Hey folks, Harry here with Outkaxt, who saw this film in Singapore, but... whew weee, he knows his kung fu flick stuff something wicked... including original source material for the films and every thing. He still likes the movie, but just doesn't think it cause the sun tor rise and the moon to set. There's alot of not quite english sentences in here, but remember... it's a second tongue for Outkaxt... Enjoy...
Harry, this is Outkaxt. Before you throw this to the garbage PLZ read on. And I beg you to post this review up. Here it is.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Well first let me start my saying that, no matter how you take it, Kung-FU maniacs, I am still on your side; (Chinese) people who grew up watching kung-fu TV series and novels, I am still one of you; Harry, I am still your loyal fan.
But there is something that I must tell. There is a disappointment that I must unfold. There is a grieve that I must share.
First of all, let me tell you that before I came here to Toronto, I grew up In Hong Kong, the place where I think is fair enough to call it the "base" of the original kung-fu stuff, this was almost where it started. Here was where kung-fu got REALLY popularized, here was where kung-fu got Hollywooded (HA). I didn't just start watching martial art movies since Matrix. So when everyone was getting crazy about the movie I was actually watching my memory flash before me during Matrix: I saw lots of Fist of Legend, I saw some Bruce Lee, I saw a little Iron Monkey, little drunken master, and timbits of the Once upon a time in China series here and there. In fact, during the subway showdown I even managed to see some of Hard boiled, A better tomorrow and the killer. So the Matrix was no special for me, but it did put everything nicely together, though.
Now when I first read about ALL the reviews on here, on magazines, news papers, and through other sources, I didn't think that it's such a big deal. "White folks", I thought. (sorry, there is absoultely NO offence to anyone here,I just thought that way because the truth is I'd never met any kung-fu maniacs (not just movies, but novels, original historys... etc) in my short ignorant life), so I was actually expecting something just like Matrix. Not that Matrix was not good, but it's familiar to me. I seen enough of those. I READ enough of those from novels, I thought. I was ignorant to think that kung-fu might not touch you guys on a PERSONAL level, just the same way Star Wars never did to me, a yellow Hong Kong buddy. And so I made no big deal outta it.
But still, having a marital art movie like this still sounds cool to me, so today, the FIRST day of my trip to asia, Hong Kong, here, I experienced the movie myself. I got off the plane at 5am and right then I called a friend here to ask him to get a ticket for me this evening.
And by 7pm I am sitting in a theatre with a large Coke, watching the ORIGINAL, no dubbing or subtitles version of CTHD.
Remeber the assumptions I made in the beginning? I was part right, and part wrong. I was right in the sense that the movie ISN'T, to my eyes, as good as you guys described it. I was wrong in the sense that it is actaulyl much worse than I expected.
Don't get me wrong, the fighting is good. The script is awesome. The acting is perfect. The whole film is beautiful and incredible.
But to describe this film as the best in the decade? To describe this film that sets a new genre?
It sure wouldn't be one that I want.
Now talkbackers, before you get mad, don't foregt, that I am one chinese chink with REAL kung fu backgrounds. Not just movies. I read TONS and TONS of novels since I was young. I GREW up with Samo, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Yuen Woo-Ping. I still rembmer the excitment of watchign Jet Li's first movies the Shaolin Temple, Kids from Shaolin, Born to Defend, etc. I still remember liking Zu, swordsman, and all the other TV series by Tsui Hark.
Don't forget that this kinda kung-fu movies were ORIGINALLY, very originally, when they got popular, based on kung-fu novels, especially those by a write called "Old Dragon" (Chinese peopel you will know what I am talking about), and I read them ALL. I KNEW what REALLY is Wu-Tang and O-Mei, and where they came from. I KNEW Shaolin Temple and the truth behind it. I KNEW the basics behind such martial arts. So I am judging the movie not only as a movie, but a martial art movie, and a "new genre" as everyone described it.
Now I wouldn't be so harsh if everyone just called it a good movie, 'cause it is. But people said that this is setting a new standard in the genre, this is making history. SO it makes me wonder, where does it stand, from the point of view with the orignal stnadard mark in mind?
Let's go to the technical side first. Yeah those flying through the cellings is wicked. But where is the sound of sleeves and clothing? They should be making this "fuop-fuop" sound as the people swing their limbs to try to go forward! And by the way, the original idea of them doing this hopping thing is they elevate themselves and hop evenly, not fly around like superman.
Okay fine, this is too technology. After all you guys didn't ALL say that this movie sets a new standard. SO let's get back to look at it through normal eyes.
As you guys have already read, this is a story about revenge, love, hatred, breaking boundaries/traditions, obsessions, loyalty, integrity, etc... lots of things. BUt the PORBLEM is, there ARE too many things it try to talk about. SO it only touched each of those subject with a gentle poke and then went on to the rest. Want examples? It didn't explain much about CHow yun-fat and michelle yeoh's love. It didn't explain much about the hatred Chow yun-fat had, it could have expanded more on how his master got killed. It didn't explina much about the love between Jen and Lo (or are these their names? I didn't know, 'cause I had no subtitles and i suck at doing this translation thing), and it didn't explain much on the obession Lo had. I didn't put much of the loyalty and integrit factor in the movie about the society at that time. It only TALKED about it. That's it.
Yes there are good fights. But as you guys said this is not only a fighting movie, we need more than that! The transition time is not perfectly calculated, so each fight feels awkward. What's with the tree fight? The shot was WAY too closed, the outcome? It feels like Gladitor or ANy given Sunday again. Martial Arts seemed to lose its cool and become American Football. That's what makes Matrix so good. When ppl arent fighting or jumping around, we actually CARE about the plot. Whereby this one feels a little like MI:2 and Gladitor for me: spends too much time on obviously stuff, haven't hold onto interesting factors, haven't expanded on the things they could have expanded, and tried too hard to make the villain look bad. YES we GET THE POINT!! We KNOW that she's bad!!!! How about emphasising the relationship between Jade Fox and Jen before revealing anything? How about that? This is too straightforward and simple, we get bored easy, and when we get bored easy we fall asleep. We can't rely on a does of fighting every half an hour to keep us awake.
SO that's about it. A GREAT movie, i mean't, I never said that I isn't. The first sword fight kicks major ass and CHow Yun Fat was the baddest muther &*^ since Maximus. But lets not make things bigger than they are. Leave room for improvement. Ang Lee is the wickedest director and he is the MAN, but there is still room left, he can do better, and he will!!! So let's not make him too comfortable with all the high hats.
Outkaxt
