Enter the Dragon

Okay, it's fine, but this really isn't what I wanted. I haven't seen early James Bond in a while; what's the difference between that and this? Just combat style? This really isn't what I wanted. I guess I have my introduction to Bruce Lee, which should be sufficient for any future trivia nights. I doubt I'll need to see another. I wanted pure immersion in Asian martial arts cinema, but this didn't miss a single Hollywood cliché. Nor did I get good martial arts: I'd rather watch the driest amateur tournament than these ridiculous double roundhouses, if it's real. It's about gravity: movies can be spectacular if they maintain gravity, stay grounded, retain empathy. Ip Man had gravity; I could feel it. Enter the Dragon was so archaically staged I couldn't feel it. Movies have an odd task: convince the viewer's subconscious of the movie's reality enough to manipulate their empathy. If you can't convince the viewer, you can't manipulate their empathy. That's the trouble with primitive production: we're desensitized to sensationalism so it really needs to feel life-like. Enter the Dragon might have been awesome in 1973, but it feels silly now. It barely moves my emotions. I've seen too many action movies; I've built a tolerance; it had better look and sound and feel real.

Can I appreciate this for what it is? I'm not sure. They say it's one of the greatest. I don't get it. A couple things stand out, like the final scene with the mirrors, but most of it is tired formula. Maybe it invented some of this formula, and I'm desensitized, but it's hard for me to imagine this being a great movie at any period. It seems sensational at best. I can understand if it was awesome, in the 70s, but not a great movie. Great movies have more timeless artistic value. Enter the Dragon seems culturally meaningful and entertaining but not artistically profound, and the entertainment wanes. It's a tough fate for a movie I feel I respect, but maybe they never strove for timeless art. They hit the world hard, made a mark, and live through their offspring. Some works are so singular they don't really have offspring, but stand alone through generations. This isn't one. Enter the Dragon, like the original Star Wars, made a mark, planted a cultural seed that sprung a lineage, and lives therethrough. I respect that, but prefer to spend time with works that will make a mark on my life now. My pure interest in film tethers me to icons like Enter the Dragon that will not actually impact my life, and I will probably continue to kindle interest for things I don't need. But I will try not to spend so much time with them. Life's too short not to chase curiosities, but it's also too short for much idle escapism. You can curate your curiosities to a degree, and try to make your time make a mark.