Customer Reviews

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

5 star:		(534)
4 star:		(158)
3 star:		(93)
2 star:		(71)
1 star:		(122)

 

 

What else needs to be said about Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? It is the most amazing action film in years. It is the single most imaginative piece of fiction to come to the moving going audience in a quite a ling time.

But what about the DVD? Well sadly it is the most dismal piece of work to come from Sony DVD center this year. Sony was on a streak of superb discs recently but this hack job put an end to that.

The DVD was clearly rushed to market. The transfer is not very clean at all. The MPEG2 artifacts are terrible. Those of us who are fortunate to have a widescreen TV are going to be the most unfortunate this time. The Native widescreen presentation is oh so dismal of an experience! The colors are clean but the pixel jaggies does enough damage to distract the viewer.

The Audio tracks are not at all well managed. There is no reason what so ever to waste valuable data bandwidth to do a Dolby pro-logic track. I love the fact that the disc comes with both Mandarin & English 5.1 Dolby Digital but the bass is so weak. The audio was not at all enhanced. The commentary track is nothing new, it's above average.

The Extras are well... lacking, the making of documentary is pure PR fluff sadly, and the trailers are not even the original ones that Sony was using to advertise the film. The photomontage is mediocre at best.

So why all these complaints? Sony has a masterpiece on their hands and it's pretty clear they did not give it the proper treatment. In a market place where we will have "Patch Adams: Ultimate Edition", and Bring it on: Super Special Extra Spectacular Widescreen Edition, one would assume the big guys at Sony will release a DVD of monumental standards of their big film of 2000. But NO!

So what they miss? First of all the Video was mediocre and should be redone. The Audio needs a lot of work; they should be enhanced to take advantage of all the speakers. A DTS track is perfect for this film I would say. How about a Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun Fat & Ang Lee commentary track? Most of all a Score Only track would be prudent since the film won best score at the academy awards. I am sure there are deleted scenes they could have put on the disc. How about some real making of docs, discussing the stunt work, the novels, or even the production in a larger scale. There are a wealth of pictures on this film, why not include them in user control slide shows? What happened to the music videos?

Sony rushed this disc to the market to capitalize on the films fame. The product is average at best. This film deserves a superior DVD job. Come on Sony, stop giving us special editions of Center Stage and give us a true Collector's Special Edition of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon! (Like Lawrence of Arabia, Bridge on River Kwai, Men In Black, and so on... Hint Hint! )

I have the DVD version and saw this movie in the theater too. Recently I got the Blu-ray version. The subtitles of the Blu-ray are very suspicious. They are significantly different from the DVD/theater. Why is that? Also, the subtitle translation for Blu-ray seem very "Americanized", as if the studio wanted to make it more accessible, perhaps, to U.S. audiences. But having got used to the DVD subtitles, and not speaking Chinese, I can't say the subtitles for the DVD or Blu-ray are correct or not, or that one is better than the other.

Example: The scene where Jen meets and fights with Li Mu Bai for the first time. Jen executes a move that astonishes Mu Bai, who exclaims "Jade Fox can't be your master. Where did you learn the 'Xuan Piu' move?". Jen's response in the DVD: "I'm just playing around". The blu-ray: "Piece of cake." Now which reply by Jen seems more realistic for that time period, in that part of the world? It seems more likely that Jen would say she's just playing around, or improvising. There are two English translations on Blu ray, and they give the same translation, so there's no hunting for the "better" version on Blu-ray.

Throughout the Blu ray, there are many differences in translation compared to the dvd to make one wonder: which version is more correct, given that something is always "lost in translation" from one language to another? These are glaring differences. What's on the Blu-ray is very different from the DVD, and just feels wrong. Anyone else notice this?

