The Emperor has no clothes!

Rating: 4/10 (7 September 2003)

I know I'm going to get slammed for this, but sorry:
The script was horrid, even worse than "Gladiator," which also nabbed an Oscar nod. Come on: a legendary sword is stolen by a spoiled brat, and retrieved by its guardians, who try to put said brat on the path of righteousness. That's it! The fact the brat is a girl is what's supposed to make us all go "whoa!" And, as if the writers knew how trite that was, they decided to torture us with an incredibly long flashback sequence that's even more boring than the main story!
That critics overlooked the weak story line and God-awful Pokemon dialog strikes me as patronizing and more than a bit racist. Were this made by Americans, it would've been slammed big time! And it sure as heck wouldn't have bagged 4 Oscars!
It was obvious the actors were on wires. Yeoh's run across the roof reminded me of the race between Clark Kent and the train in "Superman" -- it was that stiff. Why didn't Lee correct this, because everything depends on us being totally sold on the characters' ability to fly?
With the exception of the fight in the restaurant, the fights get tiresome. The "love story?" As the saying goes, crap or get off the pot!
Were it a 30 minute short, CTHD would've been killer: the costumes and cinematography are to die for! But as a 2 hour film, it's an exercise in tedium!