The "Titanic syndrome"...

Rating: 3/10 (18 June 2001)

The think this movie is another great example of the "Titanic syndrome". A movie comes out that everyone knows will have to be really, really bad. Then, it turns out to not completely stink and suddenly it's the best movie ever made. Titanic is the perfect example. The prerelease news made it clear that it was a movie out of control and the previews showed just about the dumbest parts of the movie (yes, the ship is sinking, but we're running around with guns shooting at each other). Then, it turned out to be "okay" and everyone just went crazy.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is much like that. Okay, it's a Kung Foo film, so it has to be bad. But, hey, it's not that bad after all. Wow! It must be great. And, in many ways it is great. The settings are magnificent, the acting is very good, and it's fun to hear the original language. But, structurally, the movie has many problems. The character focus shifts rather arbitrarily, the large flashback seriously damages the flow of the story, and the plot is weighed down with elements that are not at all supported (why is the sword so special, for example). And, then there's the much talked-about fight scenes. I'm sorry, but I thought I was watching a cross between Xena and The Matrix. Everyone seems to be able to fly. Every fight seen was filmed with actors hanging on wires. There's not explaination as to how they can do this, you just have to take it for granted and it looks so incredibly fake all of the time. Xena is camp and the Matrix provides a framework for the violation of gravity. This movie does not.