No matter what oscar says. I knew as soon as I saw this movie nominated for both best foreign film and best picture that it would definitely win best foreign, and fall to gladiator for best picture. While I enjoyed Gladiator a great deal, it is a crime that CTHD did not win the award it so richly deserved: Best Picture of the year 2000. When I first went to see this film, I was among the hordes who were blown away by the stunning cinematography, incredible action choreography and amazing wire work. Truly a remarkable action film with amazing filming on location. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite so brilliantly green as the bamboo forest that is but a small location shot in this movie. The first viewing proved to me that I loved this film, but it did not prove to me that it was the best picture of the year. That took 2 viewings. I highly recommend to anyone who has seen this film and enjoyed it that you go see it again. I found (since I don't speak chinese) that seeing it a second time while already knowing the story allowed me to concentrate less on reading subtitles, and more on the actors and their performances. It was amazing to me to peel back the layers of the initially strong performances in this film and see the incredible amount of nuance that each of the leads provided in their portrayals. After seeing it the second time, I had a whole new take on almost every piece of dialog in the film. The first scene between Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh most definitely sets the tone for this film, and contrary to what many would have you believe it is not a tone of rollicking action/adventure. It is instead a tone of yearning, tragedy and love found too late, then lost. This movie, packed with stunning fights and amazing flying martial artists is not so much about fighting, as it is about the chinese values of loyalty, honor and duty, and how these admirable values can ultimately keep one from truly being happy. It is the story of a love denied too long, and accepted too late. I am not ashamed to say that I wept openly at the end of this film both times that I saw it. The power of the story and the performances were so strong that I felt a small shadow of the loss that the characters in the film felt, and even this small shadow was enough to make me weep. For those of you who find nothing but swordfights and blood in this movie, nothing I can say will change your mind; but for those who have an inkling that this film is about much more than fighting and bloodshed, go see it again and buy it when it is released on DVD. You will not for one instant be sorry that you did.

It is rare when a foreign language film has the ability to grab the attention of my fifteen-year-old nephew and me, but this movie is extraordinary. We read the subtitles and did not feel like we were missing any details -- only that a world had suddenly been opened for us to view.

Since we saw this film, we have discussed it and persuaded others to experience this enchantment. Every so often we talk about this movie and plan to see it many more times. This DVD should be shown in wide-angle format in order to see all of the majesty captured on cellulose.

The script creates a perfectly logical connection between fantasy and reality, logic and irrationality, and mythology and truth. This flow makes it easy to suspend disbelief and be completely entrapped within the breathtaking beauty and fierce fights of the movie.

Yun-Fat Chow is Li Mu Bai, and he displays a spiritual countenance that is the center of a true martial arts master. His life has been in service and honor toward the sword *The Green Destiny.* The complexities of his life and his choices are only a background for the intricacies of romance, tragedy, heroism, and philosophy that are woven with precise skill and art throughout this astonishing movie.

Michelle Yeoh (Yu Shu Lien) and Zhang Ziy (Jen) become acquaintances, then friends, then sisters, and finally enemies. The transitions are created by the strong will of the young princess (Zhang) who ultimately learns the value of friendship, but at great cost. She is well trained in the ninja arts by Li Mu Bai's ancient arch nemesis. This training is significant because rivals do tend to reveal the inadequacies of their opponents while assuring their young students with victory.

The action scenes are stimulating and plausible though the stunts are physically impossible -- or so it seems. What is most amazing is that these impossible stunts were real! The actors did the scenes, perhaps stunt doubles for some, though I doubt it because of Ang Lee's determination for accuracy. When the warriors fly through the air, fight on the sides of building, chase across the rooftops, or fight high in the bamboo trees they did exactly that. These were not created through simulation and the magic of technology.

After the scenes were filmed then the digital artists worked to remove the equipment that helped the actors complete the feats. The visions of China and the exciting ninja action captured my imagination.

Ang Lee required the actors to learning to speak Mandarin Chinese. The language accuracy may not seem important to those of us who do not speak Chinese, but it is the difference between cultures within China. I was left with the feeling that I had spent time in a sacred place.

