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Ning Choi San returns home with a broken heart having lost his ghost love Siu Sin recently. The town is in tatters, run by hooligans and before he knows it, he’s thrown in jail by bounty collectors who aren’t concerned with correctly identifying their targets. In the jail he becomes acquainted with his cellmate who is a prolific and slightly mad writer. On the day of Ning’s execution, Elder Chu gives him his medallion and a book as he shows him the secret tunnel out of the jail. After escaping, Ning runs into a Taoist priest, rebels intent on rescuing a wrongly accused official, a monster ghost, imperial guards, a demon who disguises himself as a giant Buddha, a giant centipede…oh, and Siu Sin’s doppelgänger.
The story was all over the place with different elements competing for the viewer’s attention. Yet, I can’t say that I was ever bored. Leslie Cheung was beautiful as the courageous and vulnerable Ning. Joey Wong was given a stronger role here as the heroine Fu Ching Fung. I liked that despite Fu’s sister also developing a crush on Ning (I mean, who wouldn’t?), the two never fought over him or split up over him. The romance was rushed, but with Leslie and Joey, I was willing to let it slide. I can’t say that I’m a fan of Jacky Cheung but I found him entertaining in this role as the comedic ground burrowing Taoist priest willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Waise Lee had a nice part as Swordsman Hu who came to recognize good from evil even as he tried to fulfill his mission. Wu Ma showed up near the end of the film to once again help save the day as Swordsman Yan in an atrocious wig and beard.
The special effects weren’t very special but it was 1990. If Godzilla’s rubber suit had caught on fire and melted, it would have looked similar to the first monster ghost. There were plenty of sparkly explosions and laser lights. When Wu Ma made his dramatic entrance, I could see the wires. Maybe attention to detail wasn’t terribly important in this film.
Despite the clunky attempt to tie several plot lines and monsters together into a somewhat cohesive story, I enjoyed A Chinese Ghost Story II. It was fun, silly, melodramatic, romantic, and action packed. You just need to put your brain in a time machine to remember or discover an era when special effects were very low tech and focus on how disturbingly charismatic Leslie Cheung was. (RIP)
28 October 2026
Trigger warnings: Snakes in one scene-a lot of them. A body hacked in half. Disemboweled people. A character was dis-armed.
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Truly mad
Picking up shortly from where the first film left off, A Chinese Ghost Story II is a very entertaining sequel, one that amps up the horror, comedy and special effects wizardry. Providing the same type of action and romance that made the first film so popular, this sequel has its faults because it can't match the first film's originality or ability to surprise. Still, as Tsui Hark's thinly disguised response to Tiananmen Square, the film works wonders, criticising authorities and reflecting on the meaning of hope. This is a film made to go all out to please and thrill an audience. All stops are ignored in this wild rollercoaster, one with stunning colour and photography, wild changes of pace and characters suddenly and unexpectedly changing form all over the place. Surrealistic scenes, gorgeous music, suspenseful situations and imaginative production designs accompany the great performances by the cast. Although A Chinese Ghost Story II is very good, it doesn't quite compete with the amazing beauty of the original, regardless, this is still very worth checking out for something a little bit more mad.Was this review helpful to you?
