Rating: 
Summary: Complex Masterpiece
Review: Why a 400th review? Because I believe this film has a complexity few have noted. Yes it is a grand spectacle. While not quite as glorious as Lawrence of Arabia, I did think it could be mentioned in the same paragraph. Actually it was The Searchers that came to mind as I was walking out of the theater after seeing it the first time. Yes it is also a rollicking martial arts flick. "How do they do it?" I know -- they use wires and speeded up (ie slowed down) takes. It is also a touching love story. The stars of the film express considerable emotion with very modest looks and gestures. The line at the end of preferring to be a ghost close to his love over a spirit in heaven ranks up there with the best love lines in film. But most of all I thought this was a film about narcissism. There is the narcissism of the main character who is so touched with despair that he momentarily forgets his duty. There is the narcissism of a different kind of duty that prevents him from "disrespecting" the memory of his friend -- the deceased fiancee of the woman he loves. There are the complicated alliances, including one with a man who seems to be in league with a mafia-like underworld. (And this is a good guy!!) There is the bitter narcissism of Gray Fox, the proto-feminist warrior who kills our hero out of rage over a supposed seduction at the hands of his master. By the way, that was one spot that did not make full sense to me. Would we expect a Wudon master to have a casual affair with one of his students? The most narcissistic character is Jen, the Governor's daughter. She is blessed with native talent which she has begun to cultivate. She has a feisty spirit. But over and over again she chooses self-indulgence and narcissism over discipline, over love, over doing the right thing. She destroys the lives of everyone around her before narcissistically taking her own life in the final scene. It was the waste of talent resulting from narcissism and the wreckage left in its wake that haunted me for a long time after the film ended. The meditation on love, duty, discipline, and narcissism is what the film finally was about for me. I agree heartily with those reviewers who felt the film was poorly served by the DVD transfer. It is not really terrible, but it is sub-par. A film of this greatness deserves a first class DVD edition. I hope one will be forthcoming soon.
Rating: 
Summary: Why? Why? Why all the awards?
Review: I like an art movie as much as the next person, but this was really tedious! It is beautifully shot and the art direction is wonderful- this does not make up for a boring story and endless tedious martial arts. A great disappointment considering all the fuss that was made about this movie. I appreciate the choreography of the action scenes but enough is enough-the flying sequences were not properly realised-you could not see the wires but you knew they were there! Viewing this film was a triumph of hope over experience. I should have known that this was just another kung fu film-however you dress it up! Sorry Ang close but no cigar!
Rating: 
Summary: I want my money back...
Review: There are many bad things about this movie, but I would have to say that the most frustrating one is that we have no clue who the main character is. We have the choice between: a warrior with a mystical sword(he wants to give it up, by the way, which makes me wonder why he is so determined to get it back when it's stolen), his female side-kick, and a princess/theif/ninja. For the first hour, the movie seems to be centered on the warrior, but then the movie gives us a half-hour(it seemed soooo much longer...) flashback to the princess/thief/ninja in the desert. There she falls in love with another thief, which seems more like Stockholm Syndrome than love. After this flashback, the movie moves to a scene in some kind of forest village, and never really explains how or why the characters got there. Well, I won't ruin the ending, but suffice it to say that you will be asking yourself "... was that?", unless I missed something somewhere at the end that gives us an explanation for it. Now, the flying just seems totally unneccesary. I mean, can't you have a good kung-fu film without trying to rip off the Matrix in the process? Not only does the movie not explain how the laws of physics somehow alter themselves for these select few, but it really bothers me when they move their feet whilst flying. You just want to reach inside the screen, shake them by the shoulders and shout "Are you walking on an invisible surface?! Then don't move your feet!". Overall, the movie is just confusing, weird, and faaaaaar too long. I honestly have no clue as to how it got nominated for as many awards as it did.
Rating:
Summary: Zhang Ziyi Rocks!!!!!!!!
Review: The best martial arts film I have ever seen. The movie that focused more on the story and characters and used the fight scenes as icing on the cake. I thought Zhang was awesome as the governors daughter who yearns to live the life of a free warrior. Little do the people around her know about her hidden fighting skills. The best way to enjoy this film is to watch it in its original language. Although the english dubbing was suprisingly well done.
Rating:
Summary: A visual and lyrical masterpiece
Review: Visually stunning and eloquently told, it's not for the Hong Kong Cinema purist who likes martial arts as the key component of the story. Still, it elevates Hong Kong Cinema from serendipitous adventure to a spritual level it really hasn't gone before. Originally Jet Li was approached to play the part of Li Mu Bai, but he passed it over and it landed with Chow Yun-Fat. While (to my knowledge) Chow Yun-Fat has little if any formal training in martial arts, he did a masterful job learning the martial arts he needed to play the part. It was also good to see Michelle Yeoh spread her wings as an actress as well as seeing her always awesome physical prowess. Newcomer Zhang Ziyi is especially stunning, with a presence that filled the theatre and made it hard to believe that she's only 21. The martial arts are great, more Wudang than Shaolin, with the flow and grace of the nejia arts rather than the heavy pounding and force of the external schools. Beyond that, you just have to see this movie to appreciate it, because it's true Hong Kong Cinema in that it is a truly visual experience that can't be described in words. Bon regarde.