Throughout the film there is the artistry of the music. Segments will take you to dreamland while other sequences will cause a rush of adrenaline. It is as if you are riding on a magic carpet -- you are there.

I purchased two DVDs -- one for me and one for my nephew -- *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* is that good.

It is better than five stars for the director (Ang Lee), cinematography, choreography, film editing, script, actors, action, philosophy, and emotions. This movie won Best Picture in the Foreign Language category at the Academy Awards; and it deserved the honor.

It may be too soon to call this one of the best movies of all time without first having it pass the test of time. Will I still be pulling out my DVD copy to watch over and over twenty years from now? I willing to bet the answer is, 'Absolutely!'

If for no other reason, CTHD is worth seeing for the scenery alone. It is the most breathtakingly beautiful movie I have ever seen. It even surpasses the flamingo scene from 'Out of Africa'. The musical score meshes perfectly with every scene, my particular favorite being the drum sequence during the first fight between Shu Lien and Jen in the Forbidden City. And then there is the fighting itself, which is so much more artistic in nature than the mere brawling styles of Segal or Van Damme, that one finds themselves entranced.

Many people have been comparing CTHD to 'The Matrix', which is fine as far as the comparison goes, but that doesn't come close to capturing the whole picture. This film has the physical intensity of The Matrix but with the dexterity and gracefulness of a ballet, the cinemagraphics of Lawrence of Arabia, the subtlety of Hamlet, and the intrigue of King Lear, all wrapped up in a fantasy of romance and adventure.

Yet evidently the film did not do as well in Hong Kong as it did in the U.S. The reason, at least according to the papers, is that there was not enough martial arts violence to appease the Hong Kong crowd and that flying through a bamboo forest was too unrealistic. As opposed to realistic films such as Superman? Indiana Jones? Star Trek? CTHD is an elegant fantasy, not some one dimensional John Woo action flick with big explosions for people with attention deficit disorder. You have to read subtitles (if you don't speak Mandarin), and you have to think, and you have to follow the intertwining lives of four different characters, all of whom give masterful performances and none of which drown out the performances of the others.

Heroism, honor, discipline, faithfulness, as well as treachery, guilt, regret, and sorrow, character traits that are so often missing from the shallow plots and cookie cutter roles that Hollywood so often churns out, are in abundance in this film. Shu Lien, Li Mu Bai, Jen, and Lo are more real, that is say more believable as true personalities, than any of the characters in the more "realistic" martial arts films that the people of Hong Kong seem to prefer.

I am a big fan of Jet Li, Jackie Chan, and the Hong Kong action genre (John Woo notwithstanding), but this is not that kind of film and should not be compared to that style.

We will soon see if the 'academy' has the sophistication to give CTHD the Best Picture Oscar it deserves.

I knew critics were saying good things about Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, yet I made sure not to read any reviews so I could get the most out of the movie. Though I was expecting just to see a satisfying movie, I had no idea what was about to come. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is one of the best movies I have ever seen in my life. I was spellbound with the grace that the action sequences in this movie possessed. I gasped with joy when witnessing the freedom the characters in the movie had that empowered them to leap effortlessly from rooftop to rooftop. The director uses these sequences to demonstrate the awesome powers its characters have. The action in this movie left me paralyzed enough that I could have watched it a few more times just like that, but then I got something else that was completely unexpected. In my opinion, the love stories in this movie sinks the Titanic with one blow. The unspoken love between the two main characters has touched my heart deeply. Another love between the two younger characters was a delightful addition as well. The story is something to be appreciated also. The plot sets the stage for its sequences perfectly, consisting of a master who wishes to train the thief of his legendary sword to wield its power through discipline understanding, and there are a few turns and detours which keep the action rolling. This movie has all of the moves. The story is brilliant, the acting is flawless, the action sequences are breath taking, and the love story is pure and original. You would be a fool not to at least watch this movie. My heart nearly exploded at a dozen different scences in this movie. At times... the movie is almost to much to grasp, too much to handle. This is an epic. This is a movie that will stand out in my mind forever. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a masterpiece.

