Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Rating:
Summary: A Complete Story
Review: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was recommended to me by many of my friends and relatives, all of whom knew that I have a secret thing for Kung-Fu and Martial Arts movies (but shhh, don't tell). Most of these people who recommended it to my don't share my joy in most Martial Arts movies, but liked Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon anyway.

After watching it, I was impressed with the complete, well balenced nature of the story. It included most of the elements of a classic story; romance, action, tragedy... as a movie it had pretty much everything you could ask for, a real "something for everyone" sort of movie.

As a Martial Arts film, it was lacking compared to some less-known, Hong Kong films. While it didn't suffer from problems that turn away most people from Kung-Fu movies (ie poor dubbing, lack of plot, shallow characters), the actual Martial Arts aspect of it asn't as stupendous as I had heard it to be. Useing camera techniques like in The Matrix, most of the stunts weren't, well, "real." In an old King-Fu film, the actors actually perform stunts that are similar to the ones that they made computers do in "Crouching Tiger..." which was sort of a let down. The actual amazing qualities of characters leaping un believable distances is somewhat lost when it is so obviously a computer doing, and not actually an incredible feat of man. For some good old Kung-Fu action, this movie doesn't compare to a 70's poorly dubbed asian film.

Setting aside my dissapointment there, the movie is fabulous. The acting, the setting, and the story are all captured beautifully, making this an enjoyable film for most anyone.

Rating:
Summary: My favorite movie!
Review: I wish I could give this movie more than 5 stars! It is so beautiful: my all-time favorite movie. The women in the movie are so strong; so empowered. The romance is believable & heart-wrenching. The fight scenes are fluid, skilled, and imaginative.
Everyone should see this movie--it should've won Best Picture!
A good movie for women, especially, as it will make you extremely proud of our gender! The women in this movie never need to be rescued, & in every fight scene there is at least one female participant who can do so much more than hold her own.
Check it out, I think you will definitely enjoy this movie!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent.
Review: This was not just good escapism, but strong philosophy as it revealed the requirements and sacrifices of warriors. Even now, as I think about the movie, I see the majesty and beauty of exotic places and cultures.

Rating:
Summary: Beware of reviewers praising the martial arts in this movie
Review: Anyone with a little training and experience will be able to watch the movie and tell that Wang and Fat aren't serious martial artists. Think of Keanu Reaves and Lawrence Fishbourne in The Matrix. So if you see any reviews saying that the martial arts are great but the movie is just okay, you can safely ignore these chumps.

Having said that, I think the movie was a lot of fun. I always wondered what would happen if someone threw a lot of money at making one of those Chinese martial arts movies that I loved as a kid. Kind of what Steven Spielberg did to action serials with the Indiana Jones movies.

Just don't try to read too much into the movie like a lot of highbrows out there. I overheard a guy walking out of the theater telling his wife that their powers of flight symbolize the boundlessness of their spirits. Please!! No broad sweeping metaphors to decipher in this movie. People have been flying in foreign martial arts movies for decades!

Rating:
Summary: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is a Chinese metphor
Review: Ang Lee decided to use the literal translation "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" for the Chinese title of CTHD because there is no direct western equivalent. This should warn us that CTHD is a film set in the Chinese warrior mythos which also cannot be translated directly to a western/modern audience.

Before going on, I must admit two things: (1) I love CTHD to distraction (I've had the DVD for a year and I still love it), and (2) I am a Chinese who has grown up watching mythical Chinese warrior movies. That makes me a minority since CTHD was critically acclaimed but NOT popular with the Chinese. So I know and understand those who thought CTHD was [a terrible] or so-so movie.

I've been disappointed with movies before, so my advice is to take note of the REVIEWS instead of just the hype. And browsing through the positive reviews of CTHD here, it looks as though the people who really enjoyed the movie were usually those who went to the cinema, saw it on the big screen, heard the Mandarin soundtrack, read the subtitles, appreciated restrained love stories and didn't have a clue as to what to expect in a Chinese martial arts movie.

It also seems that the reviewers who hated or didn't cared for CTHD generally wanted more action (or a faster and more convoluted story), couldn't accept the martial skill of "weightlessness" (or didn't like the wire-work), got bored with the plodding middle-age romance (or the frivolous teenage romance ), or any one or more of the above. My guess is also that they also didn't read the sub-titles.

I'll also admit that I'm a Michelle Yeoh fan and not a Zhang Ziyi fan, so Zhang's 20 minute flashback sequence was tedious for me and the teahouse scene was just comic relief. But at least I'm clear about my own expectations. I was also aware that Ang Lee had certain commercial "requirements" to meet in CTHD (120 min length, youthful romance, blah X 3).

