2046

Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: August 5, 2005

7.5	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 113 Ratings

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alic.Nov 7, 2005

While this film is certainly beautiful and the acting very good, it has many flaws which just can't be hidden or ignored. The story is repetitive, badly plotted, unclear and goes nowhere. It's puchline is basically stolen from While this film is certainly beautiful and the acting very good, it has many flaws which just can't be hidden or ignored. The story is repetitive, badly plotted, unclear and goes nowhere. It's puchline is basically stolen from Chinatown (2046 isn't a place or time, but something much deeper zzzzz......). Characters are shallow, dialogue is trite and the gorgeous music is repeated too many times over the extended running time that it too becomes repetitive. Most insulting of all though, is the product placement for a certain electronics company during the future scenes and the end credits. Wong truly has sold out. And become dull.… Expand

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AXLA.Oct 4, 2005

I was not prepared for this movie. I had not seen "In the Mood for Love" where Mr. Chow's character is introduced, plus I was expecting a futurist movie suggested by the title. It is a movie about the future in the way that Solaris is a I was not prepared for this movie. I had not seen "In the Mood for Love" where Mr. Chow's character is introduced, plus I was expecting a futurist movie suggested by the title. It is a movie about the future in the way that Solaris is a movie about space; both films are more interested in the poetry of memory than in science fiction. There are no wide shots in this film. It jumps from the 1960's to the year(place?) 2046 without the camera ever stepping back more than a few feet from the beautiful actresses who are the object of Mr. Chow's macho love. There are no skylines or even establishing shots of buildings in this mythic Hong Kong Nowhere. Like Mr. Chow's pulp novels, 2046 tells the same imperfect love story again and again. A love that is more of an addiction than an obsession; these women seem to all live next-door to him and two even have the same first and last names. It is a movie so permanently dramatic that you could swear it… Expand

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MarcK.Aug 31, 2005

It seems that all the "great" Chinese films released in America are aesthetically stunning, but short on substance. Add "2046" to this list, along with the fascinating "Millenium Mambo" and the not-so-good "Hero." Zhang Ziyi is a goddess, It seems that all the "great" Chinese films released in America are aesthetically stunning, but short on substance. Add "2046" to this list, along with the fascinating "Millenium Mambo" and the not-so-good "Hero." Zhang Ziyi is a goddess, and this is the best performance of her young career. If/When she learns to speak English (and I read that she's doing that) she will become one of the most well-known and talented international film stars out there.… Expand

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moviescriticnetDec 8, 2015

Despite the fact that it has been nominated for Palme d' Or in Cannes Film Festival and won six local awards in Hong Kong Film Awards this overrated movie (a drama/romance and sci-fi mixture) is aesthetically perfect but completelyDespite the fact that it has been nominated for Palme d' Or in Cannes Film Festival and won six local awards in Hong Kong Film Awards this overrated movie (a drama/romance and sci-fi mixture) is aesthetically perfect but completely meaningless.
Kar Wai Wong, best knows for "In the Mood for Love" made this experimental two-hour movie of an original 5-hour (or so) material (thank god he didn't use all of it). The title of the film refers to the last year before the 50-year period the Chinese Government promised to let Hong Kong remain as it is (Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997). Of course this has little or nothing to do with the film (whose general idea is people searching love and their identity in a futuristic Hong Kong) which is non-sensical, completely delusional and will have you wonder whether you accidentally smoked some giant pot. Nevertheless the cinematography of the futuristic Hong Kong is so artistic and beautiful that it's worth watching just (and only) for that.… Expand

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ahmedaiman1999Apr 29, 2019

If it wasn't for Faye Wong's sub-plot, including the anime-esque Sci-fi sequences, I would haven't liked 2046. But it's the second half in general that changed my mind completely about the entire film. There are two main reasons I found theIf it wasn't for Faye Wong's sub-plot, including the anime-esque Sci-fi sequences, I would haven't liked 2046. But it's the second half in general that changed my mind completely about the entire film. There are two main reasons I found the first half so underwhelming...

First, I felt that the character of Chow Mo-wan, played as usual by the great Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, is here nothing but a misogynistic scumbag. I was shocked that I found myself loathing this character even more than the purposely detestable character, Yuddy, from Days of Being Wild.

Secondly, and most importantly, is that the film simply didn't seem to be a Wong Kar-wai film to me. His poetic depiction of the themes of love and affection is totally absent here, and replaced with lust that's used as an object; not as a subject. And even the cinematography is so classy and filled with garish over-stylized visuals and colours. Nevertheless, the way Wong Kar-wai uses music to set the mood in his stories of lovers suffering from loneliness is still brilliantly evocative and poignant throughout the film's entire runtime, and as good as it was in all of Wong Kar-wai's film I've seen.

One of the of the highlights of the first half is the character of Bai Ling. Besides the fact that Ziyi Zhang delivered one of the finest performances here, I really found her character to be quite interesting character. And as much as the excessive sex scenes offended me; I liked the how intoxicating her relationships are, since they developed the character pretty well, and made it well-rounded.

The second half is otherwise a pure Wong Kar-wai magic! I was immensely worried that 2046 would be the second Wong Kar-wai film to leave me cold after Fallen Angels (which I like maybe even more than this), I finally found Wong Kar-wai's unique atmospheric mood at its most poetic. The overall theme of the film became completely clear, and I was really impressed by Wong Kar-wai's brilliant script, and how it managed to compensate for the uneven fake and sybaritic first half that I completely failed to be connected with on an emotional level.

The only thing that the second half didn't fix is that the lines, and some of the themes, Wong Kar-wai recycled from his other two films in his unofficial trilogy felt forced, and annoyed me with their lack of authenticity.

(6.5/10)… Expand

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