Ignore the philistines...

Rating: 10/10 (1 August 2002)

Continuing from the header, many people hated this movie because they couldn't get their head around the physics defying fight scenes. I ask you. Whats wrong with having physics defying fight scenes? We can have fantasies with huge monsters and trolls and magic spells and wizards, and films with huge aliens attacking the earth, ones with genetically altered spiders biting teenage boys, and films with ancient egyptian mummies waking up and sucking the life out of people. Why can we have those entertaining yet unrealistic flicks which i'm sure a lot of people loved, but those same people hated this movie because of the flying. Why cant you get your head around it!
For those enlightened few who can, well done. I'm sure you enjoyed this masterpiece of cinema as much as I did. OK, so the script wasn't as fine tuned as it should have been, and the story did lag a bit in a few places, but the actors gave it their all, and its stunningly shot. I've never seen china look like this. OK, maybe its because its a fantasy (hear that Philistines? Its a FANTASY? That means its not outside the rules for them to fly! In fact I think for a fantasy its incredibly restrained and down to earth. You dont see no magical creatures or spells or wizards and witches in this flick!), but it still looks absolutely beautiful. And the score? Highly deserving or its Oscar. Some people couldn't really appreciate Tan Duns subtle mix of chello and haunting tunes, and very true, its not for everyone. But I felt it was amazing how one instrument could convey every extreme emotion portrayed in the script, from happiness and remembrance to love and loss, it was a musical revelation, and it suited the film perfectly.
And Lee's direction was spot on, and partnered with yen Wo Ping, the otherwordly fights were simply spectacular. While i've seen better fights, i've never seen them performed with such Daring abd Bravado before. This is truly stunning, just like the whole film.
And if you hate the film, just watch it for Zhang Ziyi. She could beat me up anyday...