Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (DVD) > Reviews

Advantages: great
Disadvantages: none

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is simply the best foreign language film ever made. For a foreign film to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, something special has to have happened. It did. Ang Lee has created a masterpiece by manipulating the presentation of martial arts, so often presented as gritty hard-hitting action, into a free-flowing art form. Previous to this film, the only Ang Lee I had seen was Ride With The Devil, but this film made ... Read review

Advantages: good commentary track, sound mix
Disadvantages: average extras, trasnfer not as good as expected

...I'm sure you've heard of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. The martial arts epic was a favourite amongst critics in 2000 and went on to scoop four oscars as well as several other nominations and major awards. The story follows two martial arts masters in the 19th century who must battle to regain the stolen Green Destiny sword. But all is not that easy as they come up against an unknown warrior with a hidden agenda and an old foe. This might not ... Read review

Advantages: Exceptional effects, fantastic storyline, brilliant
Disadvantages: None, whatsoever.

Winner of four oscars the DVD sleeve reads. Now, in my experience that has involved the most depressing, suicidal films ever made. But I had a good feeling about this film. Choregraphed by the bloke that did the stunts in The Matrix (Yuen Wo Ping), and starring several actors you probably won't recognise except the other girl from Tomorrow Never Dies. The story centres around a 400-year old sword, 'The Green Destiny Sword', which is stolen after ... Read review

Advantages: great action, highly entertaining
Disadvantages: unbeievable, and with subtitles

...poetry and meaning. In Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, stars like Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh gracefully zip through the air in this breathtaking Chinese fable about love, loyalty, and destiny. It's tough not to get a kick out of this operatic movie. There's fateful romance, legendary themes of honor and determination, strong heroines, and, oh yeah, that butt-kicking action. The first martial arts sequence hits the screen with a bolt ... Read review

Advantages: Fantastically acted, brilliantly choreographed and directed. Believable and moving romance
Disadvantages: The flying scenes are perhaps overdone losing any realistic feel

I was forced to travel to Nottingham to see this film as ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ is not on in Bolton for some strange reason, but it was well worth the two and a half hour car journey. Ang Lee (‘The Ice Storm’) has produced a simply breathtaking film, and although thirty minutes of the film are dedicated to fight sequences, this is a whole lot more than just a martial arts film, and as such it is no surprise that the ... Read review

Advantages: Cool action + effects. Even my grandma liked it.
Disadvantages: Plot is a little slow. Possibly not for martial arts purists.

All I can say is WOW!!! This film is a piece of art. Before I go any further, I must confess to being a fan of Hong Kong cinema (may favourite action film of all time is Hard Boiled – another Chow Yun Fat success). I have tried to put my opinions of the genre aside and reviewed this film as an independent work. Having said that – WOW! CTHD is one of those films that has something for everyone. Action, Suspense, fantastic settings, romance ... Read review

Advantages: Sublime fight scenes
Disadvantages: Disjointed story, people run up walls

...power very well. All in all, Crouching Tiger isn't a bad film, I just think that I may have understood it more if I had been Chinese. I don't think it translates very well, but if you are into martial arts then this film is worth watching just for the fight scenes, but suspend your disbelief for a while. Extras include a making of feature, commentary, trailers, weblinks, photo gallery and filmographies which add to the value a little. Cheers ... Read review

Advantages: Fine acting, beautiful settings, lyrical images.
Disadvantages: Possibly the subtitles, but who cares?

It was the closeups that enchanted me first, the beautiful faces of Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh. Not flawlessly made up Hollywood faces by any stretch of the imagination, but full of humour and wisdom and experience, speaking volumes of emotion that made the English subtitles completely unnecessary. The body language of these two people, their hand movements, the way their eyes spoke to each other, transcended mere acting. Michelle Yeoh in in ... Read review

Advantages: Some very good fight scenes
Disadvantages: Weak plot that leaves you grasping

As I grew up in Wales learning reading fantasy books and also enjoying martial arts movies I became engrossed with a serried called Monkey that involved fantastical fight scenes. Although this series was a little ‘campy’ it was fun and good to watch. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has much in common with similar fight scenes and a similar mystical theme. <The Plot> Two women who are both excellent marital artists see their fates ... Read review

Advantages: Great scenery, superb fight scenes
Disadvantages: Felt too long

...its 115 minute running time. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is directed by Ang Lee who directed Sense and Sensibility before teaming up with James Schamus for the terminally dreary Ice Storm. An interview with Michelle Yeoh hints at a prequel in the offing so maybe a second chance to get other writers involved. She goes on to explain Crouching Tiger represents traditional Chinese reserve and Hidden Tiger representing anger within, so now we know. In ... Read review

Advantages: Imaginative, exquisite and captivating
Disadvantages: Subtitled, so those who can't read easily will be put off.

...for the last showing of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which I had heard was a great film. The only place showing it in Exeter was the small independent cinema which normally is pretty quiet and easy to get into...I got there half an hour earlier than I could have and I was lucky to get a seat, I ended up on the outside of the next to front row!! But, it didn't matter. Within a matter of seconds I was hooked on this film. The story is set around ... Read review

Advantages: Haunting atmosphere, excellent cinematography
Disadvantages: Clunky subtitles, over-hyped

Could this film really live up to all the hype? Countless five-star reviews? Breathless "best-film-of-the-year-and-the-year-has-hardly-begun!" type hyperbole? I was doubtful, and, having seen the film twice, I can honesty say that I don't think it's an absolute classic. For a start, those "ground-breaking" fight-scenes. Very impressive choreography, granted, but really no different to what the Hong Kong film industry has been churning out for ... Read review