Rating: 
Summary: A Hollywood style Chinese Gongfu movie
Review: Directory An Lee has done an amazing job to catch Hollywood's eyes on this fusion Chinese Gongfu movie. Maybe this is the first time all the fancy style gongfu is shown on screen ( not the Jackie Chan nor Bruce Li), and this gains enormous public attention. But is the movie really as good as it gets?Ok, the music is nice, the scene is beautiful, the story is simple with some romance in it, and the ending is something like justice has come, good defeats evil. Yet the movie seems shaky to me. The actions were interpreted in a way that it is not pure gongfu, it is like, hmmmm, let's put it this way:watching Ballet dancer performing Disco. Ah, you can always claim it is artistic, but I consider it funny. As to the acting, I used to like Chow YunFat very much, but definetely not in this one. The romance story does not match any theme of the movie, the young actor talked like he did not eat for several days. The intimate moments of the young actress and actor looked so unnatural, and they are the biggest failure of the movie. No doubt that croughing tiger is entertaining, yet it cannot just get away from being another hollywood style movie.
Rating: 
Summary: stunning...
Review: I really like this film now that I've had a chance to watch it a few times. On the first viewing, I just didn't get it. It bored me, and I felt that I was missing something that the Oscar judges hadn't. I mean, like many reviewers have rightly observed, people simply can't fly; wiry women, no matter how tough, can't throw bails of hay ten feet into the air, and if someone stands at the top of a bamboo tree--well, you get the picture. Then I heard Tarantino talking about his homage to the martial arts genre, "Kill Bill". He said something like, "This movie isn't set on planet earth". I must say that when I heard this, I had a bit of an epiphany. I'd been looking at these films all wrong. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is not supposed to be watched as an action film--it's a fantasy! Accept that, and it's easy to understand why this genre is so popular. The only adventurous twist that Ang Lee brings to the film is the pallet that he uses. This movie positively glows, betraying the massive budget that brought it so easily to a mainstream audience.
We're moving into a new era of cult movies, not surprisingly being led for the most part by people like Tarantino. What we've been crying out for is a codex. If only Kill Bill had been around the first time I watched CTHD, I may well have been an instant fan, but instead, all I had as a precedent was that rather less subtle venture, "The Matrix".
You see, I reckon people were stunted rather than informed by what the Wachowskis put on the table back in '99. We were thrilled by what we thought was a new way of making films, but now I for one see that in fact, the film and it's sucessors dumbed down what was originally a beautiful and subtle form of cinema (even taking into account all the flying malarky). The tone, once you've tuned into it, is far more like "Sense and Sensability" than "Drunken Master", especially when accompanied by an orchestral score (Yoyo Ma displays some beautiful cello playing) that sounds very similar--surely intentionally--to Moriconi's music for "Once Upon A Time In The West".
What most of the bad reviews of this film have to offer is, "Go see The Matrix if you want a REAL action movie". Again, these guys think they're going to see a different kind of film than what they actually end up paying for. Pity.
Buy this DVD if you want to see a splendidly over-the-top fantasy, beautifully layered and exquisitly choreographed. If you want an action film for which you definately shan't need a codex (or a fully functioning brain), then by all means, buy "Die-Hard"!
Rating: 
Summary: Not even in English...No Way Jose!
Review: When I rented this "masterpiece" I sat down hoping to see a Jackie Chan style buddy comedy with whimscal stereotypes and gun fights in the streets of L.A. Was i fulfilled? No Way! I couldnt understand what they were saying, they were speaking some different language. This was dull, boring pig troth of a movie. Never did I jump out of my seat laughing, nor did I cheer...plain and simple...Go see Rush Hour and save 3 hours of your life
Rating: 
Summary: don't buy this version, you'll feel jipped!
Review: I bought this version thinking that it was going to be an improvement on the original DVD version...I was wrong. I have what I would consider a pretty sooped-up home theater and I could tell no difference in picture quality between this and the regular version DVD. Furthermore, the only audio track you get is the Mandarin version. If you want to understand what is going on and you don't understand Mandarin, you're forced to turn on the subtitles...I HATE SUBTITLES!!! While I see what "Superbit" is trying to accomplish, I don't think there are many folks who will be able to tell a difference. Buy the regular DVD. You'll thank me later.
Rating: 
Summary: I loved it!
