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2046 / Wong Kar Wai (2005)

March 1st, 2008 by Scott Marks

2046.jpg

2046 (2005)
Written and Directed by Wong Kar Wai
Starring: Tony Leung, Gong Li, Ziyi Zhang & Maggie Cheung
Running Time: 129 min.
Aspect Ratio: cinemascope3.jpg

Rating: ★★½☆☆

Not since Wim Wenders regrettable follow-up to “Wings of Desire” has a continuation of a major work of cinematic art left me feeling this deflated. Wong Kar Wai’s extension of “In the Mood for Love,” one of this decade’s most breathtakingly original films, is a convoluted blend of past, present and computer generated future that tacks on one layer too many.

If “In the Mood for Love” represented a culmination of Kar Wai’s artistry to date, “2046″ is a self-conscious attempt to further his reputation through inner dialogue. As with any sequel worth its salt, “2046″ attempts to amplify, not merely duplicate, it’s predecessor. Conversation from the first film is repeated verbatim. “In the Mood for Love’s” female lead (Maggie Cheung) is played by a different actress (Gong Li ), yet Ms. Cheung appears in two fleeting shots. Journalist Chow Mo Wan (Tony Leung), initially shy, romantic and hopelessly bottled up, is now a career womanizer. Not unlike modern day movie moguls, he abandoned more serious projects upon discovering a more lucrative audience in fantasy pulps.

The director was never one to rely on a shot-by-shot screenplay. This time it shows. The production went through four years and three directors of photography and leaves an impression of endless modification and visionary tinkering. The science-fiction segments sprinkled throughout play more like a studio tack-on aimed at targeting teen moviegoers. It’s not, of course, but given the minimal amount of times the film returns to the future, a voiceover detailing events from Chow’s novels would have sufficed.

Kar Wai’s first venture into the realm of CinemaScope proves to be repetitive and uninspired. Considering his complex, non-linear style of filmmaking, a similarly thoughtful application of the oblong lens seemed pre-ordained. His anamorphic storytelling consists largely of cross-cutting between characters sentenced to opposite sides ofthe frame while textured drapes or walls fill the remaining space. Instead of studying anamorphic masters Sam Fuller or Otto Preminger, Kar Wai seems to have taken his cue from “Breaker Morant.”

Subsequent viewing’s will undoubtedly yield more insight. Make sure to revisit the original before venturing into “2046.” (I should have taken my own advice.) Unlike the standard multiplex graffiti, even second tier Wong Kar Wai is to be cherished. As is, he’s still ahead of the game. “The Hand,” his segment from “Eros” released earlier this year, is pure cinema, transcending and redeeming even the slightest story through the lens of his camera. It is unlikely that anything released between now and New Year’s will top it.

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Filed Under Reviews, Theatrical