This movie sort of follows on from the first one. It opens with a rehash of what happened in the previous movie and then Ling and the Taoist part ways. As Ling journeys through the land he comes to notice that there is an excess of thieves and robbers, and escapes with his life after entering an inn run by bandits who cut up their guests and eat them. Unfortunately he is captured by guards and locked up in jail and sent to be executed. While in gaol he impresses an old man who gives him a symbol and shows him the way out. He take this way out and comes upon a group of outlaws who behave as ghosts. One of them reminds him of Sui Sin, and throughout the movie he is constantly seeing her as Sui Sin. It becomes evident though that a great evil is menacing the land, and this evil has taken the form of the high priest.
Chinese Ghost Story 2 attempts to out do what they did in the first movie. In the first they fight and kill a demon lord, while in the second one they are confronted by Buddha himself. Buddha is far more powerful than the demon prince, but the strange this is that Buddha is behaving very evilly. The characters in the movie, including the general and the Buddha's servants, appear far more dangerous than those in the earlier movie, but this is not surprising considering what Ling has previously been through. First he fights and destroys a demon lord, so to send him up against something less threatening would not be a challenge.
These movie should really appeal to roleplayers as there are a lot of fantasy elements in them. They leave the Western Fantasy movies for dead for in these magic is magic and the monsters are real monsters. Magic is far more common in these movies - they are the providence of the Taoist monks - whereas in the Western movies, sorcerers are few and far between. The encounters are far more interesting as well, such as humans who can burrow through the ground, demons that can turn people into beasts, and soldiers that can turn invisible at will.
This movie does go far better than the first, but it acts more to build upon it rather than outdo it. With the Chinese Ghost Stories, I think it works far better if we watch them all rather than say one is better than the other and ignore the others. I have not yet watched number three so I cannot comment on that yet. What it does do though is that it remembers what went on before. Ling is a character that has depth to him. He is pinning for Sui Sin, his lost love - one he knows he cannot see again. He holds tightly onto the painting, and enamoured with the woman who looks a lot like her.
I find that these movies are very well done. Tsui Hark, the producer for these movies, did a lot to bring the special effects in Hong Kong up to a equal level with Hollywood. What happens in Hong Kong movies though is that the film makers tend to push for much more, and generally arrive at that place as well. Hong Kong horror is not horror in the Western sense, but more fantasy.
Chinese Ghost Story 2 attempts to out do what they did in the first movie. In the first they fight and kill a demon lord, while in the second one they are confronted by Buddha himself. Buddha is far more powerful than the demon prince, but the strange this is that Buddha is behaving very evilly. The characters in the movie, including the general and the Buddha's servants, appear far more dangerous than those in the earlier movie, but this is not surprising considering what Ling has previously been through. First he fights and destroys a demon lord, so to send him up against something less threatening would not be a challenge.
These movie should really appeal to roleplayers as there are a lot of fantasy elements in them. They leave the Western Fantasy movies for dead for in these magic is magic and the monsters are real monsters. Magic is far more common in these movies - they are the providence of the Taoist monks - whereas in the Western movies, sorcerers are few and far between. The encounters are far more interesting as well, such as humans who can burrow through the ground, demons that can turn people into beasts, and soldiers that can turn invisible at will.
This movie does go far better than the first, but it acts more to build upon it rather than outdo it. With the Chinese Ghost Stories, I think it works far better if we watch them all rather than say one is better than the other and ignore the others. I have not yet watched number three so I cannot comment on that yet. What it does do though is that it remembers what went on before. Ling is a character that has depth to him. He is pinning for Sui Sin, his lost love - one he knows he cannot see again. He holds tightly onto the painting, and enamoured with the woman who looks a lot like her.
I find that these movies are very well done. Tsui Hark, the producer for these movies, did a lot to bring the special effects in Hong Kong up to a equal level with Hollywood. What happens in Hong Kong movies though is that the film makers tend to push for much more, and generally arrive at that place as well. Hong Kong horror is not horror in the Western sense, but more fantasy.