While Fung's attempts to err on the side of seriousness in this one after the stylized video-game high jinks of its predecessor are clearly purposeful, they don't necessarily make for a more pleasurable viewing experience.
Overview
Chinese steampunk martial arts blockbuster about the early years of Tai chi master Yang Luchan, the man who founded in the 19th century what has now become the most popular Tai Chi style in the world. The second instalment of the "Tai Chi" trilogy continues the journey of Yang Luchan, a gifted child with a fleshy growth on his forehead who helped save a village from a frightening army of steampunk soldiers bearing strange machines with the knowledge of Tai Chi that they entrusted him with.
Director and cast
- Stephen Fung Director
- Jayden Yuan as Yang Lu Chan
- Tony Leung Ka-fai as Chen Chang Xing
- Eddie Peng Yu-Yan as Fang Zi Jing
- AngelaBaby as Chen Yu Niang
- William Fung Kwun-Man as Chen Zai Yang
- Daniel Wu as Mad Monk
- Patrick Tse Yin as 10th Grandmaster
- Yuen Biao as Master Li
- Peter Stormare as Duke Fleming
- Mickey Yuan Wen-Kang as Prince Dun
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
There's less of the hyperventilated genre-pinging (video games, manga, comic books) from the first film. But there's still a nagging, cartoonish emptiness ...
"Tai Chi Hero" merely fills the eye, offering little that stays with you.
Purist fans of martial arts cinema probably won't embrace this film any more than its predecessor.
This sequel is sluggish and rote where its predecessor was aggressively perky and desperate to please.
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