Tai Chi II (1996)

In the grand scheme of martial arts movies,"Tai Chi II" (not a sequel) is junk. However, for martial arts enthusiasts it might qualify as a B-flick. A sort of dramady about a young Chinese puritan student who wants to win the affections of a hottie while ridding his land of the evils of opium, this flick breaks no new ground as it finds one excuse after another for Wu to do all the same old tired Kung Fu moves we seen a gazillion times before...with the exception using his braid like a whip (yeah, right). Save some pretty scenery including Chung and identifying some of the Tai Chi position used during the fight (eg: leaping lizard, holy cow, etc.), this flick is pure cornball Kung Fu with the same sound effect used for every punch, missed-by-a-mile choreography, and lame wire fu. Lacking the grit of Bruce Lee, the inventiveness and personality of Jackie Chan, and the elegance of "Crouching Tiger...", "Tai Chi II" is just more junk food for martial art film freaks. (C)