"Hero" is like almost no other movie you'll see at a mainstream blockbuster-oriented theater. It is not so much a movie as a series of stunningly beautiful interactive photographs strung together through a cheesy motif. Jet Li plays the mysterious "Nameless" who vanquishes the emperor's avowed enemies and receives a personal audience from the emperor as a reward. During this audience, Nameless relates to the emperor how he defeated these renowned warriors.

The plot is fairly thin and really nothing more than a vehicle for the various fight scenes and cinematographic gems that make up the movie. The same goes for the dialogue, which is trite and uninspiring, although the Confucian tone at least beats the majority of the formulaic blockbusters that descended upon the theaters like a plague of locusts during the summer.

These deficiencies hardly matter in the end, though, because this movie is defined by the amazing beauty and grace of the camera-work and the soundtrack. Haunting Chinese harmonies dominate the soundtrack and the Eastern music is incredibly powerful. The cinematography, however, is the movie's crowning jewel.

Director Yimou Zhang is no less than a genius at creating gorgeous settings, utilizing shot composition to give a sublimely balanced and peaceful feel to the shot. Zhang costumes the characters in simple but evocative gowns of beautiful colors which both merge into and complement the scenery. I usually scoff at fine arts students who drone on for hours about the use of color and texture in artwork, but while I sat in the theater I got a taste of what they must feel when they truly appreciate a work of beauty. The only way I can think of to describe the awe-inspiring visual effect of this movie is that it felt like the visual processing systems in my brain were all undergoing a simultaneous orgasm.

Ultimately, anyone who appreciates beauty in the world in any shape or form will be captivated by this movie. It may take a little while to adjust your mind to the point where you are open to appreciating a movie simply for its beauty. You must allow yourself to break free from the Hollywood concept of a movie, one driven by a fast-paced plot with snappy dialogue that keeps the viewer constantly entertained without ever being allowed to think.

Once you break free from this mindset, your soul will thank you and you will leave the theater with an unfamiliar feeling coursing throughout your body. That's the feeling of being at peace with the world and appreciating the beauty of life. Feels pretty good, doesn't it?