Quick Movie Reviews
Rating of
2.5/4
Zeborah - wrote on 04/13/2012
Very pretty, but a bit slow-paced and thin. Plus I've never been one for either the torn-between-two-loves trope or the ready-to-risk-all-for-love trope. (Also, the dubbing was technically good but artistically terrible and between the two very distracting; should be watched with subtitles.)
Rating of
3/4
Unknown - wrote on 12/16/2011
More of the high-flying stylized Asian fighting here. It's about as good as the rest of them.
Rating of
3/4
Bribaba - wrote on 05/03/2011
The House of Flying Daggers is a great title for any film, and in this case the finished article more than lives up to the promise suggested. The sets, the lighting, the costumes, the set-pieces; it makes you realise how audiences must have felt when they first encountered sound. The action sequences are astonishing, even though it's essentially a love story. That's quite enough in itself, but there's also a political allegory running lightly in the background. Light enough, at least, for the film to be considered suitable for export, unlike some of Zimou's earlier, more trenchant works. The beauty of this film is that can be enjoyed on many different levels and, hopefully, by many different people.
Rating of
3.5/4
mitchellyoung - wrote on 01/13/2011
The story is above average for a martial arts film, but the real star of the film is the beautiful cinematography and choreographed shots that are transcendent. Not as good as Zhang's Hero, but a wonderful experience nonetheless.
Rating of
3/4
safari kate - wrote on 02/03/2008
I first saw this movie for an Architecture History class, and what really struck me was the use of color as a way to support the mood of the scenes. The color and density of the background, along with other visual cues, did as much for the storyline as the musical score does in most movies. I specifically felt that the changes in scene corresponded extremely well with the plot twists and action scenes. Each scene seemed fresh, and I especially enjoyed the stark white snow of the final action scene. Overall, this is a beautiful movie, and although I am generally not a fan of films in this vein, I really enjoyed it.
Rating of
2/4
Allison - wrote on 12/21/2007
It was way better than I thought. Worth a watch if you like films in the Crouching Tiger vein.
Rating of
3/4
Josh C - wrote on 11/20/2007
Better than CTHD with the same style of combat. The plot had some nice twists and turns and the battles were more engaging. Must see if you like martial arts movies that are almost supernatural.
Rating of
2.5/4
Chris Kavan - wrote on 08/17/2007
I would say this is the weakest out of the Hong Kong action films that I have seen - but you can't deny the beauty of the choreography and use of color for which it is worth it to watch at least once.
Rating of
2/4
Alex - wrote on 07/05/2007
Along the lines of CTHD, HoFD is not nearly as good. Using the same style of fighting and even some of the same actors, I was expecting more. I think now, this movie may have ruined my expectations for these Hong Kong style films. Average.
