La serpiente verde

I appreciated the first chapter ("White Snake") somewhat more, because it was a bit more grounded in the character dynamics over the extreme fantasy world aspects. Nevertheless this movie is beautiful and intense :-)

These comments are based on watching the film in Mandarin with English subtitles; the names used are those used in the Netflix subtitles.

As this Chinese animated sequel opens to sisters; Verta, the Green Snake, and Bianca, the White Snake, are battling Fahai, a demon slaying monk. He prevails and Bianca is confined to a pagoda. Verta tries to continue the fight but finds herself transported to Asuraville, a modern city where her demon powers no longer work. It is a city in conflict; with humans, demons and various creatures fighting to survive or dominate. Verta will have to find people she can trust and overcome many difficulties if she is to discover a way out of the city and rescue her sister.

The English title of this film should be 'White Snake 2: The Tribulation of the Green Snake' but on Netflix it is retitled 'Green Snake'; presumably because would prefer people weren't put off by the fact that it is a sequel to 'White Snake'; a film they don't have the rights to. I suspect that watching 'White Snake' first would be a good idea but even without seeing that I really enjoyed this. The prologue quickly introduces characters before the action moves to Asuraville; here we are introduced to more characters and quickly learn that not everybody who Verta gets help from will survive. There is lots of impressive action; both the spectacular fight scenes and movement through the cityscape. The character designs and animation are really good; up there with Disney/Pixar... but a little more suggestively dressed! While the action isn't gory it might be too intense for younger viewers, some events may be too upsetting as well so I wouldn't recommend this to younger viewers unless an older family member has checked it out first. Overall though I'd certainly recommend this to older viewers; especially fans of animation or Chinese drama/action with magical elements. Having enjoyed this I'll certainly keep an eye open for 'White Snake'.

A while back I had watched White Snake 1, and found it lackluster. Just another forbidden romance where the main characters are basic nice and sweet.

White Snake 2: Green Snake is much more interesting, but sometimes held back by continuing the last movie. They expect you to take seriously, what the first movie presented lightheartedly. The first 30-40 minutes are slow, introduce unnecessary characters and repetitive scenes. But after that, it picks up track.

I find the Verta as a more engaging protagonist than Blanca. Although the English dub leaves some to be desired. It's not bad, but it's limited by how many words you can fit in the set animation. There was a lot of repeating what we already saw or heard, especially at the end of the film.

The real draw is the visuals and ideas. Coming from an Americans point of view, a lot of the ideas, creatures and imagery was unique. I like the different demon designs. The limbo world with its rules and mythos made it a fun mystery.

Still though, characters are weak. I feel like 40 minutes of action could've been replaced with more character moments to establish them all strongly. This movie was more focused on spectacle than plot, yet the ending heavily relies on your investment in the characters, and I wasn't feeling it.

Watch this movie in the background for cool visuals and a few cute monster girls. They tend to handle the kitsune quite well. But don't expect a good plot/characters.

I wasn't expecting much of a Netflix recommendation, especially since they hide the fact that it's a sequel, yet I actually enjoyed it. I don't agree entirely with the story, quite sure I didn't understand part of it (especially because the mythological background it's a bit far from my knowledge, and the movie does little effort to introduce it), and I pretty sure part of it can't actually make sense. Yet the animation and scenography are great, the action sequence and the characters design are really good, and the story is enjoyable, giving some nice entertainment, which actually makes me look for the prequel, and makes me think that maybe some great movies could be produced with those elements.

This is such a strange movie, with so many different flowing parts and interesting ideas. While some of these elements don't work well with the story, the parts that do work can be pretty engaging and interesting. At it's worst "White Snake 2: Green Snake" is too weird and doesn't work but at it's best it is pretty engaging and visually stunning. An odd sequel but one worth watching.