To me, this movie is perfection.

So much average

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

There are great aspects of Three Times, but overall the film falls short of entertaining. The camerawork is quite lovely, especially the long takes, as it gives the piece a very special rhythm. The characterization is meaningful yet shallow in all three stories, which makes it hard to connect thoroughly with the characters. The first story is fantastically charming, but the second is beautifully dull, and the third failed to bring this viewer back into the picture. Three Times is an art piece, and should be viewed as such. The majority of modern movie-goers would not enjoy this film, but it does have merit, and this reviewer can most accurately described it as an experiment in cinema.

The first part is very nice - the more I think about it, the more I like it. The eye contacts and body language of Shu Qi and Zhang Zhen (esp. Shu Qi's eagerness, her excitement, curiosity,etc.), their silliness, not knowing what to do/say - all impress me. Not quite because of the acting, but the description of the innocence per se. It is a very genuine description of something that I am not sure if it still exists anymore nowadays. It is also delightful to hear the song Rain And Tears in the movie(The song mentioned in Zhang Zhen's letter to Shu Qi). Part Two would be good if it was not a silent movie. I don't see any GOOD reason for that. Part Three - the only reason I can think of for adding this part in the movie is to suggest that all the good can only be found in the past. Otherwise, not only does the third part do no good to the film, it tremendously ruins it.

With all the great acclaim this film received, and with none other than Shu Qi starring in it, I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, it was a huge disappointment. And I'm someone who liked "Millennium Mambo," another Hou Hsao-Hsien/Shu Qi collaboration.Probably the most generous thing I can say about this movie is that it does not translate well for Western audiences.And since a number of people here are "voting" for which of the three stories worked the best for them, I'd have to go with the 1911 story.Shu Qi is one of the most beautiful women in the world, but even that couldn't make me enjoy how slow and boring this very long film was.

I saw this film first on the big screen, and then from a DVD. As a person in the same age bracket as Hou, and one who is familiar with certain aspects of the Chinese history in the past century and had visited Taiwan on a few occasions, I feel I can relate more to this film than those who do not have my benefits.In particular, I was disappointed when a local Canadian film critic said this film is about the 'reincarnation' of two lovers. But this has nothing to do with reincarnation and how wrong she was! So my point is, viewers without the relevant background, and patience in particular, will find the film far less satisfying then I do. But again, many viewers will share my strong sentiment toward this film even without the knowledge and exposure to the social and chronological back drops of the stories. As well, I rate the satisfaction factors of the three stories in the same order as most viewers, i.e. the first episode is the best of the three, and the last is probably the weakest, perhaps due to the very nature of the plot.Hou is definitely one of the few great directors of our time. As his devoted fan, I hope he will continue to make films of this quality in the years to come. Watching his film makes me feel very under- accomplished. But it is a price I am willing to pay.