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Unlike so many sequels that have little to do with the original, A Chinese Ghost Story II, carried on the tale of low-level scholar and tax collector, Ning Choi San played once again by Leslie Cheung. Tony Ching Siu Tung returned behind the camera and Joey Wong in a new role in front of it.
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.
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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