Rating: 
Summary: fluid
Review: yes all you martial arts movie geeks it has been done before ive seen "once upon a time in china pts 1&2", "wing chun", and "iron monkey" as well as many many others too. but "crouching tiger, hidden dragon" takes the fighting and action and sword play and raises it up to something new..it brings in a sense of poerty to those scenes..a true zen like quality for example to the scene in the tree tops..where all you here is wind and trees ruffling
this is a beautiful movie...maybe not as dazzling as "the matrix" a movie people always bring up in comparison but its like comparing ozzy to beethoven...both are playing music and doing it well..but in completely different styles
Rating:
Summary: Corny but ethereal
Review: I find it somewhat difficult to even rate this movie. Somehow it's corny, but ethereal at the same time. The story and scenes are the ethereal part, whereas I cannot help but find the running up walls, flying through the air and fighting on slender bamboo stalks corny. I've heard, though, that the latter is the sign of a good Asian martial arts movie.
Rating: 
Summary: I Don't Get It.
Review: What's all the hype about here? this movie is really nothing special. i found it dumb and pointless, much to the suprise of my friends, who loved it. i just dont get it.
Rating: 
Summary: Art, Beauty, and Love.
Review: I'll start off by saying that yes, I was looking for more of a Matrix film when I entered the theather. Upon leaving, however, I was amazed. I think Tan Dun (music composer of the film) said it best; "We should look at Martial Arts as the traditional art in China - not the fatal, bloody, violent impression that Hong Kong films have given a Western audience. We would look at it philosophically, culturally, and with a human touch."
If, prior to viewing the film, you want to see Matrix style action..your in the wrong boat. The Martial Arts in the movie are very impressive and, dare I say, better than Martix. Sure, they lack the intensity that Matrix had but don't let that fool you; the real magic is elsewhere...in their style.
The plot is a tried and true method in the movie realm. Sure, it's many stories in one but the way they tell it is impressive. The love story is pretty darn good and even the conflict between these characters are amazing. And on a side note, I would suggest watching the movie in Mandarin with Subtitles because the voices are so much more fitting.
The theme of people flying around as if gravity barely exsisted may make some turn away,but what is the point of watching a "fantasy" film if your expecting real world physics to be applied to it?
All in all, exceedingly great movie. Yes, I would suggest a rent first because you should never buy something on a whim. But the reviews I've read, it seems that some are on different ends of the poll so I'm almost forced to say that. But I wouldn't pass this film as anything less than amazing. This is what good movies look like.
Rating: 
Summary: Look ma! No wires!
Review: This film is Ang Lee's homage to martial arts films, and he does a good job. We follow two aging experts - one male, one female - as they try to find a quiet life for themselves together. Unfortunately, their old nemesis reappears with an apprentice. The apprentice has stolen the master's legendary sword and has taught herself (from a stolen manual) the secrets of the Wudan, the martial arts society that is the pinnacle of skill, instructing its students in the art of swordplay, unarmed combat, and "flying."The film is visually spectacular. The scenery of the desert, the bamboo forest, and a recreated 18 century Beijing are all beautifully filmed and provide an epic backdrop. The fight scenes are also beautiful to behold, well-choreographed, exciting, and oddly realistic, considering the belligerents can defy gravity at will. The soundtrack, with its staccato drums to emphasize the action and haunting cello meoldies (by Yo Yo Ma), is a perfect accompaniment for the images. Unfortunately, the story itself does not hold up the sections between the fight sequences. Usually this is not a problem with martial arts movies, as the plot is secondary. However, in this film more time is spent in exposition than fighting, so we must assume the plot was meant to be important. There are two glaring problems (for me) that detract from the enjoyment of the film. The first is the nature of the "main" character, the apprentice evil-doer. The screenplay seems to keep changing its mind - is she the rogue with a heart of gold or a selfish brat that deserves what she gets? We are left wondering why the old master keeps forgiving her faults, and how she could have made the brigand chief fall in love with her. Secondly, there is the problem of a 20-minute flashback sequence explaining the love between the apprentice and the brigand chief. It comes out of nowhere half-way into the film and disrupts the whole flow. Surely the script should have been reworked to ease into this subplot; as it is, it seems forced on us and we resent it. It's entirely possible that a native Mandarin speaker would not agree with my criticisms. I know when I watch English movies subtitled in French (or vice versa), the subtlties and nuances do not always translate well, and I'm sure it would be worse crossing a cultural barrier from Euro-American to Chinese. However, Lee's own "Eat Drink Man Woman" was wonderful and had the same potential issue, so I have to think the subtitles are not totally to blame and the fault lies in the script. The commentary on this DVD is quite fun to listen to. There are tidbits of information that explain why and how the film was made and explaining scenes. There are also some funny moments, where Schamus is pointing out "cheesey shots." There's also a making-of featurette that is interesting, showing how the stunts were performed with wires. However, the commentary is the jewel of the DVD edition, aside from the superior sound and video quality that is inherent to the format. Overall, I enjoyed the film, and can see why it was so successful. However, I was disappointed by the inconsistencies with the apprentice character and the plotting in general, which lowered the film's rating.
