Chen Kaige's new movie sparks polarizing debates

Those who gave bad scores argue that the film has put too much emphasis on presenting a "Tang Dynasty" while "ignored the character development."

Some criticized the "incoherence between the first and the second half" or the "imperfect logic".

"The first half of the film is really attractive, especially the grand party Emperor Xuanzong held for Yang Yuhuan, but the latter half is too lengthy," said Anuan, a movie enthusiast from douban.com.

"The logic of the film has messed up, and the performances are too shallow despite how much he wanted to express a profound theme," said Yu Shi, also a blogger from douban.

There are also criticisms over "too many Japanese elements" and the casting, especially Sandrine Pinna, who plays Yang Yuhuan in the movie. Born to a French father and a Chinese mother, many complained that she is not the ideal "Yang Yuhuan", who is often described as a classic Chinese beauty.