'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon II' Hits Theaters and Netflix this Month, but Is It Worth Your Time?

This past Monday, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon II: Sword of Destiny, starring Donnie Yen and Michelle Yeoh, made its Beijing premiere and if the trailer is an accurate representation of what to expect then oh boy does it look terrible. 

Compared to the original, which took home four Academy Awards back in 2001, this one has been revamped with a heap of improbable CGI kung fu fighting and a lot less of the things that made the original great, namely, the art direction, astounding cinematography, and the legendary oversight of Ang Lee. 

Those at the helm even thought it necessary to make the movie in English instead of Mandarin, which seems idiotic considering the original was the highest-grossing foreign language film in American history. Though we love Yuen Woo-ping, the director of the sequel, and all of the classic kung fu films he has made, we can just tell this is likely to be the same cliché wuxia hogwash that has been perpetually remade in recent years. 

Some American movie theater chains are even refusing to release it, as it will be simultaneously available through Netflix. This is like the modern day equivalent of a movie going straight to video – to our knowledge, the first time this has happened for an Oscar-winning franchise. 

But while the original Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon failed to do well in China, the sequel might do fine as it fits well with the type of movies that excel here, while going straight to Netflix in America. Now it all makes sense, or “I see,” said the blind swordsman. If despite this tirade the sequel still interests you, the dubbed version premieres in China on February 19, or in English on Netflix on February 26.

More stories by this author here.

Email: danielkippwhittaker@thebeijinger.com

Photo: i.ytimg.com