It’s so lush and visually spectacular, and not just in the futuristic scenes. I’ve seen ‘In the Mood for Love’ twice, and saw the connections between the two movies. I can’t wait to see ‘Days of Being Wild’.

...is because, seriously, you need to watch Days of Being Wild and In the Mood for Love, along with the rest of Wong Kar-Wai’s films to fully appreciate everything that 2046 has to offer. This was actually the first of Wong’s films I ever saw, and the first time I saw it I actually generally disliked it for many of the reasons other people did – the tedium and slowness, the jagged chronology of the story, and the fact that it wasn’t what I expected (based on the trailer I thought it was going to be a science fiction movie).

Now, after I’ve seen just about every single one of Wong Kar-Wai’s films and I’ve seen 2046 for the second time, I realize that everything I disliked about the film was a general misunderstanding about his work in general. I caught things I never would’ve known before, like references to characters and details from his other films. The storyline made a lot more sense now that I was already familiar with Tony Leung’s character, and it made the science fiction snippets understandable. Everything just made sense this time around.

I’m not saying it’s not okay to dislike this film, I’m just saying that it’s one of those movies you have to watch in a specific context. Go seek out some of Wong Kar-Wai’s older films, watch those, try and find a cheap copy of (or NetFlix) In the Mood for Love, and if you can stand that, watch 2046 again and see if you still feel the same way about it. I guarantee you won’t.

I know this film is a critic’s darling, and I have a crush on Gong Li, but I can’t get through the tedium.

Although the visuals and the soundtrack are beautiful, it felt so contrived that I couldn’t relate to the characters.

This is visually stunning. Scenes are coordinated such that dresses match wallpaper, with a richness of detail is wonderfully stimulating. The film is mainly based in 60s time so there’s lots of funky interiors, but makes brief mental escapes into 2046 with some ambiently futurist sequences. The story itself is unexciting as is the narration, however the performances and moodiness amply makes up for this. Very much an atmospheric film reminding me somewhat of Krzysztof Kieslowski, and actually a French/German co-production.

I have a love/hate thing with Wong Kar Wai’s films. They all have moments of brilliance, but none that I have seen have completely blown me away. The same can be said for 2046. There were sequences that were just plan amazing and others that were amazingly boring. Like all his films though, it sure did look pretty!

For people who are interested in watching this movie because a lot of the descriptions say it has to do with time travel…This couldn’t be further from the truth! The only thing that has anything to do with the future or sci fi is the main character’s written stories being shown on screen. The characters themselves never travel through time or go to alternate universes. Although, these are the best sequences in the film. I think I may have liked the movie more if I hadn’t read things like “Through time travel and parallel worlds, this lushly photographed romantic drama explores Mo-wan’s relationships with various women, including the one he truly loves, Su Lizhen (Gong Li).” I was let down when neither of those things showed up in the movie.

The cast is great though with Gong Li and Tony Leung putting in particularly nice performances.

Overall, it was okay, but I don’t think I would ever watch it again.

Wong Kar Wai makes visually stunning and poetic films. 2046 is a sequel of sorts (WKW calls it an “echo”) to In the Mood for Love that explores similar territory from slightly different perspectives. It’s all about love and loss and there is a melancholy tone and sad beauty to everything that happens. While it may seem to be a bit of a science fiction film, the sf elements are a story that the protagonist is writing which is his way of dealing with his past. There is a repetion of themes, images and actions that build as the film progresses and viewing In the Mood for Love and Days of Being Wild can add a bit more meaning to the film. While the plot is relatively simple, the film is built around moments and decisions made by the characters as they search for love and meaning in the world of Hong Kong in the 1960s. I enjoyed being within this world again, but it may not be for everyone.