Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Story, Action and Cinematography
Review: In a word, Croutching Tiger is extraordinary, the true Best Picture of 2000. Ang Lee combines a touching romance with well choreographed martial arts fight scenes to develop an excellent movie.Many detractors argue that Croutching Tiger is nothing new in terms of martial arts films from Asia. Having seen a number of HK movies, I would have to both agree and disagree. The action sequences are not as extravagant as some other Asian martial arts movies, but it was also more realiztic to watch. In addition, I would argue that the plot is much more robust. The fact that this movie was subtitled does not detract from this film at all. At times, the translations do not fully convey the meaning of what was spoken, but most of the information is conveyed. Strong acting performances by Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh, breathe-taking cinematography, and exciting action sequences make Croutching Tiger a movie to own and watch multiple times.
Rating:
Summary: My eyes were glued open the whole time!
Review: I was so excited over hearing that a chinese-martial arts film was being released in US movie theaters that I scheduled my US holiday around it's release time (Really, I'm exaggerating, I just had good timing)! I was truly entertained by this film. I've seen many other chinese movies with the flying people running along rooftops and trees, and I've seen tons of kung-fu flicks with romantic story lines, but this one just seemed to hit it off beautifully on a grand scale. I was surprised to see Chow Yun Fat in a martial arts role, I'd previously only seen him in dramas or action films where he's always toting around firearms. His fighting scenes were brief, but it was nice to see him playing something different. The fighting scenes of Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi were so much fun to watch, they definitely stole the show! The dual love stories circling the path of the Green Destiny make it all the more interesting to watch. I already own this movie on VCD, but I'm gonna buy the DVD anyway!
Rating:
Summary: Western influenced, but clearly Asian
Review: I read the review of smokingbear where he attacks the authenticity of the film, starting from the fact that most actors are not native Mandarin speakers to the Taiwanese guy that plays the Turkic horseman from Xinjian (by the way, I take offense to your calling Taiwanese-spoken Mandarin "sissy"). Like most epics from historical periods, it's practically impossible to satisfy so-called "historians," mostly when there is a short supply of world-reknowned Mandarin speaking actors/actresses. I totally disagree with his belief that the plot is weak. Ang Lee (who is Taiwanese and studied at NYU) has a knack for blending Eastern and Western qualities in his films. Being half-Taiwanese and half American, I can appreciate both aspects. The film is not traditional in the sense of Chinese storytelling and it cannot be concretely categorized into any genre. I wouldn't compare it to an "American Chinese Restaurant" like smokingbear however. It is made to be accessible to western viewers, however it is by no means watered down. It is more of a fusion rather than being made merely to appeal to American tastes. I feel the Western style of storytelling lended the film a softer, more human quality than what you would find in traditional Chinese stories. It gives the viewer insight into the forces acting upon the psyches of the characters. The conflict of Confucian obligation and human urges is a good example. The viewer becomes more emotionally involved with the characters this way. Of course, if you're a member of the genre police, you wouldn't appreciate the movie quite as much.
Rating: 
Summary: Kabuki Theatre 2000
Review: This movie was the same only a plot was added to a Saturday morning showing of Kabuki Theatre. The plot is weak at best, the acting (in any language) really comes up short. Visually and musically the movie was great, but the ridiculous flying was annoying to watch. The fighting was decent (if you like Kung-Fu), and the end was very predictable. The Oscars award foreign films, and CRouching certainly takes the cake, but the Best Picture....puh-leaze!
Rating:
Summary: Should-Be Oscar-Winner
Review: A relatively unknown and often quickly dismissed title at first, Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" received the highest return of any foreign film in history at this year's Academy Awards- and it still did not receive it's due credit. "Crouching Tiger", a throwback to the wuxia (Kung-Fu Fantasy) films which director Ang Lee watched as a child, goes farther than any other film in the genre. The breathtakingly choreographed fight sequences left the audience appluading in their seats (literally), and the poignant ending left even the most hardened of action movie fans with an expression of deep reflection. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is the perfect synthesis of incredible action and powerful acting, a definite must-buy.
Rating:
Summary: Thrilling Action, Boring Movie
Review: A sure case of jumping on the bandwagon once this movie came out -- many people I talked to about it thought this was a big shrug and an awfully slow movie. Pack all the extras on the DVD you want, you won't catch me buying it. After a painfully slow first half hour, we finally get a fight scene and the action is pretty great (although, some of the infamous flying sequences are over the top). Unfortunately, the action is always followed by more dialogue and story, both of which are wretched. How this movie, with its ... dialogue (dumb lines like "I will avenge my master!" over and over) was nominated for a screenplay Oscar is beyond me. If you loved it, buy it. If you haven't seen it yet, you might want to rent this first -- I and others I know were excited when this came out in theaters, but thoroughly disappointed by the dullness of it all.
