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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $11.21
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Genuine Work of Art
Review: This film is a landmark masterpiece, a singular and lovely piece of art that achieves the remarkable combination of popular and high, thick and thin, airy and full. I honestly don't know where to begin or end in praising this film; when I saw it at the movies (and you should see this film on a big screen, in order to fully appreciate its rich color and spectacular landscapes) I had one of those "beautiful experiences" that one rarely has. I was beyond awe and had entered into a realm of genuine empathy and emotion that had me tearing up but not crying. Talk about some serious chicken skin.

This film is beautiful on many levels. The storyline is terrific and engaging. The film's movement (the movement of the cameras and especially the truly beautiful movement of the actors, especially Chow Yun Fat) is used to stunning effect and transports you into the story in a very unique way. And the performance by Michelle Yeoh is just terrific.

Like any great piece of art, one is able to personalize this film in a myriad of ways. For me, it's not a martial arts film. It's a symphony of symbolism, of love, of truth, of movement, and social commentary.

This one's on my top five list of greatest movies ever made.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Simply expectacular!
Review: It's hard to find words to describe this movie. I usually wonder why we do not see more movies like this....The soundtrack, the photography, the actors, etc. Everything is so well connected and interrelated that the whole movie is like a long meditation, but not action-free. Ang Lee had done a wonderful work with the characters, because you see then fighting, but at the same time their emotions are under control. The path of a master is full of challenges where emotions have to be controlled in order to achieve the higher mountains of realization!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the greatest movies ever made
Review: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a calm action/drama and adventure mixed into one to bring you a great production. The action sequences are great and the story is strong rather than weak like some other movies example, The Last Samurai, Underworld and Blade among the few. This oscar winning phenomenal movie will keep you at the edge of your seat and the entertainment is pure clean fun. I loved this movie, so has the world, and better wait up for the 2 disc collection due late 2004. 10/10.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Dazzling!
Review: "Crouching Tiger" is a blessing, a film that singlehandedly elevates the guilty pleasure of chop-sockey flicks to high art.

Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh are perfectly cast as lovers who are united by their past yet forbidden to act on that love by their code of honor. These talented actors say all there is to say with meaningful glances, conveying their mixed emotions of desire and regret. (The dialogue is also surprisingly good for a "kung fu flick," but is much more effective in Chinese with Engish sub-titles rather than dubbed in English.)

Still, this movie is first and foremost a martial arts film -- albeit one with a heck of a love story. Two fight scenes in particular - an early one at night in a courtyard and a later scene in a sparring room - steal the entire movie. World-class athleticism combined with astounding choreography and a heart-pounding soundtrack -- sheer bliss!

"Crouching Tiger" gives us heroes to cheer, villains to hiss, and colorful sidekicks to make us smile. Put this all together with stunning camerawork and a heart-breaking climax, and you've got yourself one heck of a picture!

The only criticism of the DVD is the relative paltry offering of extras. But I'd rather have a great film with few extras than a mediocre film with a ton of goodies on the DVD.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The Power of Love
Review: An interesting and refreshing cinematic experience, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is a bit overhyped, though. The plot is not all that original, as it takes from many oriental movies of the same genre. However, the acting, direction, score and settings make this effort stand out and shine. The fight sequences could be ridiculous and childish, still director Ang Lee injects a sense of style and beauty in most of them and achieves something unique. This is a well-crafted story that manages to be compelling and thought-provoking. It`s also a good alternative to most Hollywood full around, presenting something that tries to innovate and deliver a somewhat surprising achievement. The characters are tragic and flawed enough, and the basic concept of good vs bad actually works here. The ending is particularly poetic and moving, providing a memorable finale to this enticing epic.

Recommended.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Different
Review: What makes this film stand out from all other Asian-inspired films is the powerful and unique message it delivers. Usually such films promote virtues such as honor, sacrifice and discipline, but this movie chose transcend these and show that there is one virtue above all others-- love. One of my all-time favorites, if not my favorite.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: worth seeing
Review: This is a hard movie for me to review since I was a big fan of Ang Lee before I saw this for Sense and Sensibility, Eat Drink Man Woman and a couple others. I liked those past 2 movies more, but this is a very good movie. Zhang Ziyi is great in this film actually all the actors do a very good job in it. There are some very good action scenes also with a nice soundtrack. The DVD is good just picture quality isn't the best but this was suppose to be a small film that got produced by sony pictures classic and just got popular on word of mouth. The dvd has good extras Ang lee comentary and making of and others. I think the film plays better with the original Mandarin audio track which you can select with subtitles, since it's all the actors real voices. But some may prefer the English track without subtitles, at least you are given the choice. There are some amazing scenery shots in this film also.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: brilliant
Review: i don't understand those people who hated the movie because of the special effects and how "people can't fly". hello: IT'S A MOVIE, fiction, not real. remember peter pan? he flew.
this movie is pure fantasy, which is what i loved about it. but hey, to each his (or her) own, right? just remember, all you "realists" out there, to keep your mind open and remember that movies are where anything can happen. as Einstein once said: "Imagination is more important than knowledge"

