Transcendent

Rating: Null/10 (13 January 2014)

Every now and then I happen across a film that seems to etch itself into my consciousness and cultural view of the world. These are the cinematic masterpieces that in part build up my identity. They're the films that fill my Top Ten or Twenty lists and which I find myself quoting or using as comparison for other films.
What then makes a movie one of my personal cinematic masterpieces? Sometimes it's the story, that razor sharp writing that either keeps surprising me or goes exactly as I want it to go. Sometimes it's a singular character, a realization of a archetype I've formed in my head, given form in the silver screen.
In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon that something is both the world of mystical China with its swaying bamboo forests, meticulously decorated houses and vibrant colours, and it's also the art of human movement, of martial arts and swordplay. For me this film embodies those two things. This is the film I think about whenever either of those topics is brought up. This is the milestone used for comparison.
One other things that elevates a film above its peers is the intangible feeling of weight, the feeling of belonging, tradition and history. It's the sense that the camera could walk around any corner, follow any character or even go looking for another story altogether and it would find something. A sense of fullness and realism, even if its a world of fantasy warriors capable of leaping thirty feet in the air with a single jump. And that can only come when everything works together perfectly. The actors have to fully immerse themselves into their roles, the production values and special effects have to convince the viewer, the story has to have enough weight to pull the viewer in without hesitations. This movie has that.
It's a fascinating film, a journey unlike any other and well worth taking. One of my personal favourites and definitely an easy recommendation.