Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but not the be-all end-all people say it is.
Review: This is certainly a good movie, but it's got its share of flaws. Sure, the plot is great - it's _supposed_ to be a Chinese fairy tale, not a dramatic epic about the human condition, and if you look at it on that level it's just flawless. And the martial arts scenes you've heard so much about are choreographed extremely well (the final fight in the trees really is amazing to see). The thing is, there are problems. Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh are great in their roles of two martial arts masters who suffer from each other's unrequited love. Unfortunately, neither of them gets enough screentime - Yeoh doesn't seem to have a role after the first half hour other than to yell and beat stuff up (which kind of goes against the great exposition in that time). Which is kind of unfortunate, as I really dug her character. And Lo, the bandit leader (I can't think of the actor's name right now), though characterized as a "scruffy criminal with a heart of gold," doesn't get enough screentime to become anything more than that summary.Most of the screentime is taken up by Jen, an extremely selfish and annoying character who does all sorts of crazy bad stuff. You're told that she's got lots of special abilities like the martial arts masters, but it's bewildering since at first she's characterized as a sweet and innocent young girl. Regardless of the inconsistencies, though, we really do see too much of her. For instance, there's a prolonged battle scene where she beats up around twenty guys in a restaurant - except there's never really any reason for the fight. And while I'm at it, that's another problem - many of the fights in the movie seem to happen for no reason. When you understand what's going on, and the people's motivations for fighting, it's great, but otherwise it's just tedious. I would rather they used the movie's two hours to develop the characters instead of showing us more high kicks. Chow Yun Fat's character, out of all of them, is probably the most human and the most three-dimensional (great performance, all around). I really liked him. Unfortunately, despite being the main character, he doesn't spend that much time on screen either. And that's my main beef with the movie - not nearly enough time is devoted to the really great people. In short, it's not "the best piece of art to come out of the Far East." It's a good tribute to the martial arts genre, and a great rendition of a Chinese fairy tale. And it's good that a foreign movie was successful in the USA. But it was rather overhyped. Don't expect the be-all end-all of cinema, though, and you won't be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best
Review: This movie is already a classic. Some people are complaining the kung-fu scenes were all done years ago in Hong Kong films. So what?! Love stories were done 50 years ago, but there are still great love stories made. This one does it masterfully and artfully. Never have I cheered in the movie theatres like I did with this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Atrocious Mandarin
Review: I have always like swordfighting epics. However, this one was spoiled by the fact that Chow Yun Fatt and Michelle Yeoh speak atrocious Mandarin. It was extremely irritating to the ear. Lee Ang should have just allowed them to speak Cantonese, which would have sounded more natural and fluent.
The swordfighting scenes are very enjoyable. The music was great - tense and emotive.
I am not that maidens in ancient China ran their own businesees -a protected courier business at that. In the Sung Dynasty, most would have been required to stay at home, not even to emerge to the great hall if there were visitors. They would not have been allowed to get into proximity with men. The same would have applied to widows, which was the official status of Michelle Yeoh's character. Did I enjoy the movie anyway? Yes, I did. I have always enjoyed Chow Yun Fatt - ever since " Man In The Net"! But CTHD somehow has an "exotic" , almost foreign , feel to it - something I don't quite like as I am Chinese and things Chinese should not feel "exotic"! The irony is that it is also foreign to non-Chinese!
Rating:
Summary: Don't get the hype
Review: Yes, this is a great movie for its genre. Yes, the costumes, the fight scenes and the visual effects were fantastic. But this is not a Best Picture in my mind at all. While I loved Chow Yun-Fat and Michele Yeoh as the older couple who were forever friends, but kept from loving each other by tradition and loyalty, they simply aren't on screen enough. Instead, we are treated to hours of a second story about the spoiled, unlikeable daughter of a rich family, her arranged marriage and her love for some kind of desert pirate guy. Though Zhang Ziyi does a fine job, the character is flawed by the fact that from the moment she steals Yun-Fat's sword for her own game of cat and mouse, I hated her. She is given a gift at the end of the movie and squanders it, leaving me to wonder what kind of point it all had???
I'm sure this review will be ranked as unhelpful by fans of the movie, and for that I'm sorry. But that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. Worth watching, but not worth all the hoopla surrounding it.
Rating: 
Summary: I love to read,but
Review: I would consider trying to watch this movie if in were translated in english.I read a lot and I was hoping to be able to see the movie without having to read it.I buy[rent]movies to watch and books to read!
Rating:
Summary: Visual feast
Review: First: This film is a fantasy film. Viewed in any other light it will be a disappointment. Absolutely stunning visually and musically. Scenery, costume, and fight choreography were all amazing, and second to none. The film's only downfall may be in the lack of emotion - but this is a downfall only in the traditional American film sense, and should not apply to a foreign film.
Rating:
Summary: People who think the actions are 'goofy' lives under a rock
Review: I have been reading wuxia novels and watching wuxia series and films all my life. The actions illustrated in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon does not suprise me because I have seen more advanced fighting scenes. The people who make fun of the actions or say they are 'goofy' or 'unrealistic' lives under a rock because they don't know much about the wuxia culture. The chinese culture dates back more than 5000 years. Wuxia warriors are believed to have existed but we are not sure what they are capable of. How do they defy gravity and can fly over roof tops? hello? They practice kong-fu since they are very small. One of the ways is to tie heavy rocks on your feet for several years and get used to running and walking with the rocks on. So when you take them off, you can obviously jump higher. People, don't be so narrow minded. Many things can be done ...don't make quick judgements based on the limited knowledge that you are exposed to. Remember? We landed on the moon. Anyways, I enjoyed the film because of its beautiful sceneries and the way they incorporated chinese culture into the film. It was enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: soooo boring and stupid script
Review: I tried to like this movie. I really did, but whole time spent in the theatre was total agony. It bored me to death. Even the fighting scenes were much too long to be enjoyable. The story was so thin, that film director probably had to fill the time somehow. Besides that the whole plot is absurd. You can never figure out why characters are doing what they are doing. Who hates who and why. They are just confused. Bad, bad movie.
Rating:
Summary: A stunning, lyrical movie
Review: How can one NOT love this movie? First of all, it is mystical, enigmatic and, at the same time, fierce and direct. Second, Ang Lee has an incredible eye and sense of "art" that culminates in a film that leaves you feeling fed and still hungry. Michele Yeoh turns in an exacting performance that conveys Lee's intention: A warrior and tradesperson who is confined by the mores of her culture and her place as a woman. She shows this with dignity while not shoving it into our faces. Again, Lee wows us with his artistic touch. Third, CHOW YUN-FAT! How can anyone be indifferent to him??? In this film, he IS Li Mu Bai, a man filled with conflict, sadness and a knowledge of "wasted time." Yo Yo Ma brings out the China of the age with his cello, pouring the essence of Lee's film into my soul. The film is poetry and prose on celluloid, with many layers and interpretations that viewers can decipher for themselves. How we perceive the film's meaning is individual which is at the core what a good film should be.
Rating:
Summary: The Most Over-Rated Movie of Recent Times?
Review: Spectacular production; trite story line; laughably bad dialog. In many places, this cartoon-like movie comes across like an old time "tie 'em to the railroad tracks" melodrama. The fight scenes are breathtakingly choreographed, but about as realistic as those in "Buffy, The Vampire Slayer". It's fun, in a goofy sort of way, but not the "great" movie that many people have credited it with being. A solid three stars, but no more.
|
