Rating: 
Summary: Just as Expected
Review: I've been waiting to see this movie for a long time, and I am not at all disappointed with the release of the DVD. This is one of the best films I have ever seen. It has great action sequences, great acting, and a compelling love story, that lets off before it gets too heavy. This is also a movie that is actually worthy of receiving academy awards. The only aspect of the movie I disliked was the uninspiring English dub. This movie should be viewed in its original format, that is, in Mandarin with subtitles (I know it's not fun reading the whole movie, but believe me, it is oh so much better). Oh, did I mention that you should buy this? I should have. So buy it.
Rating:
Summary: The brightest star ...
Review: Some reviewers here called for Zhang Ziyi to be nominated for the 2001 Oscar for best supporting actress. Were they sure? If at all, it should have been for best actress! Hers was the character around which the others revolve.I could see this film over and over again: Once at least, to soak in the drama, action and atmosphere; once to savour the poetic Mandarin dialogue (such as: Jen, "And this little boy who fails to find his star turns instead to stealing my comb." Lo, "I'm a man now, and I've found myself the brightest star."); once just to wallow in the haunting score; and once to focus on Zhang Ziyi alone ... ... her sweet curious innocence as an aristocrat's daughter ... her poise yet potency in battle ... her tearful defiance under the strain of force from her pursuers ... her petulant pout ... and her feeble resistance to submission while in a drug-induced stupor - I just love that scene of her eyes welling in tears as she was on the verge of being unveiled. No, the Oscar will not stand up to your talent, Ziyi, and this is only your second film! Yet, alas, your star is shining so brightly now that you will soon be lost to the big studios and end up in some low Jackie Chan or Hollywood action flicks, or to some directors more obsessed with you than making a good film. Sigh.
Rating: 
Summary: A really bad movie!
Review: If you haven't seen this movie yet, don't waist your money on buying it or renting it. It i a really bad movie!
Rating:
Summary: Stunningly beautiful masterpiece.....so moving and poetic
Review: For those of you here who accuse CTHD of being a rip-off of The Matrix - get your facts straight! The same guy who choreographed the fight scenes for The Matrix (my other favourite movie) also did CTHD. Besides, The Matrix and CTHD are two different plots - you find me two similarities in the plot and i'll give you a medal... CTHD was stunning - the first few scenes riveted me in my seat. The fight scenes were top-notch - the fight between the two female protagonists was the best. The soundtrack was both moving and perfectly suited to the film - the cello solos by Yo-Yo-Ma were especially haunting. I found the acting superb. I have watched many of Michelle Yeoh's films, and all of her performances put together cannot add up to her brilliance in CTHD. Even if you can't understand a word of Chinese-Mandarin, just see how much of Shu-Lien's emotions, her feelings, her pain can be seen in her facial expressions alone. (Look at Yeoh's face while Mu-Bai has her hand in a loving embrace - you can feel her initial love, then her reluctance and her pain. Another example - Shu Lien's expression after she realises the monk's staff is too heavy for her) Chow-Yun Fat was soothing and almost Buhdda-like in his actions. His quiet, yet commanding nature suited the role perfectly. Zhang Ziyi's fiery and passionate character (Jen), hidden by a veil of politeness and curiosity, is fantastic. I found the love-story between Mu-Bai and Shu-Lien sad and painful - I can relate to the idea of unrequited love. I have not been able to see the English-dubbed version, but I am quite sure that the subtitled is much better. And I (shame on me) do not know more than a couple of words of Mandarin. For those of you bred/brought up on the type of action film where the hero kills all, takes all, gets his own way then decides to bang a couple of girls in the process....prepare to have those fickle senses re-educated. This is a powerful, graceful and beautiful film - if you want to see real strength -(both physical and mental) as opposed to hasta-la-vista-machoism - see this film. You will never watch a silly action flick again.
Rating:
Summary: Gawd AWFUL!!!
Review: I implored my friends and coworkers to AVOID this [bad] movie at ALL costs. The plot was insipid, the acting overwraught, the special effects were ridiculous ' those in the last Star Wars movie, as dumb as that flick was, were 10 times better than those in this movie. The fight scenes reminded me of those absurd martial arts movies that this movies was supposed to counteract. People who liked it said you had to be able to "suspend disbelief." ALL this means is "disconnect your brain." NOW I IMPLORE YOU '' DO NOT VIEW THIS ATROCIOUS FILM!!
