Movie review of Merong Mahawangsa

Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa is also known as The Malay Chronicles Bloodlines. Prior to watching the movie, I really thought that it is a very old one. Much to my surprise, the film itself does have fairly well editing and CGI effects. However, after doing some research on it, it turns out that this movie was actually produced in Malaysia and was released back in 2011. 

      In short, this movie lies on a backdrop of ancient Malay, Roman and Chinese civilizations. It tells the tale of the journey of Merong Mahawangsa escorting a Roman prince to wed a beautiful Chinese princess during the 2nd century. Featuring an international cast, The Malay Chronicles: Bloodlines combines elements of romance and adventure, coupled with a strong dose of hand-to-hand combat & martial arts. (Dr Shireen M Hashim) 

In the movie, the character that catches my attention the most is the Chinese princess named Meng Li Hua. She was acted by Jing Lusi. 

Jing Lusi.

This is how she looks like in the movie.

I can still remember some parts of the movie that she was in, especially the introduction of the princess during her floral bath. There was a conservation between her and her handmaiden, Ying Ying. She said: "I do not want be a prisoner, like that metal bird in the emperor's room." From the conversation, it shows that she was not willing to be married to the Roman prince and that her feeling of wanting to be free was so strong. She realized that once she becomes married to the prince, she will lose all her hopes of fulfilling her dreams.

On the night that the Roman prince arrived, she tried to run away with the help of her handmaiden. Ying Ying used a jar of fireflies to guide their way. Along the way, the Roman prince, who has been following them quietly, suddenly stopped them. At that moment, the jar dropped and the fireflies flew away. Just like that, the Roman prince was charmed by the princess' beauty from the fireflies' glow. To be honest, this scene is actually quite predictable as in other romance movies. So for me, I found it to be quite funny.  

The prince later guided them into the forest. Ying Ying continued to pretend to be the princess but when they all finally reached the waterfalls, the Roman prince realized that Ying Ying was the fake and requested to stay with the real princess alone. They started to fall in love with each other after knowing that their desire for freedom were the same.


From some parts that I remember, she really left a strong impression on me. The characteristic that I like most is the way she speaks that is unlike any other traditional princess. She sounded and carried herself more independently than other typical princesses. She had her own opinion and plans for her future. As I mentioned before, she wanted to be free so badly and refused to stay in any castle in any country. Moreover, she was clever and intelligent. One example was when she got caught by the Garudas. As soon as she knew about her captor's weakness, which was the necklace that hung around his neck, she tried to get it by luring him with her feminism. In the end, she succeeded in getting the necklace without his notice. So I really admire the bravery and wisdom that she possessed. Last but not least, she was a kind and friendly lady. Even though she was a princess, she still treated her handmaiden like her own sister. For example, when Ying Ying was bathing her, they even discussed how the western prince would look like. The way they talked was just like best friends- very soft and seemingly without any distinct classification between them. That’s why among all the characters, I love the Han princess' characteristics the most.



References:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1784670/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl