Its got lush surroundings and excellent set design and costumes, but with the visual feast of everything comes piss poor acting. Everyone is wooden and there are a lot of characters, so its hard to keep track of all the double crossing and plot lines. Its rumoured that there was an original 5 hour cut, but this version is enough for this viewer.

Grand movie but it'd be better if I've done some researched before watching it.

I think they chose the wrong actress to play suriyothai. The follow up films about King Naresuan are better and more action packed.

As a Thai, I cry very much. It is not about the customs, the plot or anything, but the courage, the love and self-sacrifice. I am very proud of being Thai. This one is better than the legend of King Naresuan as it is more historical than the other one. I need the King to express more how much he loves the country and want to set the people free as in Suriyothai does. By the way, was it the armors really like that back then? Isn't it historically wrong some how? I don't know, it does not seem right.

Great costumes. The acting is engaging for the most part, but Suri's final battle is laughably terrible. After a two hour build up seeing the title character end so lamely was a big let down. Very long, but worth it for those interested in 16th century Thailand.

Huge, big budgeted historical epic depicting the life of Princess Suriyothai in 16th century Thailand. The film charts her marriage to Prince Tien, and the changes on the throne until the King's high consort plots to seize power and Princess Suriyothai is forced to act and rally the troops against the threat from neighbouring Burma. There's a lot of story to pack in here - Coppola's cut trims the original five hour version down to a more manageable 2hrs 20min - but it's told simply and effectively, and the tone remains studious throughout reflecting the importance of this time in Thai history.

The original 5-hour Thai production-version showed a slice of history in Thailand. I visited Sukhothai and Ayuthaya in Thailand to learn more about Thai history.

(** 1/2): Thumbs Down This is a great looking movie (costumes, sets, cinematography) but I was left so confused throughout that I just can't recommend it. I believe tighter editing and pacing would have definitely helped to make this a very good film instead of a near-miss.

Okay, too bad it's actually called The Legend of the Tsunami Warrior, but whatever. It really did have potential, however the dubbing was horrible. At times I felt like I was watching an old Godzilla movie. The subtitles weren't much better. There was so much narration that the subtitles were actually behind by a few sentences at the begining and it had problems keeping up throughout the film. It was pretty kewl with all the fight scenes and the special effects weren't too bad either.

Historically inaccurate and overly melodrammatic, it might work visually with its spectacular costumes and sets, but I guessed that's all they mostly concentrated on. Because to be honest, the story and the characters looked pretty secondary to everything else. A little note though, the filmmakers should know that, before making this film, plot and character are most important in a film! They failed to see that unfortunately and that's why this film is not that effective or good.

Thais really know how to make battle scenes.

The custome is the best

This film took 6 years to produce showcasing us the unknown historical aspect of Thailand in the 16th century. The actress whom potrayed Suriyothai is a Thai royalty but her acting was like a wood. The actors were professional. I can't compare this to LOTR Trilogy but as a Southeast Asia production, it was epic. The re-production of the Ayyuthaya era gold is something that reflects the grandeur of that era and caught attention of New Zealand Weta Studios that they assisted Chatrichalerm Yukol's "King Naresuan" trilogy in exchange for knowledge of the gold craftsmanship from Thailand film industry. The only main bane is the editing. The original film was 3 hours long and gets draggy at times. The 2.5hour edition fit just nice for Western audience who have no clues for Siam's history. Look out for the elephants war scene at the end of the film. I think even Bollywood directors can't direct this.

Apparently, this version has been edited down from 5 hours to 2 hours. It does feel rushed, but I can't imagine watching the uncut version. The costumes and sets were magnificent.

The greatest film ever and Thai people should see it.

This is a Thai film. It failed to impress me.

the 192 minute version still suffers from cutting, with some pretty bad fades to black and adjoining voiceovers, but the story is still rather well told. The second half which is concerned moreso with the war elements is much more effective than the convoluted assassinations and marriages of the first half, poor old Prince Thien had to wait for 7 people to die before he became King!!!. Sorapong Chatree as Captain Raj is a fucking weapon, and the movie seems to be really more about Srisudachan than Suriyothai. (mainly due to Mai Charoenpura delivery another great performance). I recommend trying to get a hold of this 3 hour version, as once again the shortened version released in the US seems to have had an adverse effect on its reception, ah, when will distributors learn! The reported 5 hour version would surely clear things up even more!

Great historical drama from Thailand, the America version was edited and presented by Francis Ford Coppola.

The Legend of Suriyothai

A failed attempt by Thailand's filmmakers to make an internationally recognized movie. It became too much like a documentary, giving snapshots of here and there....blah blah blahhhh....boring