Sien lui yau wan II: Yan gaan dou

Although I hadn't seen the first movie, the recap at the beginning brings you up to speed very quickly. The movie itself while not hilarious, cheered me up and made me laugh in a few parts, mainly when the monk, Autumn, was on screen.

There's a lot of likable things about the movie, namely: love interests, thieves that appear out of nowhere (in the plot, not out of thin air), fight scenes with demons and a funny "freezing" spell, redemption of the "bad" guy, and most importantly (since more recent Asian movies seem to forget about them) a happy ending.

Overall, if you want a funny movie that you can just relax while watching it (no serious people), give it a go.

This is the first sequel of the iconic and fantastic Hong Kong ghost fantasy, A Chinese Ghost Story. This time, humble tax collector Ling Choi Sin (Leslie Cheung) meets rebel sisters Windy (Joey Wang) and Moon (Michelle Reis) after his escape from prison. He gets himself stumbled onto a plot where the rebels' father Lord Fu (Siu-Ming Lau) was framed for a crime. While waiting at a villa to rescue Fu from the convoy, the rebels encounter an awakened demon.

Like its prequel, this movie is fast-paced and full of action scenes and surprises, which gives the plot momentum and suspense. There is a good balance of drama and romance, as the character of Windy reminded Ling Choi Sin of his beloved tragic ghost, Lip Siu Sin, from the first movie - bridging a touching connection between the two stories.

This film also has a beautiful music score composed by James Wong and Romeo Diaz and crazy special/visual effects of the magic spells seen in the film you would have to suspend your imagination to believe. Though very wild, the magic somehow works very well and fits in this story. Lastly, the acting was great, provided by a cast of very memorable characters.

While this film does not surpass the original Chinese Ghost Story in story and quality, this movie is still entertaining and fun and certainly one of the better sequels to come out of Hong Kong.

Grade B+

A Chinese Ghost Story was a visual feast and a great film that combined swordplay with fantasy, romance, drama, comedy and horror and it somehow worked. This sequel follows the same formula, but goes a bit further with the comedy with some of the cheesiest monsters on celluloid (and that is not a bad thing in this instance). A Chinese Ghost Story goes way past eleven and takes the viewer to another world. To say this film is wild is a gross understatement. I do think the 1st installment is a better film that makes more sense, but I did enjoy this sequel with intense visuals and super insane action choreography with Taoist magic and superheroic level swordfighting and Kung Fu. If you drop acid before watching this, it will most likely enhance your viewing experience. Even without the aid of such substances A Chinese Ghost Story 2 is quite the experience and one example of what makes Hong Kong cinema so endearing and unique.

Although a little shorter on plot than the first movie, this one might be a bit funnier. With the welcome additions of Jackie Cheung as a wandering ghost fighting Monk and the lovely Michelle Reis to the cast, the movie has even more Hong Kong star power than the last. Of course the chemistry between Leslie Cheung and Joey Wang is still there, and the film is funny and fast paced. If you liked the first movie, then put this on your must see list.

After the resounding success of "A Chinese Ghost Story" a second part had to be made. And what a sequel it is! This time our bumbling tax-collector finds himself in prison, fighting stacks of rubber monsters and befriending a Taoist who likes to travel underground! It's nice to see all the cast back too. This movie is very funny and never takes itself too seriously. For some who didn't quite understand the first movie, this is great to clear up any confusion. For the others, this is lighthearted entertainment.