Rating: 
Summary: highly overrated
Review: I didn't watch Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon when it came out in theaters. I watched it on DVD a year later. In the span of time in which it came out in the movies and when I watched it, I of course heard all the hype and the praise that surrounded it. "Fantastic plot!" "The fight scenes were amazing!" "Ziyi is freakin' hot (which doesn't make a difference to me, on a side note)!" "Amazing actors!" "Best movie ever!" I came to expect a lot from this movie. I was, quite literally, bouncing as the DVD started. Was I let down. The plot, though it tries valiantly to come off as deep and intelligently brooding, was far from amazing. The main plot itself is shallow enough: Lost magic sword. Find magic sword. That's the gist of it. There are, of course, millions of subplots, all of which have been done time and time again. The characters are nothing more than your cliched characters-pseudovillains-protagonists. The love story(ies) have been done more than once, you might even be able to find it in cheesy romance novels. All in all, I would have given this movie 1 star, if not for its fight scenes, which were also highly overrated. They were nice, but they weren't as good as people made them out to be. I suggest The Matrix before this one.
Rating:
Summary: Robbed of the Oscar for Best Picture...
Review: This movie was easily the best of the 2001, with superb special effects, good (if not Oscar-worthy) acting, solid directing and scenery that is varied and gorgeous.
The story concerns a master warrior, Li Mu Bai, who wishes to retire from fighting, but must embark on a final quest when his legendary sword, The Green Destiny, is stolen. His quest is undertaken with the aid of the love of his life, Yu Shu Lien who is an accomplished warrior as well, who was married to his brother, and so the two cannot consummate their love. The movie has two parallel love stories, the second concerning Jen, a noblewoman, and a young bandit; both stories end tragically.
The plot and romance seem blase, and though they are somewhat ordinary, they are told with suprising skill, drawing the audience in. But the power of this movie lies in the superb action scenes, which are not simply fun for the average action fan, but for people who enjoy well-choreographed, balletic, almost-poetic duels, even one with some humor injected in. All of the major stars are very graceful and the digital removal of wires and harnesses, leaves the audience with seamless scenes.
Some reviewers claim the fight scenes in "The Matrix" were superior, but I would call to your attention the dojo scene with Neo and Morpheus. Their range of motion does not match those found here, and one can tell the stars are not trained in martial arts. For me, at least, it detracts from the movie--with the mindset that they should have the fullest range of motion, it is disappointing to watch them painfully stretch to exectute low kicks (I can personally kick higher and have had no training in the martial arts).
Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Incredibe
Review: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a treat for your senses. It has a magnificent musical score, thrilling fight choreography, drama, humor and wonder. It's also a source of empowerment for women: strong female characters with a kick-butt attitude. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Film
Review: This is one of those films that comes along every once in a while that gives you fresh feeling about cinematic art. Croching Tiger is truly a masterpiece. From the music to the characters to the costumes to the cinematography, I was swept away. This is a movie that will stand the test of time and never go out of style.
Rating:
Summary: After Bruce Lee...
Review: A routine mission to return Li Mu Bai's (played by Chow Yun Fatt) 400-year-old sword embroils the female warrior "Shu Lien" (Michelle Yeoh) in the machinations of "Jade Fox", an old enemy of Mu Bai's. At the centre of this triangle is "Jen" (Zhang Ziyi) who has the potential, under the right guidance (Mu Bai's of course), to reach the very highest level of martial arts mastery. Jen, unfortunately, already has a teacher.... Ang Lee's return to his Far Eastern origins strikes all the familiar notes of "Wuxia": scenic battles on rooftops, in dodgy taverns, on water and among bamboo groves. As usual -- at least according to current permutations of the genre in Hong Kong -- it features women of remarkable skill in roles both beneficial and malevolent to the male protagonist. The film is an astute exploitation of the emerging prominence in Hollywood of Chow and Yeoh. Yeoh, for example, is the only real martial artist in the film and so -- rather wisely -- she is given the most demanding fight sequences: the use she makes of the entire range of Chinese weaponry is not something one could master on set in a few months. As for Chow, who never acts in Wuxia films, all he has to perform -- again wisely -- is a few striking poses with lots of cinematic cuts in between. While the action sequences are good, I've definitely seen better from the genre. The die-hard Wuxia fan will also complain at the film's evident kowtowing to North American film conventions: the kind of romanticised love between Jen and her "barbarian" boyfriend being a case in point. Considering the director's earlier Far Eastern excursions, he could have perhaps pushed the dark side of the film a tad further towards the cutting edge by suggesting a lesbian relationship between Jen and Jade Fox... but all in all it remains a competent and entertaining effort.
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