This is as good as a sequel can get, fantastic stuff and almost as good as the 1st, if that's possible!. All the characters were fantastic again, and the fight choreography was simply incredible, plus i really dug the awesome character development again. The Story is is really awesome, and the fight scenes really blew me out of my seat, and the setting was really awesome, plus the finale is simply amazing!. It started off pretty slowly,but it was never boring, and The opening was very funny, plus Jet Li was simply amazing in this!. i really loved the added humor in this, as it had me chuckling, and while the story is not quite as powerful, it still packs quite a wallop and there are lots of great emotional moments, plus Jet and Rosamund Kwan had great chemistry once again!. This is as good as a sequel can get, fantastic stuff and almost as good as the 1st, and i say it's a must see at all costs!. The Direction is fantastic!. Hark Tsui does a fantastic job here, with some incredible camera work, amazing shots during the fight scenes, great angles, and lots of other amazing shots, plus he kept the film at an incredibly fast pace!. There is a bit of blood and violence. We get gory arrow hits,bloody corpses,knife in the leg, impaling in the neck, and lots of other gory impaling's. The Acting is excellent!. jet Li is AMAZING as always, and is amazing here, he is extremely likable, excellent in the acting department, had very good chemistry with Rosamund Kwan, kicked that ass, and added some great humor as well! (Jet Rules!). Rosamund Kwan is great here as the Aunt once again, although she has a lot less to do, she still was great. Xin Xin Xiongis great here and was pretty menacing. Siu Chung Mok is great as Foon and was very funny.Donnie Yen is AMAZING as General Lan, he was extremely menacing, is a brilliant martial artist, and had one of the best fight scenes ever with Jet! (Donnie Rules!). Ka-Kui Ho is good as Mak and added class Rest of the cast, are great. Overall a must see at all costs!. ***** out of 5

The sequel to the Hong Kong classic features a returning Jet Li and Rosamund Kwan, as well as returning director Tsui Hark, but the same team can't quite match the dynamism or magic of the original movie. ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA II is a sometimes leaden movie, that deals with a fun but seen-it-all-before plot involving lots of East-meets-West culture clashing, except this time from the Chinese point of view.

The movie isn't totally bad, indeed there are some splendid action sequences which help to redeem it, but as a whole it feels slightly spoiled by a leaden pacing and a plot which, as is the case with a number of Hong Kong movies saves all the major action for the last half an hour. Things begin with a virtual repeat of the opening of the first movie, as we witness some impressive strongmen who are impervious to bullets, fire and blades. Of course Li must fight these guys in a stunning battle which is expertly choreographed by Yuen Woo-ping, but nevertheless seems shoe-horned onto the rest of the political plot.

Production values are fine as is Tsui Hark's assured direction, and there's no faulting the performances or the martial arts moves on show. Particularly good is the returning Rosamund Kwan, who has a more romantic and funny character this time around. Li is an able centrepiece for the action, although some moments are stolen by the brilliant Donnie Yen, whose martial skills are unbeaten. His skill here is with a piece of deadly cloth, and there's plenty of high-spirited pole-fighting too to enjoy. The final neck-slashing climax is wicked, but this still doesn't take away the feeling that this is a virtual reprise of the original movie, lacking its integrity if not the action.

It's 1895. Some in China are rejecting the Western world. Wong Fei-Hung (Jet Li),13th Aunt (Rosamund Kwan),and Leung Foon are in Canton to attend a medical conference. The White Lotus Sect is a local Boxer-like group fighting all things western. Commander Lan (Donnie Yen) is the local military leader. At the conference, Wong Fei-Hung is befriended by Dr. Sun Yat-Sen who would be the future father of the Chinese Republic.

This is a good sequel although a bit less than the first movie. Wong Fei-Hung has moments of anger which makes him less appealing. The movie is trying very hard to fit into Chinese history. On the possible side, it does have Donnie Yen in it. There are some very good fights but nothing so cinematic as the ladder fight. I do appreciate the closed-in room of the climatic fight but Lan's weapon is more limited by that space. The room and the weapon don't fit together. I like claustrophobic fights. Maybe if that's Wong Fei-Hung's weapon, he would feel disadvantaged which would make him a bigger underdog which is often a good thing in a sports movie. All in all, this is good, very good in fact, but I do have some issues.