Yam yeung lo 2: Ngo joi nei joh yau

While the 1997 movie "Yam Yeung Lo" (aka "Troublesome Night") was no masterpiece, it most certainly was better than the 1997 sequel "Yam Yeung Lo 2: Ngo Joi Nei Joh Yau" (aka "Troublesome Night 2"). And as I sat down to watch this 1997 sequel from writers Kenneth Hau Wai Lau and Kwok Chi Tsang, I wasn't really expecting a whole lot, to be bluntly honest.

And the storyline in "Yam Yeung Lo 2: Ngo Joi Nei Joh Yau" was a step backwards, especially since the three stories were relatively devoid of comedy and laughs, so it was a somewhat tedious affair to sit through 96 minutes of this feature from director Herman Yau.

"Yam Yeung Lo 2: Ngo Joi Nei Joh Yau" is listed as a horror comedy, but it is not really being overly successful in either of those two genres.

What is good about "Yam Yeung Lo 2: Ngo Joi Nei Joh Yau" is the cast list, which includes the likes of Louis Koo and Simon Lui, among other familiar faces here and there.

I am sure that fans of the franchise will enjoy "Yam Yeung Lo 2: Ngo Joi Nei Joh Yau". But as a casual viewer, then "Yam Yeung Lo 2: Ngo Joi Nei Joh Yau" wasn't exactly a particularly great cinematic experience.

My rating of "Yam Yeung Lo 2: Ngo Joi Nei Joh Yau" lands on a three out of ten stars.

This is the second film in Hong Kong's Troublesome Night movie series, a collection of films whose stories are based on the supernatural and features creepy ghosts. The second Troublesome Night movie is a step-down from the original movie in my opinion, as I thought it was more gloomy and depressing.

The first story is about a girl named Anita (Amanda Lee) who was mourning the death of her boyfriend. She commits suicide and, later, her ghost haunts DJ Cheung Fat (Allen Ting) because he made the suicide suggestion to Anita, as he thought she could reunite with her boyfriend in death. Not a very scary story; it's more of a sappy puppy love story with Amanda Lee playing the part of the ghost.

The second story is about a group of friends' discovery of a mysterious woman (Liz Kong) from a boat wreck during an out-to-sea trip. After rescuing the woman and sheltering her on their boat, supernatural events start to happen. This is the creepiest of all three stories, in my opinion. With no where to turn to in the middle of the sea, the humans are left fending for themselves with limited resources as they get overwhelmed by the ghosts and their dastardly deeds.

The third story is about DJ Sam (Louis Koo), who quit his job because of the deaths of his co-workers. To escape the pain, he becomes a street racer. But, he encounters an evil ghost as he races down the lonely streets at night. Again, not a very scary story, but it features a sinister ghost as a force to be reckon with.

Overall, this film is pretty fast-paced from start to finish and features some good acting and good special effects. The three stories gave an overall eerie and ghostly atmosphere, but the plots themselves were less entertaining and intriguing and unfortunately let our human protagonists suffer the most.

Grade C+