Chinese Ghost Story series

  • Sien lui yau wan III: Dou dou dou [A Chinese Ghost Story III] (1991)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (In French, On Cable TV, May 2022) This third entry in the consistently enjoyable series A Chinese Ghost Story course-corrects slightly, going back to the smaller scale and more romantic underpinnings of the first film compared to the wilder, wider scope of the first sequel. The result may be a slight downgrade, but it’s certainly not dull or unenjoyable: With the dynamic camera muscling itself a place in the cast of characters, ambitious pre-digital special effects, fog-filled atmosphere and the wild swings of the film’s imagination, this third entry feels entirely consistent with the previous two films. The story focuses on two monks (the incomparable Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Jacky Cheung) as they go through many of the motions of the first film’s plot, focusing more on romance while not forgetting about the fantasy fighting along the way. I’m impressed at the way the film’s 1990s patina has endured quite well – A Chinese Ghost Story III is a great example of how in-your-face filmmaking can still manage to impress even the next generations of cinephiles. If you’re going to see any of the previous two films, make it a triple-bill. Or stretch the fun over several evenings.

  • Sien lui yau wan II: Yan gaan dou [A Chinese Ghost Story II] (1990)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (In French, On Cable TV, May 2022) I remembered just enough of the first Chinese Ghost Story to be looking forward to the sequel… and I remembered correctly: Anyone looking for a charmingly low-tech film very much in the Evil Dead vein could do much worse than have a look at this fog-drenched maximalist take on fantasy film. This second instalment goes wide in presenting an ensemble cast fighting against demons and imperial soldiers, with plenty of wire-enhanced fighting, wild monstrous creatures and some memorable set-pieces. Director Ching Siu-tung has a lot of fun staging the mayhem, and star Leslie Cheung makes for a great protagonist. The romantic content of the first film (hastily summarized in the sequel’s first few seconds) is clearly toned down in favour of demonic sword-fighting, and that’s fine – it’s enough of a departure to be distinctive. Now, I’m clearly catching only a fraction of A Chinese Ghost Story II’s allusion to Chinese mythology – but the result is high-energy enough that I don’t care all that much. (Although keeping an eye on the Wikipedia plot summary may help keep your bearings.)  This is old-school horror fun with plenty of comedy to soften the blow, and enough fun with the camera (almost a character by itself) to still wow more than thirty years later.