Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force (2025)

So Many Icons, So Little Story Progress

If someone asks, “Do we need to watch the first part before watching Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force?”
The answer is: YES. 100%.

Personally, I have mixed feelings about the second part. Compared to the first one, the vibe is noticeably different. In part one, it felt super exciting to see all these iconic characters we’re familiar with gathered in one film with a solid storyline. Part two, on the other hand, is supposed to continue and develop the story and characters until the big climax—but honestly, I didn’t feel like there was much progress in the main plot. Maybe they’re saving it for part 3?

In the first movie, I really liked Ji Fa, Yin Jiao, Ne Zha, Jiang Ziya, Yang Jian and even Su Daji. But in the second movie, the one who absolutely stole the spotlight was Deng Chanyu! She’s such a girl crush. A total badass female general. She’s strong, confident, fearless—like, she actually feels like a general who’s been through war. Not like those so-called "female generals" in idol dramas who look more like pampered noble ladies—full-on peach makeup, innocent vibes—and we’re supposed to believe they’ve been through war as general just because they ride a horse in a general outfit. Deng Chanyu is what a real female general should look like. Most idol dramas should take a note!

Sadly, I feel like her potential wasn’t used to the fullest. The second half of the movie was kinda weak. The romance involving her felt forced. There was also a political subplot that could’ve been much better, but I won’t go into it because spoilers. Either way, I’ll let it slide because Nashi absolutely killed it as Deng Chanyu—her charisma was unreal.

Now let’s talk about Yin Jiao—he’s BACK, guys! (as expected) And he’s seriously OP. The master (played by Chen Kun) even turned fully white-haired just to bring him back. But it feels like they toned him down on purpose. Like, he’s obviously super powerful and should’ve been a key player in the final battle because he is a new hidden card, but he’s held back—probably because he’s not the main character. Same thing with Ne Zha. His powers didn’t hit as hard this time. Surprisingly, Yang Jian, the Kunlun Immortal, ended up being more memorable than both Yin Jiao and Ne Zha during the final battle. Oh, and I gotta say—the CGI for Yin Jiao is kinda cartoony. Sometimes it legit feels like he doesn’t even belong in the same movie lol.

And Ji Fa… well, he’s the main lead, so of course they made him the center of everything. But it kinda feels like the rest of the characters had to be nerfed just so he could shine. Like he got all the credit just because he’s the lead. Maybe that’s a writing or directing issue from the start. It should’ve felt like he was important effortlessly—like his presence and actions naturally made him stand out, not just because we’re told, “Hey, he’s the main character.” If we have to remind ourselves that he’s the lead, then something’s off with how the story built him up. A good protagonist just commands attention without forcing it.

Overall, it’s still a fun and entertaining film—especially if you’re into cool characters and big battle scenes. And I honestly can’t wait for Part 3.

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An everlasting spirit of breathtaking and fantastic adventure !

It's rare for the second film in a trilogy to be better than the first, but this is definitely the case here ! It's been a long time since we've had such a good Chinese movie.
This second part was incredible : super action scenes, the acting was good, very creative directing, a great cast with a lovely chemistry. It was epic, highly entertaining, filled with splendor, glory and epic tragedy.
The direction is really nice and also very convincing. You can tell that the team behind this film was highly motivated and put a lot of effort, love, and rigor into depicting the story as best as possible. A boundless energy emanate from this movie. It really feels like a breathtaking tragic adventure !!
The aesthetics, sets, costumes, and landscapes are reminiscent of many classic fims from Hong Kong & China, which I really appreciated.
The writing succeeds in combining extremely serious and triggering subject matter but also very specific to tragedies (such as perfidy, the themes of justice and revenge, legacy, legitimacy, what is right, good or bad, love, desire, the occult, friendship, the group, self-esteem, jealousy, the question of beauty, strength, the extremes that can provoke power or the monopoly of power, courage, spirituality, the idea of duty etc.) with a lot of humor, and a truly wonderful and adventurous childlike spirit (in a good way).

Some acting perfs could've been far better, I wish we got more depth through the dialogues.

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