I upgraded to Blu-ray from my well-worn DVD copy (the 2001 release). I have not seen the previous Blu-ray release that came as part of the three-pack, so my comments below compare the stand-alone Blu-ray to the DVD.

The Blu-ray transfer is a definite improvement over the DVD, though not to the degree of some other transfers I have seen. Much of the film was shot "soft" by Ang Lee to cover for wire-work and, basically, to suit his own taste. Those scenes remain soft on the new transfer. Not much if any of the grain has been removed and it occasionally flares up. So while it doesn't provide the "digital sharpness" (for a lack of a better phrase) of many recent releases, it does present what the director intended and I don't list that as a fault.

Black levels have improved and several scenes have had exposure levels altered (all for the better). Coloring remains much the same as the DVD. Most noticeably, the offensive random noise and dirt from the DVD release has been cleaned up. That in itself is a good reason to upgrade.

Sound is now in Dolby TrueHD and emphasizes the clash of swords a bit more but it is no huge improvement. I've never listened to the English audio track so I don't know if that's changed at all, but the sub-titles have been reworked and that is good news. It seemed easier to follow some of the plot nuances (like the master-pupil concerns) which I had to piece out over several previous viewings of the DVD. Extras are the same with one addition, a commentary track by Peter Pau (cinematographer) which is worth listening to.

Overall this is a definite improvement over DVD and fans should consider buying. I always thought the DVD rushed and beneath Sony for a film that won so many Academy Awards; this is a good step up. Oh, and Michelle Yeoh looks more gorgeous than ever in HD.

CTHD is probably the best movie I've ever seen. This is one of those movies that truly grabs you're heart. After walking out of that theater, I already committed myself on seeing it again. This movie contains so much symbolism and I believe it takes more than viewing it once to appreciate the beauty of this masterpiece. I must admit I never felt this way about a movie before. To me, it feels like any other movie that I will watch in the future after seeing CTHD will totally ... (hehe). Everything in the movie was just perfect; superb cinematography, magnificent choreography, well casted, awesome soundtrack (I wanted to cry after hearing the song played at the end), breathtaking scenery, a great director (Ang Lee), and a well-written plot. Basically a wonderful love/romance/trust/betrayal/justice/revenge foreign film.

I overheard some of my classmate's comments on CTHD. Some believe that the subtitles were boring, hard to watch, a hassle to read and made the movie stupid. Well this is what I had to say for them. "First of all, how slow do you read? I mean they tried to keep the sentences to 1 or 2 so it's easy for people to read, and they also show the subtitle ahead of time. If CTHD was dubbed in English, well that would just ruin the movie. I really think it was a good idea to keep the movie in Mandarin to keep its uniqueness. Wouldn't the movie look like one of those old Chinese movies where they talk and the words come out a minute later? If the movie was also dubbed, the actor's tone of voice and expressions of the words will change, and will lose their significance in the movie. The subtitles were poetry themselves, and some words in Mandarin can't be accurately translated in English. For example, a word in Mandarin can sound so engaging, while in English it's just like an ordinary word".

Many may also believe that the "flying" was so unrealistic and the fighting scenes were so stupid that people laughed. Well how about X-Men, Superman, Batman, Matrix, they didn't complain about the flying on those movie did they? All of these Hollywood movies are fantasies and we accept that. But why is it when Chinese makes their version of a fantasy movie (that includes flying) people criticize it? I believe these people should open up their selves to seeing idea from different culture. Because this movie is not from "Hollywood", you can't assume that it's stupid. I've read that audience from some theater laughed at the fighting scenes. I have no idea why, but my only conclusion is that they probably haven't been exposed to any sort of martial arts, and they probably think that those fighting scenes were a chicken dance. The fighting choreography in this movie is superb. I've seen so many martial arts movie, but not as superior as this one.

