CTHD is one of those age-old films that you either love or hate. Personally, I love it. Not as much as some, but love it nonetheless.
I am a massive fan of HK cinema. I love its dynamism and flair for the slightly insane. CTHD takes all the things I like about the genre and gives it a hollywood rub down. The production values and cinematography are breath taking. The story actually is enjoyable and the dialogue never really seems stunted. Although some would argue that these are exactly the reasons it is inferior to original HK cinema.
The oft-discussed fight scenes are never less than spectacular, with Michele Yeoh really shining alongside Zhang Zi Yi. Although it does make your mouth water to imagine what the film would have been like if Woo Ping had Jet Li to work with as opposed to Chow Yun-Fat. Although I think Li would seem a bit young as opposed to Yun-Fat's almost regal portrayal of a battle weary master.
My only real problem with the film is the loooong flashback sequence. It is the only part of the film which even approaches being dull. While I appreciate it sets up a lot of the story and fleshes out Jens character, It is a bit drawn out.
I would recommend CTHD to almost anyone. It has heart, action and is aurally and visually stunning. I hope there are further releases based on the mythology of this film. The early adventures of Li Mu Bi and Yu Shu Lien would be fantastic (maybe Jet Li this time?) and a peek at the Wu Dan school would be pant wettingly brilliant. High hopes indeed.
I am a massive fan of HK cinema. I love its dynamism and flair for the slightly insane. CTHD takes all the things I like about the genre and gives it a hollywood rub down. The production values and cinematography are breath taking. The story actually is enjoyable and the dialogue never really seems stunted. Although some would argue that these are exactly the reasons it is inferior to original HK cinema.
The oft-discussed fight scenes are never less than spectacular, with Michele Yeoh really shining alongside Zhang Zi Yi. Although it does make your mouth water to imagine what the film would have been like if Woo Ping had Jet Li to work with as opposed to Chow Yun-Fat. Although I think Li would seem a bit young as opposed to Yun-Fat's almost regal portrayal of a battle weary master.
My only real problem with the film is the loooong flashback sequence. It is the only part of the film which even approaches being dull. While I appreciate it sets up a lot of the story and fleshes out Jens character, It is a bit drawn out.
I would recommend CTHD to almost anyone. It has heart, action and is aurally and visually stunning. I hope there are further releases based on the mythology of this film. The early adventures of Li Mu Bi and Yu Shu Lien would be fantastic (maybe Jet Li this time?) and a peek at the Wu Dan school would be pant wettingly brilliant. High hopes indeed.