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of myth and fantasy
Review: Shot entirely in mainland China, and using the most modern technical effects, this video has the best martial arts action scenes I have ever seen. Subtitled in Chinese, the story is simple to follow. Yun-Fat Chow of "Anna and the King" is cast as the hero who is searching for the killer of his master. But the film belongs entirely to the women. Michelle Yeoh is cast as the woman warrior who has not married him because of family complications; not only is she an accomplished martial artist, but this role calls for some serious acting. There's an older woman Pei-pei Cheng, another fantastic martial artist who plays the villain. But the most memorable performance of all is by the young Ziyi Zhang in the role of the young teenager who steals a sacred sword and flees from her arranged marriage. The fight scenes are absolutely spectacular! Choreographed with exquisite artistry, they mostly feature the women. You have to suspend a bit of belief in the real world though, because these sword fighters have the ability to walk up walls, leap a dozen stories high, and even fly. But it's all done so well, that I just sat and watched in amazement, the story merely a backdrop to this action. Feminists will applaud this film; it demonstrates women's physical strength and endurance like no other. Yes, it is violent, but the fact that it is fantasy dilutes that effect. And themes of love, honor and vengeance drive the story forward. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Jackie Chan meets Peter Pan
Review: This is a good film that fails to live up to the hype (a common phenomenon). There are many elements of the film that are superlative in this martial arts fantasy, but director Ang Lee can’t seem to commit to a theme for the story causing it to meander aimlessly from one fight scene to the next. The film is remarkable in the fact that women play a prominent role, a marked departure from the second class status of women in eastern societies. Yet, Ang even hedges on this important point with Jen ultimately capitulating to the forces against her in an ending that is as unsatisfying as it is ambiguous. It is almost as if he is saying, “Women are strong too, but not quite strong enough.” On the plus side, the photography and the choreography of the fight scenes are superb. While Bruce Lee was probably the most accomplished martial arts star ever, and Jackie Chan one of the most innovative and entertaining, the choreography by Yuen Woo-ping in this film is artistry that makes ordinary actors seem like skilled elite warriors. The use of wires in the fight scenes is incredible, creating eye popping acrobatic scenes that take the genre to a new level. Unfortunately, the wires are overused and give the film a Peter Pan quality that reduces its impact as a serious fantasy adventure (if there is such a thing). By far, the biggest flaw of the film is the unsteadiness of the storytelling. There are too many subthemes and Ang doesn’t commit to any of them. We have two love stories going on (Li/Yu and Jen/Lo), the theft of the Green Destiny, Li’s desire to mentor Jen, Jen’s relationship with Jade Fox, Jen’s relationship with Yu, Jen’s progress as a warrior, Jen’s adventure in the desert, etc., etc. Ang drifts from theme to theme and never ties them together effectively. The most disconcerting of these is the overly long treatment of Jen’s pursuit of Lo into the desert to get her comb back. This was one of the longest film non sequiturs I can remember, and it didn’t add that much to the main themes. The acting is excellent across the board. Chow Yun-Fat is the most prominent actor in China and his outstanding abilities are evident here. He renders a strong and sympathetic character that is both charismatic and dynamic. Michelle Yeoh is an accomplished martial arts expert, who is the only female star that Jackie Chan allows to do her own stunts. Her presence adds great credibility to the fight scenes and her dramatic performance is first rate. Newcomer Zhang Ziyi lights up the screen as Jen with impressive athleticism in the fight sequences and strong acting skills. Overall, this is an impressively filmed adventure with a story that is too loosely wound to qualify it as a great film. I rated it a 7/10. It is undeniably great entertainment as its ... U.S. box office gross will attest. However, mass appeal is not necessarily a good gauge of filmmaking quality (as worthless blockbusters like “Scary Movie” exemplify). Despite stunning cinematography and mind boggling action footage, CTHD lacks a compelling story, leaving all its impressive elements adrift as nothing more than extraordinary window dressing.
Rating:
Summary: Self-delusion required
Review: I didn't see this one in a movie theatre, but I don't figure it would have made any difference. After all the hype surrounding this movie I was really surprised to see how BAD it is. This movie is BAD! Bad script guarantees a bad movie and this is what happened here. The story is to say the least uninvolving and reminds me of 20 year old ultra low budged kung fu movies. The effects, although well executed, border on looking silly and the characters (with the exception of Chow Yun Fat) are annoying. I imagine the only way to like this movie is through total self delusion: "I's an unusual, exotic, foreign movie. It must be good".
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic look at the Dragons of China
Review: This movie was fantastic; especially when viewed witht the original Mandarin Dialogue with subtitles as intended.
Rating:
Summary: absoutely wonderful!
Review: i don't how many of you guys out there are actually familiar with Ang Lee and his works, but if you aren't, get familiar with it! The man is a pure genius! there are so many other aspects of this film that ang lee wanted to get across, but the cinematography was so gorgeous and so was the soundtrack and almost every other visual aspect of his film that the true lessons and such are sort of pushed into the background. but the thing with ang lee is that he tries his best to incorporate some intellectual stimulation into his films as well, something that will have the viewers thinking about it hours after they've seen the film. he creates a world that you feel you can slip into and become a part of. now for the actors. i have been a long hard core fan of Chow Yun Fat. what can i say, the man is a genius, the only problem is that he tends to play the same role in every movie, but that's alright because he does it sssoooooo well. the thing with asian actors who have gone and done american movies is that they are usually casted as kung fu fighting machines ( e.g. jakie chan, jet li, sammo hung, etc. ) and they....i'm sorry if it offends anyone...cannot act for crap. chow yun fat on the other hand, is one of the best asian actors out there. i've seen his movies and cried! he's sooo touching and he did very well in this fillm. he should get more recognition in the states! michelle yeoh did a great job in this movie, what can i say she absolutely phenomenol, she's been in a lot of other american movies as well so she really brought some more media attention when they were advertising this film in the states. and ziyi zang i think her name is? gosh! she was basically the star of the movie okay? she annoys you, enchants you, betrays you, and yet you still love her and pity her all the way through the film. she's just plain great! you see the strength in her, just in the power of her eyes, and yet you see her immaturity and her ignorance of the power she posesses and you feel sorry for her, and yet her actions are so rash and impetous that you wish michelle would just kill her and get it over with. in the end ziyi completely suprises us all! now some critism...the movie did loose a lot of his true beauty because of all the hype it recieved. the intellectual aspect of the movie was completely crushed and destroyed, and the flash back in the middle of the movie completely threw me off: i was like....wait a second..how did they get in the desert again?? *lol* needless to say i watched this dvd a few times in order to understand everything completely. And if you do get this dvd, definately watch it with the english subtitles, that's how a foreign film SHOULD be watched....and also watch the director's commentaries there are a lot of things bout the movie that you'll not notice. like foot prints in the desert that AREN'T supposed to be there but they made a mistake. those kindas cool little facts and infos. this dvd is definately a keeper!
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