Exquisite Fairy Tale

Rating: 10/10 (9 January 2001)

For me, this film was an exquisite fairy tale. For my boyfriend, a martial artist and lover of all things Asian -- including Taoism and Buddhism, sensibilities of which are evident throughout the movie -- it was an exquisite betrayal. We both had our breath taken away by the costumes, the locations, the props, the sets, the choreography, the cinematography, the music, and the acting (especially by Michelle Yeoh, who broke both our hearts repeatedly). I felt the story made perfect sense and fulfilled the prophecy of its own stated philosophy in a logical and meaningful fashion. The fact that I could predict each element of the plot as it was dramatically foreshadowed only in this case enhanced my enjoyment, because this is apt within reason for the genre of legendary or pseudo-legendary fantasy. However, my boyfriend felt personally betrayed by some of the "wrong" choices made by a certain character.
To me, his anger speaks to the power of the film. He loved the world created for this film and some of the characters in it so much that it physically assaulted him when another character caused them injury. While I was totally speechless and utterly choked up at the end of the film, it was because I was swimming in a sense of beauty beyond words -- and totally beyond what I expected from a fluffy little kung fu film.
At certain points in the film, after some of the fight scenes, various members of the audience (which was a predominantly affluent, middle-aged audience in a subdued suburb north of Boston) broke out into cheers and applause.
At the end of the film, everyone in the audience (except my boyfriend) went "Oooooooooooooh."
Love it or hate it, it is simple, tender and rich. Go see it on the big screen.