Feb 14, 2004 11:20 PM
2538 Views
(Updated Feb 14, 2004 11:20 PM)
I had always put off watching CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON for one reason. My instinct always told me that this was not a movie that I would enjoy. Even when the movie won the best foreign film oscar and everyone was raving about the movie,i never really found myself wanting to watch the movie. But when Star Movies( a local movie channel) was showing the movie as part of its oscar frenzy,i decided to give it a try. Well....the only thing I learnt from this movie was to trust my instinct:).
The movie, directed by Ang Lee(hulk) is one of the most boring martial arts movies I have seen. I am not a huge fan of martial arts movies, but I have enjoyed a few of the old Bruce lee and Jackie Chan movies. But CTHD(title's too long:)) was a movie/concept that I could not fathom. OK....so these fighters in these martial arts movies have been shown to do some incredible things by meditating....but flying through trees like gravity had gone for a vacation was really absurd.
There is more story in THE CABLE GUY than in CTHD:). I don't mean to say its that bad a story,but that there isn't much of a story. Li Mu Bai is a famed warrior who has renounced his lifestyle to try and settle down and sum up the courage to express his true feelings about his long-time friend and confidant Yu Shu Lien. The movie starts off with Mu Bai's sword, the Green Destiny, being stolen by a female warrior, well versed in one of the highest forms of martial arts combat and is a student of the Jade Fox. Mu Bai had sworn to avenge his masters death at the hands of the Jade Fox. These two events intertwine together with a few minor sub-plots to form the story of CTHD.
As I said before, the action scenes in this movie comprise of ballet like movements together with swordplay, martial arts and gravity defying leaps. By gravity defying leaps,i don't mean just a stupid two story jump, but swaying left, right, up and down like the feather at the beginning(and end) of Forrest Gump. Though logic defying,these scenes do look awesome. The action has been coreographed by Master Yuen Wo-Ping, the same guy who did the action for the MATRIX movies and KILL BILL. He does wonderfully well again, showcasing a very different form of martial arts, in a more poetic and beautiful form. I was surprised to learn that there were no computer generated SFX used in the movie, only wire-work. This definitely was the best wire-work seen so far in cinema(yes!!!...its better than the matrix),supplemented by the fact that all the actors are accomplished in various forms of martial arts. Their movements are unbelievably smooth.
The music in the movie is a very big letdown. Even though the action is of a very different type, it would have made more of an impact had the music been fast paced than the weird japanese phsychedelic music that formed that background score. I wouldn't like to comment on the acting as the dialogue delivery never comes through efficiently in dubbed movies. But then, most of the actors just had serious,steely looks on their faces throughout the movie. Even Chow-Yun-Fat did not look that impressive.
I really appreciate the fact that modern film-makers are trying to make movies in their own unique style without adhereing to any rules or guidelines, even if there isn't much of a story to work with. Kill Bill is a movie that walks the fine border between different and weird....but comes out all guns blazing.
CTHD has settled into weird country. I have no doubt that, had they not tried to make a movie different just for the sake of it,they could have come out with a decent flick.
I was very very disappointed with CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON. The only reason it gets the single star is for the great wire-work and a few good sword-fights. I recommend watching this movie only if you have nothing else to do and have a desire to watch martial arts fighters trying to be superman.
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Li Mu Bai: Chow Yun-Fat
Yu Shu Lien: Michelle Yeoh
Jen Yu: Zhang Ziyi
Jade Fox: Cheng Pei Pei
