The director also expressed great satisfaction working with the cast. “It’s hard to describe in words how happy I am with their performances. Lau had to portray a man from his 20s to 70s, and he did it perfectly, with the look in his eyes and all, particularly in the last scene when an invincible hero loses for the first time,’’ he said. “As for Maggie, who had to play what was originally a male part, I had doubts. But she blew me away.’’
Like many big-budget war movies, visual effects played a large part. “I believe that computer graphics are a type of language,” said Lee. “There are many excellent firms around the world. I specifically asked the Korean firm (Mixfilm) for realistic depictions. I wanted to film a ‘documentary’ version of ‘The Three Kingdoms’ through the characters. So I didn’t want anything too beautified, and I am very satisfied with the results,” he said.
“The computer graphics were essential for not only the war scenes but for the minute details. For example, while filming in the desert we’d experience four seasons in one day. It’s be rainy and then sunny and snow at night,” he said.