THE BRAVE ARCHER II is a direct follow-on from the events of the first movie, which you must have seen in order to make any sense of this. Sure, the events of the first movie are shown in a very quick recap at the outset, but the plotting is so dense and so complex in these movies that you simply must watch each of them in turn, very closely indeed.
This sequel suffers from being the second part of a continuing series, which means that there's no real beginning, middle, or end. Alexander Fu Sheng and his bride return and once again find themselves in a complex martial world in which different factions are competing for possession of a martial arts manual that has the power to teach the user super powers.
What this all amounts to is a well-shot display of world-building with the typically superior sets and costume design that Shaw were famous for. How Run Run Shaw never got an honorary Oscar I'll never know. Fu Sheng is quite good here, but overshone by the exemplary supporting cast. Some actors are changed from the original but it's not too confusing. It's notable that the Venoms were now stars so Lo Meng goes from being a background guy in the first film to a top climactic villain in this film. The action is better this time around, more intense and graphic.
Lu Feng and Chiang Sheng are back too, and although they don't have a great deal of screen time they're both fun to watch. Li Yi-Min is good again as the spoilt prince and Wang Lung Wei does menacing very nicely. The film has some early computerised special effects which are fun and bring to mind the likes of STAR WARS as well as the fantasy fare that Shaw would make throughout the 1980s. Some of the broadly comic moments, like Wei chasing the buffoonish Phillip Kwok around, are funny. Sun Chien is a welcome albeit brief presence and Dick Wei is back in a different part. Danny Lee also has a good character arc here. Tune in for the next instalment...
This sequel suffers from being the second part of a continuing series, which means that there's no real beginning, middle, or end. Alexander Fu Sheng and his bride return and once again find themselves in a complex martial world in which different factions are competing for possession of a martial arts manual that has the power to teach the user super powers.
What this all amounts to is a well-shot display of world-building with the typically superior sets and costume design that Shaw were famous for. How Run Run Shaw never got an honorary Oscar I'll never know. Fu Sheng is quite good here, but overshone by the exemplary supporting cast. Some actors are changed from the original but it's not too confusing. It's notable that the Venoms were now stars so Lo Meng goes from being a background guy in the first film to a top climactic villain in this film. The action is better this time around, more intense and graphic.
Lu Feng and Chiang Sheng are back too, and although they don't have a great deal of screen time they're both fun to watch. Li Yi-Min is good again as the spoilt prince and Wang Lung Wei does menacing very nicely. The film has some early computerised special effects which are fun and bring to mind the likes of STAR WARS as well as the fantasy fare that Shaw would make throughout the 1980s. Some of the broadly comic moments, like Wei chasing the buffoonish Phillip Kwok around, are funny. Sun Chien is a welcome albeit brief presence and Dick Wei is back in a different part. Danny Lee also has a good character arc here. Tune in for the next instalment...