Green Snake

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DanTheMan 2 Upon this ancestral stage, even the most virtuous are drawn in by the temptations of Maggie Cheung and Joey Wong. A rich ethereal tapestry of stunning colour, kitsch illusionism and slow-motion eroticism, Green Snake has been on my radar for a while now but little prepared me for how vividly imaginative it would end up being. A profound metaphor for the frailties of humanity and the fallacy of religion, Tsui Hark's take on the White Snake folk tale left him plenty of time to ruminate on what would happen post-1997. The snakes are depicted as creatures simply seeking to live their lives in the human world, but they face denial and persecution from strict societal norms and overzealous individuals enforcing the so-called "natural order." The primary enforcer of these rules is devoted monk, Fa-Hoi, who is also shown to be just as susceptible to desire, anger, and even hypocrisy as the snakes. While the snakes seek love, family, and hope, Fa-Hoi and his Buddhist enforcers are denying the very humanity that they claim to be upholding. Fate, love, sex, hate, religion and desire all play a role in eventually bringing down the world the two snakes attempt to build. The allegory here is obvious, Fa-Hoi’s large red surplice only means one thing: China. Beyond the film's fangs with its messaging, it's directed with all of Tsui's usual flair for the kaleidoscopic that's part art-house wuxia, part softcore smut but all beauty. Bringing weight to the proceedings are fantastic performances from its central trio with Maggie Cheung and Joey Wong turning in gorgeous performances as the sister snakes, while Vincent Zhao gets an equal opportunity to shine when the two ladies aren't bathing in the limelight. The art direction, outstanding musical score and beautiful costume design all add to the spectacle, really I only have slight niggles with the hilariously charming rubber snakes and horrendous early CGI which are thankfully kept to a minimum, other than that, Green Snake is a must-watch. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/27/24 Full Review Yuri N It's a good-looking movie that has art and culture. Bathing music and falling lotus flowers It's a worthwhile movie. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/09/24 Full Review x s Pretty good fairytale romantic movie but the early 90s special effects look hilariously dated now. Maggie Cheung is great as the naive yet seductive title character exploring human sexuality. The pacing of the fight scenes also feels weird compared to modern movies but the tragic ending is classic. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Pretentious Power Rangers. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Absolutely riveting. Profound and beautiful film that is also fun to watch. I don't know why this hasn't won a ton of rewards and recognition. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member I find it a bit of a shame that this unfocused cover makes the film look like second rate B-movie when it is not. It bears Tsui's handwriting that can be seen in other works such as the Chinese Ghost Story series or A Terra-Cotta Warrior. The visuals are colourful and beautiful to the point of traditional Chinese art. The lead actresses Wang and Cheung deliver a great performance being cheeky temptresses but also vulnerable despite their power. On top of that there is an epic traditional music score. All that easily lets you forget that some of the visual effects have not aged very well and look awfully dated. The only thing that bothered me was the hectic editing, which even seemed to skip important bits and which made the this version look like the rough cut rather than a finished release. All in all though a visually and emotionally powerful experience that I would highly recommend. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Green Snake

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