This movie is so good and was definitely worth every bit of the 7 bucks that I paid, and perhaps another 7 bucks for another viewing. It only happens once in a great while, where a movie can just grab you and just wont let you go, and CTHD can absolutely do that. Anyways, if you haven't seen this movie go see it, and if you had, go see it again!

This cinematic masterpiece is ruined by the newly translated subtitles contained in the Blu ray version released July 27, 2010. The theatrical subtitles flowed smoothly and had a certain rhythm that helped the film win an Oscar. The new translations contain distracting juvenile language that ruins the original script and makes this an entirely different film. I doubt the director or writers approved of these new translations. The Blu ray version is not what the film makers had intended for audiences, and it should be pulled from the shelves until the original subtitles are restored. Buy the DVD version or wait til Sony cleans up their act.

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" may be the most galvanizing film in the history of martial arts cinema. It is, claims the "old skool" core of fans that make up the base of support for the industry, a complete sell-out, relying on large-scale production values and special effects rather than legitimate fighting skills of the actors (with the notable exception of veteran martial arts female lead Michelle Yeoh) in order to sell itself; it is an act of sound and fury , signifying nothing.

To the vast bulk of the filmgoing public who wouldn't know "Drunken Master" from "The Master Of The Flying Guillotine" from "The Five Masters Of Death" from "The Five Deadly Venoms", that criticism meant...well, nothing at all. What is obvious from the first scene of this movie is that the director of this movie has fashioned a labor of love that has resulted in one of the most beautifully filmed movies in the history of cinema, regardless of genre.

Martial arts film purists seem to revel within the primative nature of the films that temd to define that genre. Poor acting, shallow scripts, ABYSSMAL overdubs, hack-and-slash editing...these are not the hallmarks of classically revered movies. Yet they seem to do more to define martial arts cinema than any other characteristic save that of the action itself. Yet "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" does not want for action. The combat scenes (particularly those involving Michelle Yeoh; Ang Lee definitely knew his most talented fighter and exploited her abilities to the max) are extraordinary, special-effects laden or not. The TRIUMPH of this movie is that is sees fit to actually present a story that draws the viewer in, that allows the viewer to form an opinion about the characters in between fight scenes...as opposed to just wishing that we could "fast-forward" to the next combat sequence.

What we have is a film more suited to the Classical Age, the Greek Tragedy with better fight choreography. The levity and sense of comic relief that could be expected with a number of Hong Kong cinema classics (and basically every Jackie Chan film ever made) is lacking here, but it is not missed as it has no place. Themes such as honor, social expectations, unrequited love (from unexpected sources), revenge (this is a kung fu movie, after all)...portrayed in an unconventional environment in an unusual setting (for Western audiences) make this an intriguing movie that has the bonus of some drop-dead action sequences that most people lacking a background in Hong Kong cinema are going to find quite amazing.

The acting is quite impressive. You will want to watch the Mandarin soundtrack with subtitles for the full appreciation of the effect (particularly taking into effect that the Hong Kong/Canton-based actors do not speak it normally); Chow Yun-Fat is best known for his "gun fu" movies made with John Woo, but the depth of his performance in this movie led to his casting opposite Jodie Foster in a non-musical remake of "The King And I". Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Zhi-yi (was she REALLY only a teenager when this movie was made???) are amazing and wonderfully strong female roles that aren't typically seen in Hong Kong cinema (clearly a male-dominated genre). Some people have called this movie the best chick flick since "Thelma and Louise", but anyone who would classify either movie in such strictly gender-limiting terms displays an ignorance which must prove to be quite burdensome and suffocatingly limiting. This is a terrific movie, transcending both genre and gender. It is the martial arts movie for people who don't like martial arts movies. It took home Oscars that neither Bruce Lee nor Jackie Chan will ever see. It is, simply speaking, what going to the movies is supposed to be all about. If you haven't seen it yet, you're absolutely cheating yourself.