one location in a series of events that lasted just one day. I thought the acting was very good, especially from the lead, Tomer Sisley. I also thought the direction was good, especially during some of the fight scenes. I did have some issues, however, with the choreography on some of the fight scenes/gun fights. I felt it was well written and the delivery was good on all parts.

All in all, I really felt like it was a good movie. It just didn't live up to what I expected and what I was hoping for. I definitely recommend watching it, but I have to advise you to not get your hopes up and not to expect a gun blazing, ass-kicking fiesta.