Review: This is one of those good movies nobody should miss! (unless you're not into martial arts fighting, or unless you're one of those like my husband who finds reading subtitles a chore) I've watched enough Chinese "wuxia" films and TV series throughout my childhood to get tired of them, so when this movie came out I refused to spend money on watching it in the cinemas even though probably everyone I knew in my life had already seen it one way or another. Eventually when I caught this on video, I was thoroughly impressed. The storyline was so good, although it was somewhat similar to what a typical Chinese "wuxia" flick would be, I guess it was still kind of different because this is a Hollywood flick with all those better quality special effects and filming thrown in. With an enigmatic, very intelligent, yet sweet-looking actress like Zhang Zi-Yi acting as a secretly-trained in martial arts, yet rebellious only child of a rich diplomat... falling in love with the leader of a barbarian tribe from Northern China... set against the backdrop of a dusty, sandy desert in China and a somewhat dream-like story, dialogue and screenshots littered throughout the movie to illustrate the budding love between these 2 - this was the main focus and highlight of this movie for me. This love story was so beautiful, quite touching really. Compared to the other love story that's going on in this film, this really stole the day. Chow Yun-Fat has aged a lot and looks kind of tired, so I can't say that I think he's great in this because he used to be better when he was younger. Michelle Yeoh - another somewhat tired-looking, aged actress who I think has lost most of her youthful looks suits the role she plays - as an older, mature, experienced "aunt" that Zhang Zi-Yi can look up to and learn something from. Nevertheless, the 2 older actors Chow and Yeoh played their parts well because they are such experienced actors, so I can't fault them. Overall, I loved this movie. Lots of quick and skilfully executed fighting scenes, a dreamy love story... I can't imagine watching it in English dubbing though cos it'd be too weird an experience.
If you hate reading subtitles, well you can watch the dubbed version but you'd probably not enjoy this as much.
If you want to watch it, watch it in the original with subtitles.
Rating:
Summary: WELL THAT'S ASIAN STUFF (GREAT, GREAT, GREAT!!!)
Review: when I watched it.... WOW!!!!
great story, great fight scenes and great setting
"Zhang Zi YI" I love you!!
"Michelle Yeoh" I'd rather not try to annoy you!
BUY IT.
IT'S WORTH IT!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Lush landscapes deserve viewing on a big screen
Review: Over 948 reviews for CTHD (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) means that this review may reiterate what others have probably written. The scenes in this movie can be appreciated for their beauty by trying to find a large screen projection monitor to view this epic story on. I feel that the Chinese culture can easily be kept from western eyes, but Ang Lee's vision and sensitivity gives us a sense of the passion and pride that is felt towards traditional Chinese customs. I was impressed with the way Lee directed how the players' very glances and expressions showed feelings that words could never explain. It's quite difficult for me to express how moving CTHD was to watch. I love a good action flick, but I was amazed at how subtle glances draw out a subplot of two people struggling to express their feelings. As the movie progressed, I became more interested in the relationships that the different couples involved had developed. And shockingly, it was a love triangle, with the Green Destiny sword playing the part of the desired object of affection. The music of composer Tan Dun wound up placing CTHD onto a higher plateau. It's quite a unique and special score for the movie. And Yo Yo Ma's cello performances are stellar. Overall, the sound quality is pristine, and can be enjoyed on most speakers, so don't worry aboout needing reference equipment to enjoy the DVD. Stereo separation with the Dolby Digital 5.1 is quite remarkable. If you do have quality speakers, you'll be blown away. The video quality is well- transferred from the original print, which is necessary with the number of night scenes that were filmed. The blacks are deep, the highlights are not washed out and the colors and hues are rich and wonderfully saturated. For those of you who haven't experienced CTHD in a theater, find someone who has the largest television or projection monitor that you can find and watch it there. You can appreciate the details in filming, including the exquisite landscapes and textures, but you miss something if you're watching on a smaller unit. Heck, bring your DVD into a place like Circuit City or the Big Screen Store and ask a worker to pop it in a player to let you see the video in a larger screen. A parting word of advice: Yes, the stunts showing people running across water, along the sides of buildings and amongst the tree tops is impossible. Keep in mind that this film is based on stories of ancient Chinese folklore and legend, which is larger than life. Taking this movie literally will destroy its intention to simply illustrate such a legend in film.
Rating:
Summary: "Father.......I Shall Avenge Mother!!!!!!!!!"
Review: Wonderful!!! This Flick has been much praised for direction, artistry, acting, ect, but to a dyed-in-da-wool "GUNG-FU" phile like myself this film is my version of "Gone With The Wind" (or "Casablanca" at least). I know film scholars and armchair critics will argue that this is much more than a martial arts flick, and Indeed it is. Nevertheless It's filed in my DVD shelf somewhere between ENTER THE DRAGON and THE LAST EMPEROR!!!
Rating:
Summary: Not Good Enough for Me
Review: This film tells about Eastern Asia where you can find skillful fighters. The story is sometimes strange although the scenes are very good. The fighting scnes are very good but unfortunately the film isn't so clear all the time. The end is surprising, that's why this deserves three stars. All the actors are very skillful too.
Rating:
Summary: Tragedy and beauty
Review: I cannot recommend this film highly enough. There is great
tragedy, yes, but also great beauty and poety. And, of all
things, humor. The fight scenes are astonishing; when watching
the ballet in the treetops I could not figure out how it
was done. Even though it's dubbed into English, it's done
so perfectly you forget it is dubbed. Fights, humor, romance,
tragedy...what more can you ask for in a movie?
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