Watch Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny For Free

Sick Product of a Sick System

Powerful

Admirable film.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

I went into "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny" (SoD) with a mix of expectations. I remember loving "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (CTHD) went I saw it. How would this sequel match up? Actually, really well.To begin, let's remove some false assumptions. Many are upset about the film being in English, unlike the original which was in Mandarin. But there are reasons for this that extend far beyond "Americanizing." In CTHD, some of the stars were not native Mandarin speakers and their accents were heavy. This led to ridicule in China. I believe that the English language filming is an attempt to correct that. Better to have a good foreign language dub than actors who struggle on film, in my opinion.Furthermore, some have said that the fighting wasn't as good. One review I read said that the heroes had become super-heroes. I disagree. There is actually much less wuxia flying and more straight-forward combat. Is it stylized? Certainly. That's part of the genre. But it seems more grounded to me, than super-heroic. CTHD had some excellent fight scenes! But the star wasn't a trained martial artist and his moves looked clunky at times. Not so here. Donnie Yen is in top form and delivers a solid performance. It is especially satisfying to see him alongside Michelle Yeoh (the only carry over actor from CTHD). They fight and act well together.But, SoD is more than fighting. The narrative is key here. In fact, the story for SoD is, in some ways, superior than CTHD. The story and character arcs build on what went before, so we find out more about the previous characters. Furthermore, some of the new characters have deeper connections and more layered stories.The biggest difference between SoD and CTHD is the cinematography. At the risk of the oversimplification, CTHD seemed more artsy. That doesn't means SoD looks bad. It's just a different, more modern style. There are some breathtaking landscape shots that give the story scope! The film could also have been a little longer. There are some minor characters that I wish we would have been able to see more of before the end.The direction, acting, fighting, and soundtrack all work well together, giving us a great film. For me, "Sword of Destiny" is an excellent follow up to the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

The 1st movie made and most striking, emotional one out of the bookseries, tho non sequential to the authors was epic (Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon). Admit I feel a sincere disappointment in the fact this (follow up) was not in Mandarin. It would have added oh so much more to the film. If only Ang Lee had been the director this would have reached and touched just as large an audience as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, not linguisticually but cinematically as well. Had high hopes, shot down like a bird of prey. Will always love the original by A.Lee. Yet literally a wee mix as is non-chron, storywise and cinematically he made it a masterpiece pref to this. Thank you Ang Lee for your C.T.H.D. it was magic on screen and shall remain a classic. Thank you.

In many ways watching this sequel to the original Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, is an experience equal to the original, although the story line is not as convincing or compelling as the original. What's to like are the flawed characters still driven by a profound inner goodness or badness made possible by the time and country in which the story is set. The unique oriental capacity to have human beings perform apparently superhuman feats is, at times, overdone and that is the films main flaw when compared to the first film. And perhaps the linking up of all the set pieces lacks the finesse of the original.However, it is very watchable, well acted, beautifully photographed, and memorable from the very beginning when the breathtaking scenery is caught with such rich outlines, camera angles, and clever technology. All the way through are these rich feasts of panoramas painting an atmosphere which is unique to this genre.I have awarded it seven out of ten, but if I had to judge the film on cinematography alone it would be closer to ten.

I had enjoyed "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000) for its traditional Wushu style infused with poetic drama and elegant sword fighting – to our western eyes, the flying and soaring might look silly and obviously showing the ropes (as in harness cables), though the creative use of beautiful landscapes, costumes and feudal settings makes for an always inviting immersion. This following take has two major flaws in naming itself a sequel; the choice of going with an English-spoken version will open up better internationally, but it significantly detracts from the carefully crafted scenarios, culture and period – I only seek original versions with subs, so this was disappointing. Secondly, it simply aims to be more of a generic action and dagger flick with roughly cut dynamics, despite interesting characters and fighting scenes, like the original one on an iced lake. For me it reaches the sufficiency for the production value, but I'd have expected much more and much better.