7/10
It might be the third, but still as good as the first
12 November 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This is the third, and to date final, installment in the Chinese Ghost Story saga. I do not know if there are going to be any more made, but Des Mangan seems to think that by this one the story is being stretched at little thin. There is little that I can say about this one that I have not said about the other two, but I will talk about this movie nonetheless.

Chinese Ghost Story 3 has a very similar plot to number one. At the end of number one, the tree demon was defeated but was laid to rest for 100 years. Now 100 years have passed and a new generation walks the earth. The characters have changed, but the tree demon is still there. She awakens, gets some more ghosts, and begins her terror anew. This in essence the plot returns to that of the first movie.

The second movie digressed a lot because it dealt with a wider area and a greater evil, but Chinese Ghost Story was not really about ghosts. This movie returns to the ghosts, but there is a slight difference in the characters. In this movie, the main character is a Buddhist Monk traveling with his master. They find shelter in the temple and the master learns that there are demons about. While the master is out, a ghost comes into the monastery and attempts to seduce the young monk, but she fails as the monk has vowed to refrain from the pleasures of the world. The monk goes to kill the ghost, but decides to set her free. The ghost, Phoey, live a life, and death, or decadent slavery and prostitution. She had never know love or friendship, and is surprised when the monk shows this to her.

The monk is similar. He never had a family and was brought up by the master to reject the world and focus on the spiritual. The monk is a bit of a bumbler and is constantly breaking things and getting him and others into trouble. The one thing is that he learns to love and to care of Phoey, and the conflicts between these two characters is what this movie focuses on.

In essence, this movie does not let down on the Hong Kong action, nor does it let down on those cool effects, like people flying everywhere. My friend Joanne Chong, who also watches Hong Kong movies, says she doesn't like these dark movies with people flying around, but I personally think that they are great.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed