Above Average with Some Great Moments - Huge Opportunity Missed

Rating: Null/10 (12 October 2001)

As a child I loved to watch martial arts films (particularly Bruce Lee films). As I got older my tastes changed and the "silliness/campiness" of some of these films became more and more apparent. However, part of me was still looking for a film which would not only resurrect my youthful thrill of martial arts but would also encompass an equally engaging story. From all the hype that CTHD had generated I thought that this could possibly be it.
I would have loved this film back in 1973 but for all the wrong reasons. Today however it felt like a better than average film with some incredible martial arts scenes. I enjoyed the dreamlike feeling that let you become part of a world where flying, tree climbing, roof top warriors existed and where honor and dignity were virtues we could all believe in once again. However the quality that all great films must have comes down to a great story and equally great performances. Around all the visual beauty and martial arts mastery the overall story of CTHD was .. well.. just OK. That's the biggest shame of this film. It missed this key ingredient and unfortunately ends up being a forgettable film.
The performances were generally very good (especially for this genre) yet no amount of acting can elevate a mediocre story to greatness. This is a movie that I would have loved to love and the fact that it missed the one ingredient that could have made it a real true classic is the biggest shame of all!