Not as good as I expected (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (DVD))

Member Name: SimonCook

Product:	Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (DVD)
Date:	30/07/01 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good acting, Great music

Disadvantages: Weak plot

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.

With the hype surrounding this movie and the many nominations and awards it has received I finally succumbed to curiosity and bought the DVD.

<The Plot>

Two women who are both excellent marital artists see their fates intertwine during the Ching Dynasty in a story that resolves around a mystical sword.

One is an aristocrat who follows an evil path with her mentor, giving up her privileges to enjoy a life of crime and passion. Her enthusiasm is matched by her skill as she fights against the repression of the aristocracy and women. Her beauty belies her skill, and the title of the movie is based on her character as she lies in waiting like a crouching tiger and is in fact a dangerous dragon. We follow her through adventures where her mystical powers and prowess are tested and in one particularly humorous scene she manages to demolish a local restaurant while beating thirty or more men.


The other, after following her honour and codes throughout her life discovers the consequences of this as her unfulfilled love cannot be quenched. Throughout her life she has led a heroic and yet noble life, following rules that restrict her in ways that are more binding than those of the aristocracy. Her fiancé is killed at an early age and due to this she must essentially become a widow and never love again.

When a mystical sword is stolen, we see a turn of events unfold that ultimately pitches the two women together in a tumultuous fight. The showdown will eventually lead to a surprising choice for each of the women as the violence reaches a cre
scendo. The sword possesses great power being more than just a mere sword but also a symbol of power; we see the sword change hands several times as if it signifies the turning tide of the movie.

The aristocrat, whose life includes being kidnapped as a youngster which ends in a passionate self discovery for the woman, flirts with good and evil as she searches out the adventure she craves.

The other lady controls her emotions to avoid an embrace that would destroy her honour and diminishes her respect for her dead fiancé; she discovers that this unfilled love should have been consummated and that sometimes love is more powerful than honour, however she discovers this too late.

Although the plot is very convoluted there really isn’t much of a plot. It has been portrayed as a ‘Sense and Sensibility’ with martial arts and although there is a thread of romance throughout the movie and much intrigue and suspense, the movie leaves you wanting more; perhaps because the ‘heroic’ characters are just introduced as heroes and we do not see any of their earlier exploits, or perhaps because it isn’t really explained why the young lady rebels against her aristocracy. I felt that I had been dropped in the middle of the plot and it took a while to get to know the characters and their motives.

<The Movie>

The action sequences are well choreographed, but for me were a little unbelievable. Although I understand that some martial arts experts are graceful and can look like they are flying, this is only an illusion. The amount of flying in this movie, while making the fight scenes more impressive, made the move a little too unbelievable. Additionally, in the scenes at the end in the forest, if you look really carefully you can see the wires used in the stunt.

I understand that the ‘flying’ was to give the movie a more mystical appeal, adding a touch of magic, but I felt that the
plot didn’t really justify this magic. It didn’t explain where this power came from or why. Movies like Charlie’s angels and Matrix use similar techniques, Matrix justifies the ‘magic’ Charlie’s Angel’s doesn’t.

The cinematography is excellent, and worthy of nominations for an academy award. This gave the movie a great atmosphere, although I found at times that the movie seemed a little dark and hard to see. The setting and scenery was excellent helping to move you back to the Ching Dynasty

The music also added an element to the movie, making it exciting. It was very romantic as well as mysterious; the use of the deep tuba enhanced the score making it hauntingly beautiful.

<The Acting>

Chow Yun Fat in his first martial arts movie plays an accomplished role similar to the old ‘Kung Fu’ masters. He is wise as well as graceful as his performance adds a little class to the movie. You can see that he has trained hard for this movie as his Martial Arts skills are excellent and he doesn’t look out of place in this movie.

Michelle Yeoh is also very accomplished adding an emotion and beauty not normally evident in movies of this type. Although she has appeared in many martial arts movies, this is the first movie where she show that she also has acting abilities.

Zhang Zi Yi was also very good bringing an intensity and vigour to the role that was unusual. I was surprised that there was very little information on the DVD about her. It was good to see her exuberant youth combining well with Michelle Yeaoh’s elegance.

<DVD Extras>

Bravo Special – an excellent behind the scenes look at the making of the movie with some excellent interviews with the director (Ang Lee) and the cast (strangely no interview with Zhang Zi Yi). For me this was better than the movie as it showed how some of the fighting scenes were done and trie
d to explain the philosophy behind the movie.

Photo Collage – some excellent pictures taken during production of the movie. Although they are not captioned, they do add a flavor of ‘behind the scenes’ as you can see much humour and fun.

Actor Info – details of the careers of the director and main actors (not Zhang Zi Yi) careers. I would prefer to see more than just a text listing of movies, but generally this information is good.

Interview with Michelle Yeoh – an interesting and in depth interview with the beautiful actress. It is strange to see her natural beauty rather than the hardened beauty of the movie.

Sound and subtitles – many options including Dolby and surround sound, subtitles in many languages. My favorite being the ability to have the movie dubbed in English – unlike many Martial Arts movies the dubbing is excellent.

<Conclusion>

I do not feel that this movie merits the acclaim it got because the plot was a little weak for me. It was an exciting movie at times but I must admit to being lost in the plot once or twice. Perhaps a second play of the movie will help? If you like action movies then I am sure you will like this.

There are parts of the movie that deserve awards; the score; the cinemotogropahy; and perhaps some of the acting, but overall I felt that there are many better movies out there.

Summary: