Dance of the Dragon = 1/2 Star?! What Are You Smoking? Shoot the Scriptwriter If You Must

Com’on people.  Half-a-star and you buy that?  If someone is sending a DVD of this movie to me as a Christmas gift, I promise I will watch it before Easter (got to love that one critic I heard using cold turkey analogy though).  Putting “Dance of the Dragon” just half-a-star above Paris Hilton’s “Hottie and Nottie” is just wrong.  You hear that “The Straits Times”?  You’ve got to review your movie review framework.

Because this film has such a bad publicity in Singapore, none of my friends wish to watch this “trash”.  But from what I read in the Internet, there are people who enjoy watching this film.  People who are not just from Singapore, but Australia, Japan, and Korea.

So, why do the Singaporeans and the media dislike this production so much?  And what do I think of this film after watching it alone?  Here are some thoughts of mine.

1. Cinematography – “Dance of the Dragon” is an art-house type of production.  It is meant to be a slow moving film.  The cinematography is beautiful.  Pay attention to the vibrant colors, the angles, and the composition of each frame.  That is art.  One scene, there is an old man practicing Tai Chi on a rooftop.  The fluidity of motion and contrasts with the lines against the backdrop.  Observe how his hands almost touch the lines in the background and never quite cross them.  There are scenes that are juxtaposed with independent plots that happen in different locations at the same time.  The dance scenes especially the one towards the ending, albeit a tad too short, move me.
2. Soundtrack – The symphonic soundtrack, I think, supports the film and the scene development really well.  I am actually surprised by the quality as it is something that often overlooked in a non-Hollywood production.  For those who think that the music is too slow and boring, well, it is a slow moving film to start with.
3. Script – If someone’s head needs to roll, that would be the scriptwriter.  What are you thinking?!  I think a lot of negativity stems from a poorly written script with poorly written dialogues and poorly written storyline.  It is an immature, unrealistic, and unnecessary piece of work.  Boo!
4. Chemistry – The neither-here-nor-there love relationship between the characters can be quite frustrating to watch, especially for those of us who are so used to the dramas of the Korean, the Japanese, and the Hollywood.  Maybe Singaporeans are just not dramatic enough?  None of my Singaporean friends do seem to engage in some deeply passionate love affairs even to the extend of a suicidal love-me-or-I-will-die mentality like in Hong Kong (where I was born).  If it was up to me, I would totally rewrite the love story and put more at stake.  I would have the characters furiously kissing each other, being caught cheating, and being caught in a downward spiral fall into a love so strong that … you are going to cry.  That’s right.  Hire me, you hear me?
5. A Theme – Horrible scriptwriting aside, “Dance of the Dragon” does have a consistent theme and it runs in parallel both with Jang Hyuk’s as well as Fann Wong’s character.  It is about dare to dream, pursue your dream, and it is not about wining but becoming the person you want to be.  Cool, no?
6. The Cast (The Korean) – The Korean (heart-throb?) actor Jang Hyuk who made famous in the romance drama film Windstruck (2004) is certainly my favorite actor in this film.  He acts well in both the Korea portion as well as the Singapore portion of the story.  And he is charming!  OK, to be frank, I find his dance moves really stiff.  But then again, if you follow the storyline (at least the horrible scriptwriter gets this one right), it just says that he loves to dance and he dreams to be a dancer.  It never says that he is born with this natural talent that without any formal training, he is going to conquer the world.  Can I relate to this aspect of his character?  Certainly I can.  Certainly many people can.
7. The Cast (The Singaporean) – OK.  Fann Wong speaks English can sound a bit odd.  Perhaps we are so used to Singaporeans speaking Singlish with the accents mixed with Chinese words and the lah.  I thought she has done better than what I have expected – proper English at least (again, refer to point 3 for bad lines).  Surely she would have done a much better job in Mandarin.  But her language aside, she looks celestial on the big screen.  Those dresses, and shoes, and even her hairstyling and make-up – immaculate.  Look, Fann Wong is not exactly a 18 years old and at her age, she is really stunning.  Do her tears move me?  Sure they do.  Does she look elegant?  Without a doubt.  Do I love her?  Absolutely!
8. The Cast (The Chinese-American and Hawaiian descent) – Trained in Bruce Lee’s signature martial art Jeet Kune Do, I think Jason Scott Lee has added a dimension of authenticity to the film.  Granted that he should show more facets to his acting (again, please blame the scriptwriter) and you may only get to see a different side of him towards the end of the film, he has a role to play and given the circumstances, he plays it well.
9. Authenticity – I didn’t know that dance moves can be documented and the film does provide me with a peep into the dancer’s world.  I read somewhere (from a Korean) that the Korean village scenes shot in Singapore is pretty authentic.  And how about the Singapore scenes?  Well, I must say there is a certain level of disconnection between the Central Business District outdoor shots (together with a sparkling new Comfort taxi) and the shots from the film set.  It is as though they are of a different decade.  I am OK with that.  Actually I am quite happy to see some local culture and traditions that unfortunately in a worldwide scale are giving way to the post-modernization and, to some countries, post-colonial era.

OK.  Now I feel a lot better.  Although “Dance of the Dragon” is far from being a classic, it is even further from that miserable unfounded 1/2 star rating.  I suspect that this film is going to do better in overseas, which is rather sad.  Seeing Singapore and a Singaporean actress on a big screen does give a lift to my heart.  Shouldn’t we all be just a tiny bit lenient on “Dance of the Dragon” rather than wearing our “not-bad-equals-to-pretty good” hats?

It’s an art-house movie.  Rate it as one if you must.