Fought traffic all the way there on Friday, arrived just in time, and then stood in a line that was little more than half a dozen people long that took over 20 mins, so I thought I was late and hecka ****ed, but no, the film was delayed for the 4 of us in the audience and didn't start until 15 mins after it was supposed to, after I complained, but there was this old dude talking loudly to his date about kung fu and that was hysterical as he was sorely misinformed about many things, so it's all good. Well, no, no it wasn't. There was a problem with the subs so of the 100s of subtitles that should have appeared, we got about 2 dozen total at complete random points. ******. No subs. As y'all know, I'm pretty accustomed to that, but still...I ****ing paid for this film.

Anyway, TCH picks up right where TC0 left off, but it lacks much of the experimental aspects, the videogame/comic book sensibilities that made the first film outstanding. Also, some of the more interesting characters, like the little Chen village girl, don't really do much. Choreography is a lot of wire work, even though it's by Sammo. I could have used a few more fights. I didn't see it in 3D, but the film seemed very HD, exacerbated by Fung's penchant for extreme close-ups where faces take up one entire side of the screen so they are like 20 feet tall on the big screen, making us painfully aware of every pore in Leung's face (although not so bad with Angelbaby, no, not so bad at all).

This was planned as a trilogy and the final scene is a super awesome tease - SPOILER the beaten villain goes to a steampunk skull-shaped asylum for repairs. END SPOILER. Hopefully, part 3 will regain more of the spirit of part 1. Given that final scene, I'm all in for that.

Tai Chi Hero: Film Review
1:24 PM PDT 4/26/2013 by Frank Scheck

This video game-influenced martial arts epic pummels you into submission with its sheer sensory overload.

The sequel to "Tai Chi Zero" delivers more of the frenetic kung fu action sequences that fans crave.

Audiences who didn’t get enough of the hyper-stylized, video-game inspired martial arts mayhem on display in last year’s Tai Chi Zero will no doubt return for more with Stephen Fung’s sequel, the second entry in a proposed trilogy. But while Tai Chi Hero offers plenty of the kung-fu action that fans crave, it’s less successful on the narrative front. It’s best to leave your mind at the door and simply take in the eye-popping visuals.

The film continues the adventures of Lu Chan (Jayden Yuan), the eager student who inexplicably turns into a fighting machine whenever a particular spot is touched on his head. Living in the village where every resident is a martial arts master, he’s now married to Yuniang (Angelababy), the beautiful daughter of its leader (Tony Leung Ka Fai).

When Yuniang’s prodigal brother (Feng Shaofeng) returns home warning about an ancient prophecy that the town will be destroyed by the presence of an interloper, it turns the town against Lu Chan. It also foreshadows a ruthless attack by the previous film’s villain (Eddie Peng) who’s in cahoots with a crooked British railroad tycoon (amusingly played by Swedish actor Peter Stormare).

It’s all just an excuse for an endless series of frenetic action set pieces rendered in heavily stylized fashion that includes extensive use of pop-up graphics, slow-motion, gravity defying leaps and other visual flourishes resembling video games. Once again expertly choreographed by Hong Kong action veteran Sammo Hung, they’re undeniably entertaining if at times wearying in their sheer sensory overload.

As with the first installment, this one also features a distinct steampunk flavor, particularly with the old-fashioned flying machine that’s called into action against the evildoers’ legions of cannons.

Opens April 26 (Well Go USA)
Production: Huayi Brothers & Taihe Film Investment
Cast: Jaden Yuan, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Angelababy, Eddie Peng, Feng Shaofeng, Peter Stormare, Daniel Wu
Director: Stephen Fung
Screenwriter: Kuo-fu Chen
Producer: Wang Zhongjun
Directors of photography: Yiu-Fai Lai, Peter Ngor
Not rated, 100 min.