Simply gorgeous

Rating: 10/10 (2 February 2001)

No other movie has driven me to tears, and made me leave the theater shaking and completely overwhelmed. That is, until I saw Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon today...
You already know the plot, so I'll just tell you that to me, everything fit perfectly into place...everything from the wire-fights (which I gushed over) to the slow pace (which, I admit, worried me going in...I thought I was going to be seeing Sense and Sensibility - the Martial Arts Director's cut.) It all fits together to make something that surpasses mere entertainment, and injects you into a a very deep fantasy land that you will not forget in the near or far future.
Don't expect to see a martial arts film, and don't expect to see a romantic epic...I think people's expectations of the movie are what is getting it the negative feedback on the board. People that expect to see a kung-fu movie are bored by the thick, and admittedly-slow-moving plot. People that expect to see a love story are bored by the (fantastic) fight scenes.
I know that there are better kung-fu films out there. I know that there are better romances out there....but not since Kurosawa have I seen a movie like this, that tackles complex emotions, while delivering fantastic action at the same time...such a great departure from such overproduced hollywood films as Gladiator.
The bottom line is that this isn't a genre film...if anything, it's a romantic fantasy in which all of the elements: Cinematography, Acting, Direction are top-notch and deliver a moviegoing experience you will thank yourself for attending.