Crouching Dragon—The Tiger Lily Cut

I once started watching the theatrical cut. Apparently, I wasn't in the mood, because I rarely DNF, but I was barely half an hour in before I became bored and intolerant. I've promised my friend I will watch the theatrical cut someday, but occasionally I like to experience a fanedit without context to see how it holds up. Ssj's edit seemed like a good way to experience the choreography and wirework that everybody praises the film for, while also dodging yawns.


QUALITY

Reviews allude to an HD copy, but I found two links that both led to an SD file. For what it is it looks decent. I did not have any issues with noticeable visual compression as others have mentioned.


VISUAL

No issues.


AUDIO

There were two fairly abrupt audio cuts, but otherwise I didn't notice any transitions or changes.


NARRATIVE

As mentioned above, I've not seen the theatrical cut. I think I gathered some vague sense of certain character loyalties based on visual action, but the newly written subtitles did nothing to communicate a coherent plot. I love the audacity of it and I wish more edits tried this kind of thing out, but I don't think ssj's new script really conveys the whimsical world and narrative he appears to be aiming for. I also think some bits of footage here and there to show the presence of something inhuman would help the vibe as well - not even anything complicated. Just show a shot of something in a crowd when a character is walking through a town square, or some goblin in a tavern when we enter an eatery. Heck, if we're right by dragon country, just throw in the sound of something roaring in the distance. Anything to back up the context the subs claim. Anywho, I had little to no clue what was going on, other than some sword being a magic cooking implement that seems to be used more often for killing than anything culinary.


ENJOYMENT

Narrative aside, I did enjoy this. Ssj has a wonderful sense of humour and his creative reworking of dialogue provoked audible merriment. I didn't laugh as often or as hard as I would have liked, but I was never bored. I think sometimes the script leans on the side of random more than genius, but the latter certainly has a presence here. Some have said that there's less room for humour in the 2nd half due to action being at the forefront, and this is true. However, since I was unfamiliar with the material, at these points I was just enjoying experiencing the action for the first time. More humour (if not subbed, then by other means) would have been ideal, but the lack wasn't detrimental. I can imagine how others might find this portion of the edit to be underwhelming if they are already familiar with the theatrical cut.

When the original was released in 2000, it sent thousands of Asia film fanboys into a tailspin tizzy.
“This is going to ruin all our cherished Hong Kong and Japanese exploitation fun!”
Apologists for the film and peddlers of imports did their best to mollify all those nervous Nellies.
And yet - - the mainstream Western world got exposed to and excited by Asian action cinema.
Crouching Tiger made a shitload of money, and, as doomsayers predicted, future Asian fare became ever more tasteful. Easier for the world digestion. The wackiness was on the fade.
All hail ssj for doing his best to return this talky bi-polar film to the crazy roots of Shaw Brothers!

Video - MPEG-4, 960 X 400p. Now this is widescreen. Plenty of dark scenes in this, though I saw nothing amiss. There were quick edits, but one gets so caught up in the goings-on that you don’t pay attention.

Audio - 2 Channel stereo, AAC. 160 Kbps. Subtitles - Yes, some of the best! This reviewer does not understand Mandarin, so I did more reading than listening. The audio seems exactly as the original. Fine for dialogue. Actiony bits by Shanghai Percussion Ensemble terrific. Anytime Yo Yo Ma picks up his cello, naptime.

Narrative - Bit overdone, with references to orcs and goblins and other creep-sters. If creatures get mentioned, then I want to see them. The Iron Chef theme comes and goes worse than a studied accent. Often I had no idea what was going on, plot wise. Jokes not necessarily relatable to ongoing screen follies.

Enjoyment - This is a great antidote to the borefest that the original was. Energy level diminishes in the final act, and jokes start to fall flat. The story tumbles into a confused mess, but I laughed out loud often. ssj has provides several generous extras, as well. Info sheet, trailer, and extraordinary press conference with Michelle Yeoh. Brilliant. I only wish I had a time machine and could kick a copy of this back to 2000 era readers of Asian Cult Cinema.

Rebue:

A mind-bending re-imagining of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon through the use of rewritten subtitles. Now a story of drugs, love, sex, and more drugs.

I really enjoyed this edit, even when I didn't quite understand it. ssj is a demented (in the best way) poet, and the subs are never dull. I chuckled many a time and even ALLOL'd (actually literally laughed out loud) several times.

The only disappointment was that the humor slows down in the second half of the edit, as there is not much dialogue to subtitle. But then again, we still get to watch the great action sequences, so that's not a bad thing.

Highly recommended to all dragonkin and non-dragonkin alike. I rate this 9 out of 10 Banana Lime and White Peach Yogurt Fountains.

(*Note: I did not rate audio/video quality as I watched this on my phone)

Simply put, the freshest and funniest fanedit idea for quite a while. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a perfect candidate to be drawn a clown nose on, at least for a fan of deadpan humor as myself, as it's a straight-face film that is thematically solid and strikingly beautiful to look at, yet at the same time quite pompous, and over the top as only a wuxia movie can be. With these elements, watching these characters so earnestly spout out the insanities ssj dared to write for them, and recite vulgarity with the same aplomb as it was Shakespeare, is a match made in laughter heaven. Best culinary ganja martial arts action comedy ever.

Video and audio are mostly fine all through, yet I noticed some image artifact/pixellation at moments of heavy movement (watched the HD version), and a couple of hard audio cuts: at 0:04:35 after "Nocturnal birdwatching. What a strange hobby!" and at 0:06:42, where it even seems to go to total silence for a split second. There might be more instances, but I was so inmersed in the whole experience that I even forgot to nitpick.

And now, ssj, I want MORE. I desperately want you to do that certain follow-up that shouldn't be spoken of for now. And for everyone: WATCH THIS EDIT. NOW. And laugh your asses off.

This edit is exactly what I expected and hoped for from the genius and slightly demented mind of ssj! I watched this with a friend, and we absolutely pissed ourselves pretty much the whole way through. From literally the first subtitle we were in stitches, and with only brief pauses for breath, the next killer line would hit the screen.

It's a simple concept, but executed so brilliantly. Ssj's comic timing is spot on, and the perfect sincerity in the performances from the actors only adds to the comedy. I see the potential for a series here from ssj if he can be bothered, but regardless, this one is a comedy classic from the outset. So many great one liners.

Highly recommended! Technically it is spot on (I watched the HD version), and none of the cuts were noticeable. I did notice the dramatic change in volume during one fight scene, but ssj tells us this was in the original too. Curious.

I didn't expect this to be a replacement disk, but what do you know. I can't imagine going back to original when I know that the Tiger Lilly cut is on offer.

Well done ssj, I look forward to more of your wonderfully insane offerings in the future. 10/10