--- title: "Hero: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/hero/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/hero" critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 14 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Hero (2002): what the critics said Critics' score 70 from 14 reviews: 10 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 2004. The critic calls the film beautiful and beguiling, a martial arts extravaganza that defines fighters' styles and lives within Chinese tradition while using a Rashomon-like structure of multiple viewpoints. Zhang Yimou creates a visual poem of extraordinary beauty with spectacular sets, costumes and effects that move the genre into poetry, ballet and philosophy. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hero-2004) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 April 2003. Festival review. Zhang's film is elliptical and primal, using a Rashomon-like structure and dazzling color-coded sequences to explore history, sensuality, and Taoist principles in a spiritually profound way. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/hero/) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 September 2004. The critic praises the film's sumptuous visuals and breath-catching action, noting how it blends fine art elegance with kinetic punch-ups. They highlight the solid universal story of loyalty, love and sacrifice, along with the ingeniously colour-coded Rashomon-style storytelling and rich performances. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/hero-review/) ## The Times — James Christopher Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 23 September 2004. The critic describes the film as one of the most visually ravishing in recent years, with color-coded retellings of the story and balletic martial arts sequences that make for a rapturous journey. It is presented as a homage to Rashomon with a poetic, formal plot about assassins and an emperor. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/asia-travel/china/hero-hqjd7bs5dh9) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 6 January 2003. The critic calls it an intoxicatingly beautiful, structurally enigmatic and brief epic that will struggle against Crouching Tiger comparisons in the West due to its cold, stately storytelling and lack of sentiment. They single out the breathtaking cinematography by Chris Doyle and the inventive fight choreography. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/hero/4011709.article) ## Empire — Adam Smith Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). The critic calls Hero the real deal compared to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, praising its breathtaking visuals, balletic fight sequences and colour-drenched cinematography by Christopher Doyle. The plot is seen as a minor weakness, flimsy and overly simplistic despite an intriguing political subtext. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/hero-review/) ## Evening Standard — Derek Malcolm Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The review highlights Hero as a visually spectacular and popular hit with stunning action, star power and impressive cinematography, though the complicated story and apparent endorsement of totalitarianism are noted as drawbacks. It positions the film as a colourful, balletic spectacle ready for Western audiences. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/allconquering-hero-7382340.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 2004. The critic praises the film's artistic sophistication and formal beauty as one of the most visually stunning martial arts films, crediting director Zhang Yimou and cinematographer Christopher Doyle for its color schemes and spectacle. It notes the film's emotional distance and focus on grand spiritual ideas over personal connections. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-aug-27-et-turan27-story.html) ## Time Out — NB Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The review describes it as a luscious martial-arts rhapsody with pomp, panache and narrative puzzles that paints imperial history as a cartoonish romantic pageant, praising the sumptuous colour-coded visuals and extravagant style while noting the political proposition feels fascistic. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/hero-3) ## The Guardian — Philip French Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 26 September 2004. The critic finds the film graceful and visually stylish but ultimately inconsequential, lacking the magic and moral power of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. He singles out its nationalist message that endorses trust in powerful rulers and justifies sacrifice for order as an unpleasant aspect. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/sep/26/philipfrench) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 17 August 2004. The film delivers striking visual set pieces and technical mastery as a wuxia epic but feels like a sellout with a weightless patriotic story that lacks the purposeful edge of Zhang's earlier work. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/hero-1798199977) ## Paste — Robert Davis Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 August 2004. The critic praises Zhang Yimou’s elegant martial-arts epic for its painterly use of color, visual flair in fight sequences, and exploration of pacifism through the tension between sword and pen. Some themes like Chinese unification are treated too lightly, and certain character elements feel underdeveloped. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/zhang-yimou/hero) ## Collider — Andre Dellamorte Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 September 2009. The critic praises the film's beauty and visual spectacle as a colorful action epic inspired by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, while noting questions about director Zhang Yimou's intentions and a jingoistic element in the ending message. The review prefers an existentialist reading of the protagonist's fate over a patriotic one. [Read the review](https://collider.com/legend-of-drunken-master-iron-monkey-hero-and-zatoichi-blu-ray-reviews/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 24 September 2004. The critic finds the film visually dazzling but criticizes its convoluted, impossible-to-follow story that prioritizes spectacle over substance. They single out the exaggerated flying fight sequences and balletic beauty for praise while noting the operatic overindulgence. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/hero-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/hero.md