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A gorgeous, compelling, unforgettable motion picture
Review: I'm not sure why I waited so long to watch this critically acclaimed film. As a martial arts fan, I suppose I was afraid that the actual martial arts action would play second fiddle to both the storyline and the sweeping cinematography. I needn't have worried because not only is the fighting fast and furious, it involves a style of fighting and use of assorted weapons that aren't typically featured in most of the films I am acquainted with. The Wutan school of fighting and philosophy holds sway over these characters, making for some of the smoothest and most impressive moves I've ever seen. The story itself is exciting and compelling, working its themes of duty, maturity, passion, romance, and tragedy flawlessly into the presentation. The film even managed to be quite unpredictable, and the surprise I felt at the end only added to the emotional effects of the conclusion.

Chow Yun-Fat gives a masterful performance as Master Li Mu Bai in this, his first martial arts role. Michelle Yeoh is equally brilliant as Yu Shu Lien, Li's ally, friend, and true love. Yu is the heart, Li the soul of this story. The most impressive and most important performance, though, comes from young Ziyi Zhang; she is simply incredible and brings energy of the rarest form to the big screen in her performance as Jen Yu, a young aristocratic lady with unmatched charms and skills. A number of dramatic subplots weave a tapestry of magnificent wonders in this martial arts fantasy. Even I initially questioned the gravity-defying abilities of the characters, but as you watch the film you realize that Ang Lee has in fact given us a work of fantasy, and I can't deny the majesty and rare beauty that the incredible wire work adds to the cinematography. Of course, the most impressive scenes are the fight scenes. You don't see a lot of swordplay in martial arts films, but here you have swords, curved knives, poles, and all kinds of offensive and defensive weapons in play. The actors worked very hard in order to make their performances as realistic as possible, and it shows.

While gorgeous, dramatic, and awe-inspiring, this is not a perfect movie. There is one important flashback in the film that lasts entirely too long, in my opinion, and a second viewing raised a number of questions in my head, particularly in regard to the Wutan traitor and murderess Jade Fox. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is, though, a unique motion picture experience, and it has some of the most distinguished cinematography, special effects, and accompanying music ever to grace the silver screen. The DVD extras are nice, although I was disappointed to find no interviews with Zhang Ziyi included, and I personally gave up on the commentary half-way through because it did not feature a very serious discussion. This is basically a martial arts film that everyone can enjoy, and the experience is not one you will soon forget.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Strangely, This Is One of My Favorite Films!
Review: OK, where do I start? Crouching Tiger was a totally new kind of film, for me. It is a martial arts movie, and yet, it is so complex and deep. It really can't be put in the same category as Bruce Lee or Van Damme. The fighting scenes are somehow more dance-like, dreamy, actually very artistically interesting.

I think it falls more into the category of fantasy, but , like any good art, is really hard to classify.

The characters are complex with deep conflicts, powerful motivations and difficult choices. It's never clear exactly what each one will do, or why. The story is full of twists and turns all presented in a beautiful Chinese fairy tale. I am not a film scholar, but I am a fan of great films, and I really enjoy watching this.

I have only seen Michelle Yeoh in this film and Tomorrow Never Dies. She really shows her acting ability here. She is quite good! Her character is full of pain and regret, yet driven by a deep sense of commitment and duty. She is strong, tough and vulnerable. Nicely done.

Yun-Fat Chow is a fine actor and does this part well. His strength and resolve are beautifully touched with a genuine tenderness.

Ziyi Zhang is brilliant. She is proud, spoiled, strong and foolish. She thinks she knows so much and really understands so little. The story really revolves around her. She is the eye of the storm, so to speak.

Chen Chang is wonderful as the carefree, ruthless bandit who falls hopelessly in love.

There is vastly better acting here, than I expected in a martial arts movie. The story is infinitely more absorbing than could be expected in that category. Ang Lee is clearly a major master of fine film making.

One other thing I want to say, is that I wish more fine films were available in the Superbit collection. I am really getting tired of all that "bonus material." I find it all so boring and distracting. After I spend a couple hours watching "The Making Of...," or "Deleted Scenes," or "Behind the Scenes..." I feel like I've wasted so much time. Superbit eliminates all those pointless extras and concentrates on presentation quality. I find that refreshing. When I put the disc in the player, all I want to do is watch a great movie. Superbit clears away all the fluff and gets right to the point of a film. Nothing in the way. I like that.


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