Read Mixed User Reviews for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny

5

MeritCobaMar 4, 2016

Before Mad Max: Fury Road was released there was a certain apprehension that it would just be a rip off from an earlier Mad Max movie and funny enough it was. But Fury Road not only redid The Road Warrior but did this on high octane. ItsBefore Mad Max: Fury Road was released there was a certain apprehension that it would just be a rip off from an earlier Mad Max movie and funny enough it was. But Fury Road not only redid The Road Warrior but did this on high octane. Its mayor asset is that it never gives you pause to catch you breath and come to your senses. Whack them with another sequence of over-the-top actions before they start to focus on the weakness of the plot, characters and dialog! And it works. It is an awesome example of story telling that can only be done in a movie: using mostly visuals, sound and action-sequences and thus the movie comes into its own. Fury Road would be hard to write down: it would bore you to death if it did.

In comparison Sword of Destiny's fault is that it resembles earlier movies but doesn't add anything to it. Everyone wants to get that sword, the good guys gather a band of heroes to protect it, the bad guy send a lone anti hero to steal it, a girl tries to do the same at the same time: they get caught by the good side. Eventually they are forced to make an alliance when the bad guy sends an army to get by force what he couldn't get by thievery.

The acting is good, the quibbling between Natasha Liu and Harry Shum is amusing, the characters are the usual suspects, the story is mwah, the dialog trite, the fights all too familiar and because there are so many of them and done on a large scale they dominate the story line.
Sword of destiny fails where Fury Road didn't. It takes the same things we have seen over and over again, the flying fights, the few versus many fights, the running over walls, rooftops and such. It awed back in the day, but it doesn't now as Sword of Destiny doesn't energize it or give it a new twist.
And while making the same kind of movie without changing a thing must have felt like a safe option, in the end, and certainly in comparison to its predecessor, it becomes a let down. Sword of Destiny should have been to the first movie what Fury Road is to Road Warrior. Not just over the top mind you, just energize and alter it. They could have added more into this movie: more depth, more poetry, different fights, more personal ones, new kind of characters, new kind of allies, new kind of fighting methods, new weapons, new ways of filming, new sets, new scenery, new landscapes, new lighting methods, new kind of anything..but instead they walked the safe road. And in a world where the new gets old fast this is a sin and thus it gets punished.

Sword of Destiny is, by all means, not a bad movie, but nothing makes it stand out and at the end you are glad it is over and done with and that not yet another bland sword fight will erupt. Ultimately it is forgettable.

Two final observations:
-Thinking of it, there is also something very sad about the movie..The only thing that seems to matter and is talked about ad nausea is fighting. It is all they do and want to learn to do better. It gets noted that the fame of a hero last 20 years after his death/disappearance. The ultimately sadness that if you are not one, you probably won't get remembered at all. And what a sad world it is where nothing but fighting seems to get appreciated. Not writing, not poetry, not farming, not creating anything. Just killing is what matters, for that is what fighting is

-I applaud having and older woman play an important part in this movie, especially as woman actors are usually relegated to supporting roles or a television drama leads once they hit fifty. Still doesn't make it an eight I am afraid.… Expand

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5

royphishoohMar 25, 2016

Some entertaining sequences but there's not a lot here. Simply not in the same class as the original film. Many reviewers have commented on the English dialogue and I would have to agree, the film should have been in Mandarin.

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6

A7sus4Mar 1, 2016

It was okay. It really was no where near as good as the first which was great because it focused on the characters relationships and culture. This in turn enhanced the phenomenal martial arts sequences. This was just a series of poorlyIt was okay. It really was no where near as good as the first which was great because it focused on the characters relationships and culture. This in turn enhanced the phenomenal martial arts sequences. This was just a series of poorly developed characters with sloppy relationships fighting each other. Rather disappointing.… Expand

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5

UsernameTakenMar 5, 2016

No one should expect anything close to the original given it being a direct to Netflix production so I wouldn't be too harsh. I think the most unfortunate thing about it was the decision to film it in English. I think most viewers of theseNo one should expect anything close to the original given it being a direct to Netflix production so I wouldn't be too harsh. I think the most unfortunate thing about it was the decision to film it in English. I think most viewers of these kind of genre films prefer them stay true to form then try to pander to North American audiences. The storyline is quite rudimentary and awkward and is made more so by the fact that it's in English but the action scenes are excellent, beautifully choreographed, and while not anywhere close to the original they are at least entertaining. People who enjoy these sort of films will either be extremely disappointed or indifferent I don't think there's a middle ground. For me it was one of those films that I watched simply because I couldn't find anything that I hadn't already seen. So, if you're looking for a little time waster with some martial arts action it's certainly not terrible but don't go into it with high hopes.… Expand

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5

ColginatorJul 4, 2016

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon remains one of the greatest martial arts films ever made. The breath-taking cinematography and graceful fighting sequences led it to become the highest grossing film in a foreign language in North America,Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon remains one of the greatest martial arts films ever made. The breath-taking cinematography and graceful fighting sequences led it to become the highest grossing film in a foreign language in North America, helped open up the west to Asian cinema and is quite simply a masterpiece. But sadly The Sword of Destiny seems to capture very little of the beauty that made Crouching Tiger so incredible and instead feels more like an attempt to cash in on the legacy of Ang Lee's original film.

