The Most Overrated Movie Of This Decade

Rating: 3/10 (23 February 2001)

This is the best rated film by critics and IMDb in many years? It's on course to break Â£100 million box office in America? But, it's barely the best Chinese Kung Fu film to offer. Jet Li's "Once Upon A Time In China" has far superior combinations of real martial art and romance.
I would have been proud of the achievement of "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" as a Chinese but I feel outraged by its hype and recognition in WESTERN WORLD. This film debuted poorly in Asia more than half year ago but with the right marketing strategy to sell it through film festivals and gradually into wide theatrical release, the hype built up and suddenly everyone in western countries rushed to see a Mandarin speaking film. Its 10 Oscar nominations seem more like a showcase that the Academy is willing to recognise foreign language films than the film's actual merits.
My first complaint of the film is its inconsistent pacing. At most times, the film lingers on with unnecessary subplots. The fighting scenes brighten up initially but lose the impact after several similar ones. The fight choreographer, Yuen Woo Ping, has done better work in Jet Li's Once Upon A Time In China and many other Kung Fu's movies.
The most glaring flaw of the film is the inclusion of the flashback of the two supporting characters' romance.It seems just cut into the film for dramatic and comic purpose but indeed very tedious to sit through.
On the other hand, the romance between the two leading characters lack chemistry. Come on who says Michelle Yeoh's acting is good? She barely can "fake" the proper Mandarin accent because she is Cantonese speaking. This makes her acting seem forced and as if she is reading scripts especially at the beginning. Chow Yun Fat, who is also Cantonese speaker, fares better but by not much. Ziyi Zhang is the only main character that speaks proper Mandarin and acts sufficiently.
As anyone who has read Wu Xia ( ancient Kung Fu ) story will point out, the flying in the air and floating on the tree scenes are absolute craps and such a turnoff. There is a theory of defying gravity in Wu Xia story whereby a warrior is said to be able to "leap", not fly , using inner body strength from a place to another. But Ang Lee argued with the great fight choreographer, Yuen Woo Ping, to surprise the audience with flying sequences. The result is that the flying sequences in the film were booed in China.
Many people claim the special effect in fight scenes are spectacular which are actually wire works but these have been used in Kung Fu films for decades!
The good thing about "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" is its music score and cinematography. However, "The Colour Of Paradise" from Iran, which is not qualified for this year Oscar's Foreign Language Film, is an overall better film.
"Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" Oscar's recognitions should have been given to the more profound and entertaining film, "Cast Away" and even the breakthrough film of the year, "Requiem For A Dream".