Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (Asia)

The disc is very well presented, with some great animated menus and the like. The anamorphic 2.35:1 video is very impressive, and really showcases the brilliant cinematography. There are a couple of minor image issues, but nothing that would significantly detract from the viewing experience.

Audio is also good, with the Wudan fighters seemingly leaping all around my living room. One of my favourite things about the film is the score, which sounds fantastic here. The mix is a little on the quiet side though, and I had to crank up the volume more than usual. The English dub track is acceptable, but after watching parts of the film in English with the subs on, it`s amazing to see how much the dialogue is altered.

Extras are pretty comprehensive. The disc has the theatrical trailer, narrated by `Voiceover Man` (I kept expecting him to pop up on the English dub track). There`s an interview with Michelle Yeoh, which is really quite interesting, she really gets animated about the whole thing, talent files, and a photo gallery. This is much better than the usual static galleries we get. Various images are shown, either from behind the scenes or from the completed film, all accompanied by the excellent score. Lastly is the commentary track with Ang Lee and James Schamus, which is relaxed and pleasant to listen to. The pair have a good rapport and give some valuable insights.

Overall this is a very good release, easily on a par with most standard R1 & R2 releases. There could have been a bit more behind the scenes footage, with insight into how they managed the stunning fight sequences, but maybe the R1 SE will have more of this. So, unless you`re a real extra features nut, I`d say that this is a great presentation of a great film and well worth buying now.

I have seen some films in my time but this one takes the biscuit. Yet another over-hyped film that does not live up to its expectations. It starts out promising enough but soon winds down to what we`ve all seen in Hong Kong cinema a millions time before. Charcters flying around, leaping from roof to roof, this film is a complete waste of peoples time. I urge you not to watch this film and instead spend your money elsewhere. A Hollywood mish-mash, CRAP.