Rating:
Summary: Crouching Entertainment, Hidden Art
Review: Some may like a movie for its entertaining tenor. Others do it for its art. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" comes to remind us all that a motion picture can perfectly combine these two elements, can both entertain and enchant. Director Ang Lee maestry takes us to a journey through a visionary world of tigers and dragons where our imagination, our emotions and dreams come true. The cinematography is magic and sublime. The soundtrack epic and triumphant. The performances truly emotional, specially by Michelle Yeoh. And the story is simply extraordinary. An unforgettable cinematic experience. Behind every scene, every take, from the most outstanding battles to the most introspective ones, there is hidden poetry declaimed by means of images. You just need to develop an eye for this, in order to find out what a best picture is about.
Rating: 
Summary: Ang Lee's Dream Come Almost True
Review: [....] I'm always going to be a kid who loves this kind of stuff - stories that revel in the impossible and the fantastic and the exhilaration of adventures in the imagination. That's said as both a loyal member of the Spielberg generation and also as a hopefully halfway serious student of Chinese culture, being an Asian-Australian kid who can empathise heart and soul with filmmaker Ang Lee's need to recreate and show us a 'dream of China'. He's a filmmaker I admire greatly and hope to emulate one day. Well, this is the dream come almost true. I don't presume to correct others' opinions on the film - clearly it has touched millions of people in a way it didn't quite do for me - and I'd been living in anticipation for months. I believe that CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON is, ultimately, a blessing more for what it has made possible than what it is in itself. I'm glad that it's dazzled so many people in the West, and everywhere around the world. It makes me wonder how people will react when they realize how much more can be achieved in this genre that they can't even begin to imagine. If there was a problem for me it's that the excitement, laughter and beauty of the film were, rather like Yu Shu Lien, too rarely permitted to burst the bonds of restraint and _really_ take me soaring. It could be fitting, especially in a film about social restraint, I suppose; but then I would say more detail about the social world of the characters would have made the action and the love story deeper than they were. It's not an epic without a vast world of secondary characters and conflicts teeming behind it; pretty widescreen landscapes and plenty of fighting seem to have been the sole criteria for most people using the term. I'd have called it something else. The story as it stands mostly serves to treat the viewer to rapturous displays of cinematic poetry in the scenery, sentiment and action, and the film certainly delivers on those counts. But I prefer my plots to have more grip and bite than what you'll get here. But please don't let this arch-sounding sentiment stop you from enjoying a film which promises to be quite likely one of the most graceful, poetic and invigorating fantasies you've ever seen, [....] Hope it opens your eyes to other forms of cinema coming out of Asia today. As for the actual DVD - if the US release matches the Asian one, we'll all be very happy with one of the slickest packages ever.
Rating:
Summary: You've heard about the movie, want to know about the DVD?
Review: Because Crouching Tiger was released in Taiwan before it came to the States, it is only natural that the DVD was released there earlier, too. Nearly identical to the proposed Ameican release (the US version adds the "making of" documentary), I purchased a copy of the Region 3 version of this great movie. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon itself is a gorgeous, sensual story, boosting HK action movies to an entirely new level (although it is doubtful that many will be able to or even want to follow this act). The story is fairly straightforward: a master swordsman searches for his lost weapon, stolen by an enigmatic thief. Add to that a healthy dose of unrequited love, another love story that may very well become unrequited, and of course the legendary fighting scenes, and you've got a great film. Subtitles don't really matter here, unlike some other films. After 5 minutes, you won't even notice you're reading them. Now, for information on the DVD. The commentary track, in English, is one of the best tracks I've heard. Rather than the usual back-patting (so-and-so was SO GREAT to work with!), Ang Lee and James Schamus discuss the difficulties behind making scripted scenes come to life, the risks they took in making the movie (10 minutes before the first fight? A 20 minute flashback?), and other aspects of production. For those who like an educational commentary, this one is great. The interview with Michele Yeoh is pretty much the standard movie-promotion fare, and the music videos are interesting as additions (for some reason, they seem really grainy, too). This DVD looks and sounds great, and even the animated menus (if they keep the ones that are on the Region 3 disc) are clever. There are very few DVDs that are "must-own." Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is one of them. Do not hesitate, and when it comes, savor every minute.
Rating:
Summary: Send this one back to China
Review: I do not understand all the praise this movie has received. The story makes no sense! It's a dreamy, artsy movie, part fantasy part reality. The choreography is great, as is the music and costumes. BUT I started checking my watch after the first 30 minutes, waiting for it to end. It's frustrating trying to take in all the images on screen WHILE reading subtitles WHILE trying to figure out what is going on WHILE avoiding the young princess's yellow teeth! I am reminded of an episode of I Love Lucy where Lucy says, "This looks like a bad dream you'd have after eating too much chinese food".
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