Too much brouhaha

Rating: 7/10 (18 March 2001)

I found all the martial arts scenes exactly as had been described to me by friends....more like ballet than fighting. Especially fine was the scene on top of the bamboo. The visual effects were really quite interestingly done. The main characters were believable; I especially liked the contrast of the understated love affair between the older couple with the lust-driven affair of the younger couple. I did not find the music "too Eastern" for my ears - at least not for the 2 hours I was exposed to it. The cinematography was superb, especially in the panoramic views of landscape and the various scenes involving caves and retreats.
However, I cannot understand the extreme ecstasy that this film has obviously brought to so many viewers. I'm glad that I saw it in the theater rather than wait for it to come out on video for two reasons: 1) the total effect of the visual would have been lost; 2) I probably would have turned it off after 10 or 12 minutes at home and picked up the nearest book.