So after much thought, I realised that enjoying any movie depends on what you wanted to see in it in the first place. Since Tsui Hark's ground-breaking 1990 sword-fighting epic, "Swordsman" -- where ONE martial artist acquired astounding "telekinetic" and "levitational" skills -- the Hong Kong movie industry filled the next decade with movies where ALL the martial artist displayed "telekinetic" and "levitational" skills. Most of my friends accepted it as THE way a martial arts movie should be done, but I got very sick by 2000.

So I obviously had the "right" mind-set for watching CTHD and I loved the way the martial artists in CTHD "leaped" instead "hovered", and actually "fought" each other with fists and weapons instead of "blasting" each other with their qi(energy) or will. I'm glad that Yuen was challenged by Ang Lee to choreograph the close-quarter combat sequences with their precise manoeuvres and counter-manoeuvres.

I also have some appreciation for Chinese music, landscape paintings and architecture, so the Tan Dun's score, Peter Pau's cinematography and Tim Yip's sets and decor were enthralling for me. I have had a western education so it may be that I am looking at such "exotic" eastern culture with a westerner's eye.

But over and above the production values, Ang Lee and his stellar cast infused CTHD with light humor, suppressed emotions as well with several underlying themes. One of those themes was that everyone could be a "crouching tiger or a hidden dragon", i.e. everyone has the potential to become a great menance or a great person. Think about it, what made Zhang's character end up destroying almost everyone around but her own innate selfishness and impetuousness?

Rating:
Summary: Buyer Beware
Review: Fantastic movie, great picture and sound, but beware, this movie is in Mandarin Chinese, with English subtitles! I am referring to the Superbit Collection version. Spoken english is not an option on this DVD. Best wire work I have ever seen, great acting from some of the best available in the world, awesome scenery, but be prepared to put up with looking up and down at the subtitles. I was not. Still I gave it 3 stars.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Films in Recent Memory
Review: This great film is surely Ang Lee's cinematic masterpiece; one which deserved recognition as the Academy Award recipient for Best Film. ... "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" does have a soul of a Greek tragedy and the sweep of an epic romance. Chow Yun-Fat is brilliant as Master Li Mu Bai; he offers a sympathetic portrayal of a complex, yet very likeable character. So are Michelle Yeoh as Yu Shu Lien and Ziyi Zhang as Jen Yu; along with Chow Yun-Fat's performance, theirs are at the core of the film's success in grand, epic storytelling. The martial arts choreography is absolutely first rate. The cinematography is equally superb. If you wish to see a grand epic film in any language, then "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is one of the best.

Rating:
Summary: And The Oscar Goes To...
Review: I almost never saw this movie. Growing up, my dad had a fascination with those really awlful martial arts film. Between the bad voiceovers, the horrible dialogue, and the laughable fight scenes, I swore that I would never watch another one again.

However, as this movie began to garner more and more praise in the United States, I began to pay more and more attention to the previews I was seeing in the theaters. Finally, I went to see it.

And I am very glad I did.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon raised the bar on martial arts films. The choreography was absolutely stunning and fluid. The special effects were awesome. And the acting, dialogue, and poetic feel of the movie was second to none.

I have seen this movie several times now, and each time I develop a better appreciation for it. It took a couple of viewings to be able to take in both the English subtitles and the action on the screen without getting lost. But it was well worth the effort.

Indulge yourself with this movie. It is well worth the calories it will give you. :)

Rating:
Summary: Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Review: Ang Lee and the gang were robbed at the Oscars by the lumbering "Gladiator," a film which seemed to be the result of a studio meeting where the question was posed "what genre could we update with blood and guts?"

Thank God this was not made in Hollywood. The entire cast is excellent without having to resort to some white guy moseying on the set to find the missing sword. In the hands of others, this could have been another "The Golden Child," or a Pauly Shore vehicle ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Wea-sel," anyone?). Instead, we get an actual plot, full of characterization, long flashbacks, and a story that moves.

Those seeking nonstop action scenes were probably disappointed (like Bruce Lee's films never get slow?), but the film makers should be applauded for sticking to their guns and telling a story without overwhelming it with constant action set pieces that do nothing but stop the plot and employ a herd of stunt people, like any Pierce Brosnan 007 film. The sword fights here will go down in cinematic history as some of the greatest, the ballet-like rooftop chase scenes were wonderful to behold, and the ending that I did not see coming (or maybe did not want to see coming) left me shaken. ... I strongly recommend this film.

This is rated (PG13) for physical violence, some gore, and some sexual content.

Rating:
Summary: One of the finest Martial Arts films ever made
Review: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon goes well beyond the realm of a simple martial arts film, it is an epic that should be held as a classic. From the landscdapes to the action sequences, the film is beautiful. Chow Yun-Fat's performance as Li Mu Bai is fantastic. I loved the presence that he brought to the screen as the mythical warrior. He is so in control of every scene that he is in (particually the action scenes). I recommend this film to any fan of the genre or as an introduction to Asian fimmaking(or Iron Monkey).