The overall rating of a review is different from a simple average of all individual ratings.
Advantages:
Great fight scenes, pretty well written and directed, story rich in substance, breaking into the western market
Disadvantages:
subtitled, nothing new, too dramatic and poetic if you're not into the sort of thing, the storyline can be confusing - so watch carefully !
Recommendable
Yes:
Detailed rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Story
Characters / Performances
Special Effects
How does it compare to similar films?
SoundtrackAverage
How does it compare to others by the same director?Good
With top names in the cast (Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Zi Li) and award-winning director Ang Lee, these Far Eastern stars bring the ancient Chinese culture clearly into the Western world.
Romance, martial arts, heroism, tragedy, and poetry are the essence of period pieces that have been done before many many times in Eastern cinema. However there's something in 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' that really appeals to the Western market. I can't put my finger on what it is that makes this movie much more West friendly than the numerous similar movies produced in the past. Perhaps it's the high profile publicity campaigns, which can be useful.
The scenery and photography really brings out the back-to-nature theme of the movie. You get a real feel of the culture and lifestyle of the scene and setting of the movie - the bone-dried coarseness of the desert contrasts with the greenery of the forests and the clouds of mist that creates and enigmatic haze around the gorgeous mountain ranges. The scenes are truly breathtaking, and maybe even a little dream-like.
Martial arts date back centuries upon centuries, when philosophy and art centred upon the surrounding beauty of nature and life. This point is very apparent in the movie - for example, the fight scene that took place amongst the trees; gravity defying!
Being subtitled may put a lot of people off watching this movie, but don’t be put off! Although a lot of the meaning is lost in the translation (I’ve seen the Chinese version too) the subtitles doesn’t take away the impact and delivery of the movie at all. It may take some getting used to at first, but it will be worth it – I promise!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2003 - Martial Arts - Director: Paul Hunter - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Seann William Scott, James King, Karel Roden
Production Year: 1972 - Martial Arts - Director: Bruce Lee - Original Language: English\Cantonese\Chinese - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Bruce Lee, Nora Miao, Chuck Norris, Robert Wall, Jon T. Benn
Production Year: 1991 - Martial Arts - Director: Tsui Hark - Original Language: Cantonese - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Donnie Yen, Jet Lee, Rosamund Kwan, Yuen Biao, Mok Sui Chung
Production Year: 1981 - Martial Arts - Director: Kenji Misumi, Robert Houston - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Ohki, Akiji Kobayashi, Shin Kishida, Masahiro Tomikawa, Tomisaburo Wakayama
Martial Arts - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Bruce Lee, Sho Kosugi, James Ryan, Jim Kelly, Jimmy Wang Yu, Bolo Yeung, Christopher Lee
Have seen this about, and wondered what it was like. I cant stand subtitles, but I do think you could have written a bit more, and let us know the current prices and where from! Other than that, a very good op, Martyn! :-)
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragonis so many things: an historical epic on a grand scale, an ... more
Asian martial-arts flick with both great effectsandfantastic fighting (choreographed byThe Matrix's guru Yuen Wo Ping), a story of magic, revenge and power played w...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragonis so many things: an historical epic on a grand scale, an ... more
Asian martial-arts flick with both great effectsandfantastic fighting (choreographed byThe Matrix's guru Yuen Wo Ping), a story of magic, revenge and power played w...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Amazing martial arts fighting sequences (choreographed by Yuen wo Ping - The Matrix) ... more
stunning special effects action adventure and romance have made Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon the most talked about movie of the year. Martial arts masters Li Mu B...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
In the most-talked about movie of the year, Director Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility) ... more
brings together a breathtaking combination of high-flying action (choreographed by Yeun Wo Ping - The Matrix) and stunning visual effects, woven around a story of humo...
Advantages: Epic Chinese mythical tale, amazing escapeism and Unique romance element. Disadvantages: Must be able to suspend belief, and accept the unacceptable.
![Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon [DVD] [2001]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78543493.jpg "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon [DVD] [2001]")
Jul 8th, 2003
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