Rating:
Summary: Romantic, Visually Stunnning, Martial Arts, All in One Movie
Review: ....to really appreciate it, you have to feel it. I cannot believe the shallow-minded reviewers who thought this movie was all about martial arts. The martial arts were great to watch but they were secondary to the story. CTHD is a tour de force which combines a terrific plot, two love stories, mind-blowing special effects, cinematography so exquisite it is almost off the planet, great directing by Ang Lee, and wonderful acting by everyone, even the minor characters. Zhang ZiYi as Jen is awesome to watch, but as great as she is, it is Michelle Yeoh as Shu Lien who really carries the film. Chow Yun Fat is excellent as the lead actor, Chang Chen is a delight as Jen's exuberant young lover who, in the end, can't hold onto her, and Cheng Pei Pei is total perfection as the evil Jade Fox. I saw this film in VHS, which, thank God, is in Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles (it's a crime to mess up the purity of this film by dubbing it into English), and unlike the DVD version, the VHS edition has kept all the scenes of the original. The hatchet job Sony did on the DVD edition just goes to show that some things are worth waiting for. The VHS edition is the version to get. It's the only one that does justice to the magnificent masterpiece that is this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Missed potential - riddled with PC, stupid ending
Review: This could have been a truly great movie were it not westernized with a lot of political correct roles and dialogue. These days, I guess that is what it takes for creative work to be considered for an Academy Award... Special fighting effects are cool, but used way, way too much. Ending was a total cop-out. On the good side, did provide somewhat of a window into the Chinese culture and internal struggle of class and gender. Female lead was awesome. Inventive, romantic story line (crashed near the end). Definitely watch English subtitle version. I was amazed at how quickly we forgot we were listening to Chinese.
Rating:
Summary: A good laugh
Review: All the praise the movie is receiving here makes me wonder if people are talking about the same movie. I found the movie extremely boring, and the unrealistic action scenes only made it worse for me. Well, it was actually pretty funny, and me and my wife had some good laughs. I bought the DVD, and regretting it from the bottom of my heart.
Rating:
Summary: A well done martial arts soap opera
Review: "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" is misunderstood by most, including those who love it and those who hate it. Crouching Tiger lovers believe that this is the quintessential martial arts movie or that it is a profound reflection of Chinese history, culture, and drama. While the fighting scenes in this movie, are thrilling and fun to watch, they are more acrobatic and fantastic than anything else. I think that's what Ang Lee intended, and I'll explain why in a moment. As to the cultural significance of this film, there really isn't one unless you are interested in obscure academic topics such as the sociological significance of Chinese martial arts soap operas. And there lies the key: this film is essentially a supped up martial arts soap opera. Martial Arts soap operas are wildly popular throughout Asia and on many American TV stations with Asian language programs. I've seen many of them on Chinese TV programs in the US and China, and my wife used to watch them every weekend in the Southeast Asian city where she grew up. Martial Arts soap operas often feature the same themes as Crouching Tiger, such as avenging the master's death, restoring a treasure to its rightful owner, rescuing a damsel in distress, unrequited love, etc. They also feature many of the same combat scenarios including fighters flying at each other through the air, roof top chases, sword duels, ambushes, miracle healing, and so forth. These films are neither meant to showcase true martial arts performances like some of Jet Li's earlier works, or countless Main Land Chinese Kung Fu movies, nor are they intended to bring Chinese history to life. Instead, they are genre-driven, formulaic, fun, and often absurd. Does this mean that Crouching Tiger is a bad movie-absolutely not! I think Ang Lee quite deliberately set out to make a high-end, jazzed up martial arts soap opera. The first time I saw this movie in San Francisco, the largely Chinese audience enthusiastically applauded after the first fight scene, as did my wife and I. We had all seen this sort of thing hundreds of times before but never on such a magnificent scale with so much realism, grandeur, and suspense. Ang Lee pushed the martial arts soap opera genre to the limit, and he did so superbly. As the months went by I usually heard one of two responses to this film. The majority of people liked it but often claimed that it was deep, profound and revealing to them-that it taught them something about Chinese culture. The film's detractors on the other hand found the fight scenes unbelievable and the plot too melodramatic. I think both sets of people failed to realize that all they were watching was a really well done martial arts soap opera.
Rating:
Summary: A Waste of Time
Review: I wasted 2 hours of my life watching this movie. BORING! The story was somewhat hard to follow and so slow I almost fell asleep! I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone, unless you want to waste your money & time. Boy did Hollywood get this one wrong!
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