Based on the false foresight that a baby was born under an unlucky star that will make him cause the death of his family and his country, The Kingdom of the Winds features a yarn of love, war and patriotism, rather fiction than historical fact, which starts more like a fairy tale under the sign of a foreteller, but becomes less so as it unfolds, and we discover that its characters are people like you and me, not endowed with fabulous powers, but who come together through unbreakable blood ties and strong friendship, changing their destiny. The values they hold and the traditions they follow are as old as times, making them perfectly credible.
Compared to Emperor of the Sea, The Kingdom of the Winds is a little lighter on the heart, more storylike, conveying a childhood feeling, mixed with a little fantasy and with moments of suspense that keep you on the edge of your seat, when fights are fought or when secrets are learned. There are moments in the film that counterbalance the many sad ones, and reward the viewer with a sort of unpredictable joy; such are the scenes in which one or the other of the princes does something really beautiful for their younger brother; such is the scene in which a princess invites a man into her chambers; such are the scenes in which the king restores, one by one, all the rights his abandoned-for-the-sake-of-protection son should have benefited from; and such is when a trusty friend takes someone somewhere to allegedly help them forget their sorrow, but he actually helps love conquer against all odds. You can't not love the funny Mahwang, or how Muhyul's guard (his best friends) look like musketeers, or how they ride in droves just like in dreams, in the wind, in their land of the winds...
The characters' occasional flashbacks remind the viewer of this or that scene they may have forgotten along the series, reinforcing the plot line; as well, these flashbacks enhance the characters' emotions offering us the necessary insight towards understanding the entire piece; they also round up the diverse happenings of the film, creating a clearer picture in the mind of the audience. Landscapes, music and costumes, together with a lot of good acting combine in this Korean drama to stir that emotion of sheer beauty which is quite difficult to find. The talent of Yun-a Oh (Hye Ap) or that of Jin-young Jung (King Yuri) can't go unnoticed; how they managed to shape up so perfect a character as Muhyul I don't know, and I must admit that choosing Il-guk Song to play the part is inspirational.
The prince says , whoever can wield the Sword of Paradise (the spiritual symbol that protects the people) might change their destiny in their favour; I say, whoever can wield the resources of filmmaking to create such a masterpiece has already made history.