Taking place 18 years after the original film, Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) returns to defend the sword Green Destiny once again, this time from the evil Lord Hades (Jason Scott Lee). She is assisted by Silent Wolf (Donnie Yen), her ex fiancé who she believed was dead. Meanwhile a young woman known as Snow Vase (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) who is training under Shu Lien begins to fall for Wei Fang (Harry Shun Jr), a young thief who attempted to steal the sword for Hades. The film rehashes several story beats from the original film but recreates them with far weaker characterisation and lacks the same depth of its predecessor.

The only returning cast member from the first film is Michelle Yeoh, who does deliver a good performance by bringing the same wisdom and nobility that she bought to the first film. However every other character suffers from a screenplay that is incapable of doing anything other than filling up time until the next action sequence. The main romance in the film between the two young lovers is never able to create any real chemistry. Even Donnie Yen, one of the greatest Chinese action stars, is unable to do anything with his little screen time and the incredibly bland script other than fight and look stoic.

The cinematography mixed with the vast landscapes looks nice at times, but at others the film suffered heavily from an overuse of CGI that feels like a very misguided departure from the natural beauty of the original film. Also instead of being filmed in Mandarin like the original film, the actors instead all speak English. Obviously this is done to appeal to a wider demographic, but it ends up distancing itself even further from the tone of the original film.

Out of everyone who could direct a sequel to Crouching Tiger, Woo- Ping Yuen could at first seem like a good choice. He's directed some of the greatest action films from China (including Drunken Master and Iron Monkey) and was even the action choreographer for the original Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. And he is able to pull of some great fight sequences throughout the film, including one creative sequence battling along a frozen lake. But as impressive as the fight choreography is, it never recaptures the tone of the original Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Whereas the fights in Crouching Tiger played out like a delicate dance through which two warriors communicated, Sword of Destiny is an impressive display of fighting skill and stunt work, but nothing much else.

Also whilst Woo-Ping Yuen is quite possibly one of the greatest action directors of all time, his style just wasn't suited here. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon wasn't really an action movie. It was a romantic drama cleverly disguised as a martial arts flick. But Sword of Destiny is instead just an action movie with a weak romantic sub-plot tacked on.… Expand

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4

ScarlettMiNov 23, 2016

Perhaps if this movie didn't carry the name "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", I wouldn't have been as let down and disappointed in it. This is a sequel, however, and that means that it immediately evokes comparison to Ang Lee's classic andPerhaps if this movie didn't carry the name "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", I wouldn't have been as let down and disappointed in it. This is a sequel, however, and that means that it immediately evokes comparison to Ang Lee's classic and sadly it can't even come close to measuring up. The artistry and poetry and beauty of that film is lost in this one.… Expand

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5

BroyaxDec 28, 2016

Une suite plutôt inutile au premier Tigre et Dragon sorti il y a plus de 15 ans (!) mais pas totalement désagréable pour autant... il faut dire que le premier film se traînait en longueur(s) sous le prétexte de jolis moments remplis de poésieUne suite plutôt inutile au premier Tigre et Dragon sorti il y a plus de 15 ans (!) mais pas totalement désagréable pour autant... il faut dire que le premier film se traînait en longueur(s) sous le prétexte de jolis moments remplis de poésie et de regrets (avec la guimauve qui va avec, cela va de soi !) alors que la suite se traîne... sensiblement moins mais s'avère moins "poétique" à cet égard.

Evidemment l'attrait du premier film était la magnifique Zhang Ziyi et le charismatique Chow Yun-Fat qui distribuait les leçons comme on distribue les coups de pied au cul : avec classe et générosité. Mamie Yeoh est toujours là mais c'est Donnie Yen qui est venu donner de sa personne : il s'en sort honorablement mais Donnie ne fait pas le Chow.

Cela dit, l'histoire reste fort bancale dans les deux cas de figure, elle manque de liant, d'allant et surtout de rigueur ! elle se borne à faire du nunuche avec du gnangnan compassé à droite et à gauche et elle recycle ici la structure de base du premier film avec son thème récurent de vieille vengeance qui veut tout récurer au sabre.

Comme le premier Tigre et Dragon, il s'agit d'un film de câbles et d'épée... il me semble que les combats sont toutefois moins spectaculaires dans ce numéro 2 même si le rythme général est moins endormi. Egalement moins bien filmé de manière générale même si... l'ensemble demeure très présentable.

Un ensemble -justement- qui laisse une impression moyenne : le film se laisse voir mais n'emballe pas non plus comme son prédecesseur, loin de là. Il s'avère un brin en deçà, ce qui n'est clairement pas formidable finalement.… Expand

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4

alexmgDec 28, 2018

I'm just grateful this franchise didn't use Mike Tyson to destroy the beauty of the original like IP Man did, here they did this all on their own with cheesy comedy bordering on slapstick.

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