Strings, Tao and Yo-Yo Ma

Rating: 5/10 (18 February 2007)

Croching Tiger, hidden dragon by Ang Lee is based on a five volume novel written by Wang Du Lu. Ang Lee tries to shorten down these five volumes into a two hour movie. I haven't read the novel so I can only assume this is the reason for all the plot holes and the some what incoherent story. I will not even attempt to sum it all up here but its basically a story involving a bunch of sword fights, some macho-sadistic sex, some love, some eastern philosophy and some more sword fights.
To enhance the sword fights and distance himself from "lethal weapon" and "Die Hard" Ang Lee uses a bunch of strings (The loose ones from the script perhaps? Im sorry, don't pay that one any attention) and computers. The characters fly around, run on water and jumps from tree to tree. These strings and computers could easily give my grand mother these powers, which kind of brings me towards my point. I love fighting movies ala Bruce Lee, and I totally respect the beauty and hardship that lays behind a good "sword-fighter". Fencing, dancing, singing and why not acting are all quality's that are admirable in those that master it. But what is there to admire when all the work is done by strings and computers? The F/X guy? Should I be amazed at the fact that they are flying when superman did the same thing years ago? Ang Lee did however succeed at distancing himself from "Lethal weapons" and Die hards" these movies don't try to pretend they exist for any other reason then explosions and fist fights. Ang Lee is working with false marketing, this is really nothing but: A bunch of truisms and quasi philosophy, without any real meaning, in between the (after a while) quite boring fencing numbers. Or in short: An overly pretentious action movie with subtitles.