Histoires de fantômes chinois III

Following the great HK tradition of sequels, this is the third (and last) in line. Made four years after the original, it's not a bad film, with some big shoes to fill, but the storyline by now is predictable as. Also, only one person from the original cast! However Tony Leung is very charming as the monk who is finding himself falling in love, and Joey Wong is again ethereal as the ghost. Well, it's a fair attempt but the magic's gone.

This is the second sequel of the iconic and fantastic Hong Kong ghost fantasy, A Chinese Ghost Story. This time, Buddhist Bai Yun (Shun Lau) and his disciple Fong (Tony Chiu Wai Leung) try to transport a golden Buddha idol across town, getting themselves hounded by thieves and then taking shelter at the haunted Orchid Temple. There, Fong encounters Lotus (Joey Wang), a female ghost at the evil bidding of the Tree Devil (Siu-Ming Lau), awakened 100 years after the events of the first film.

This sequel's story is more in line with the original film, having a traveling leading male character meet a beautiful female ghost at the Orchid Temple, who's spirit is binded by the evil Tree Devil. But, this movie is still fresh nonetheless, with it having a fast-paced plot, chock full of crazy magic spells and action sequences, seductive and spellbinding female ghosts, hair-raising demons and non-stop adventures. There is also a touch of humor, drama and romance, following the tradition of the previous two films. The female lead is once again played by Joey Wang. Although a different character, the ghost she plays in this sequel is a touching throwback to the first film; Wang portrayed all three different characters from each of the three movies with ease, charm and uniqueness.

This film has another beautiful music score composed by James Wong and Romeo Diaz and crazy special/visual effects galore! The acting by another memorable cast was great, albeit a tad goofy sometimes. And, the breath-taking scenery and period costumes were a treat - very colorful and vibrant. Hats off to Producer Hark Tsui and Director Siu-Tung Ching for putting together such an awesome and timeless trilogy in all three films! Overall, this sequel holds up well on its own. Like the first sequel, this film does not surpass the original Chinese Ghost Story (some scenes are rushed, some drag on too long a bit), but is still very entertaining and fun - one of the greatest sequels I've seen.

Grade A

Not a total waste of time like the second one, but also not necessary if you have seen the first one.

Once again, we start off with a flashback to part one, reminding us of the battle between Leslie Cheung and Wu Ma, against the Tree Devil - with Wu letting us know that the demon will rise again in 100 years...

So, 100 years later.

Many fans have pointed out that this sequel is pretty much just a rehash of the original story, and yes, in many ways it is - Monk Tony Leung and his master are travelling the land and seek shelter in bad weather. Suddenly, a gang of men appear getting chased down and sliced up by an angry swordsman who just wants back what they stole. As with David Lam in part one, Jacky Cheung (in a brand new role) beheads them all, with the blood splashing up Tony Leung's face ala Leslie Cheung in his original opening!

And so it goes on. While it may certainly have many similarities to the first, A Chinese Ghost Story 3 almost makes fun of it at the same time (without being too ridiculous) and looks like it had a much higher production value than its predecessors.

Lau Siu Ming returns as the Tree Devil, looking fresh and even more twisted after his century of imprisonment. It doesn't take long for ghostly vixen Joey Wong to entice a group of men indoors, and soon we get to see that killer tongue back in action! In fact, quite a number of tongues...

The awesome Tony Leung is a great replacement to Leslie Cheung, adding a great charm and likeability to his character with perfect comic timing and acting. I really enjoyed him in this role!

As mentioned, Joey Wong is back, and thankfully as a ghost again since her change of roles in part 2. She tries her luck seducing the young monk, and after failing, unleashes some insane hair as a weapon. It didn't last long, but it was a pretty cool sight - And Nina Li Chi joins in the fun as a ghostly colleague of Wong's also.

The cinematography is as awesome as always, playing with colour, light and smoke with plenty of great shots throughout and wonderful night-lighting. Although a remake of sorts, the film still comes across fresh, with a cinematic seductiveness that is helped along for a third time by the beautiful score from James Wong and Romeo Diaz.

The end battle just goes from 0 - 100 in seconds, bringing to the screen some of the most insane stuff ever committed to film. From giant killer tongues to huge rock monsters, an evil house that comes to life, a flying carpet, Tony Leung becoming a golden buddha, and Jacky Cheung's super armour that allows him to run like The Flash, rivalling that of Zu Warriors for its sheer madness, inventiveness and energy!

Overall: Tsui Hark and Ching Siu Tung succeed in closing one of the greatest Hong Kong trilogies with a fantastically fun chapter that highly entertains!

While essentially a remake of the original Chinese Ghost Story, this third installment has higher production values and greater subtlety in both the acting and the story. Tony Leung is particularly good. CGS III is a gorgeous, moving film.