Zhang Yiyi grows up

I don't want to spoil anything for those 1.2 people who are going to see this and who check in here from time to time, so I'll limit myself to only the most vague discussion. Yes, no, no, NO, ok, yes, no, YES, YES, WOW, Yes, yes, ok, WTF?, YES.

There you have it. It's not the film In the Mood for Love is; in fact, it's half the film In the Mood for Love is. Bear in mind, however, that many of the finest films ever made are half the film In the Mood for Love is. There's a voiceover that takes away too much of Wong kar Wai's subtlety, but this overbearing narrative shuts up soon enough, and there are many beautifully shot scenes which position the viewer uncomfortably in the role of voyeur. Also, several of the most beautiful women on the planet (Gong Li, Maggie Cheung (under-utilized here), Zhang Yiyi (woah--no longer that elfish teen!)) are featured, and during some interesting half-Blade Runner half-Tron sci-fi sequences there are the sexiest cornball outfits since Barbarella Queen of the Galaxy.

I'd give it four out of five stars--on the same scale In the Mood for Love gets eight out of five, but 2046 is excellent in its own way.