Tai Chi II

Since I have been practicing Tai Chi for a little while, I like to watch movies that have Tai Chi in them. This one has some cool wire work, but also some great Tai Chi. It's also got a cute story. I think anybody who likes martial arts films would enjoy this movie.

Most Westerners will probably be drawn to "Tai Chi Boxer" by Yuen Woo Ping's name, but I think it is a movie targeted primarily at Chinese audiences, who will probably respond more to its themes and period setting. The story is uncompelling, but the martial arts action choreography is spectacular and fascinating. Although Yuen Woo Ping sometimes resorts to wires, he lets the action stay on the ground long enough to let you appreciate the skills of the several martial artists who appear in the film. Jackie Wu, in his film debut, has graceful moves, and the fact that he is not very muscular makes his victories even more impressive; he really does make you believe that Tai Chi is the most powerful form of kung fu (especially when you add a mean ponytail to it). The guy who plays the main villain is fantastic - he seemed REALLY angry at all times. It is also a pleasure to see Sibelle Hu (one of the sexiest and most expressive actresses of Hong Kong cinema, in my opinion) in what is, according to IMDb, her last film role to date. (**1/2)

Jacky Wu (former student of the beijing wushu team, who formed Jet li) plays Jackie: a young man that has to fight opium dealers. Most of the time, the fights look quite nice but the acting is so terrible (particularly from the white villain). There is also a cheap love story between Christy Chung and Jacky Wu and sometimes you can even see the cables in the fight scenes, particularly in the final fight. This movie deserves a 7.5/10 just because of the action sequences, nicely choreographed by one of the great: Yuen Woo ping.

In the grand scheme of martial arts movies,"Tai Chi II" (not a sequel) is junk. However, for martial arts enthusiasts it might qualify as a B-flick. A sort of dramady about a young Chinese puritan student who wants to win the affections of a hottie while ridding his land of the evils of opium, this flick breaks no new ground as it finds one excuse after another for Wu to do all the same old tired Kung Fu moves we seen a gazillion times before...with the exception using his braid like a whip (yeah, right). Save some pretty scenery including Chung and identifying some of the Tai Chi position used during the fight (eg: leaping lizard, holy cow, etc.), this flick is pure cornball Kung Fu with the same sound effect used for every punch, missed-by-a-mile choreography, and lame wire fu. Lacking the grit of Bruce Lee, the inventiveness and personality of Jackie Chan, and the elegance of "Crouching Tiger...", "Tai Chi II" is just more junk food for martial art film freaks. (C)

It's a Jackie Chan-ish martial arts movie with dangerous stunts, hair attacks, and peculiar meditations (among other things). The movie is sly yet undemanding, but it's not very well made. Then again, we don't watch this kind of movie to see lavish sets or high acting talent.