Black Mask 2: City of Masks (2002) User Reviews

Rob Vam Dam is in it!

[gary_brennan · 5/10 · 16 April 2003]

Not really sure if I like this one or not, so I gave it 5/10.

There were some well choreographed fight scenes and some nice CG environments involved, but on the other hand there were some really poorly strung together stunts (where you could actually still see the safety lines attached to the actors) and some quite appalling CG work on some of the monster shots. The sometimes bad incorporation of some half hearted GC work really put the film down when they could have spent a little more time tidying up the film. One thing to mention as you've probably heard is that RVD is in this film, which is pretty cool, although he doesn't say an awful lot he seems to act better than expected. Shame they gave him such a stupid name really (The Claw) - isn't that what Jim Carrey was in Liar, Liar? You may also spot Tyler Mane (of X-Men fame) in there too. Andy On, does a fairly good job of taking over from Jet Li, but it's always hard trying to carry a sequel on your own, let alone carry on a sequel whilst replacing someone with a lot of Hollywood exposure. There was some pretty crappy acting in some parts, mostly from extras trying to react to what was on screen, but most of the main actors did ok (including all wrestlers). Overall, I'd say if you are expecting Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, go someplace else, if you want an entertaining light hearted attempt at the Super Hero genre (Green Hornett) then sure rent this out and have a laugh.

You smell it????

[Jester69 · 3/10 · 3 January 2003]

It's this movie, it stinks. I don't even know what to say. I bought this crap because I liked the first one a lot and figured it can't be that bad since the first one is no masterpiece. This movie is a steaming pile of dung. It is worth a rent just to see how bad it is but don't get ripped like me and buy this crap. I have to admit though, I laughed more during this movie than most comedies.

No good

[TheOtherFool · 3/10 · 4 October 2004]

Not much is left of the original Hak Hap, in which Jet Li went out to kick some ass wearing a silly little mask. This time, the language is English, Li's gone and the story became even wackier.

The Black Mask has to fight a group of crazed and drugged up wrestlers who become demons in the process... it's got something to do with a DNA altering or whatever. In the mean time, someone is killing all the major scientists on the field of genetics... what does one thing have in common with the other?

Confusing, silly, boring, let's hope this will be the end of the Black Mask... 3/10.

Has its moments

[dmoynihan · 21 January 2003]

come on, can any film with former Porn Star Traci Lords in a supporting role as a genetically modified pro-wrestler/reptilian creature be all that bad?

I've only seen the (apparently lousy) version of Jet Li's Black Mask, but this one is at least as good as that other piece of garbage. There are elements of Roller Ball here, a mixing of Australian and Thai cinematic cultures, and yeah, the whole thing loses me with its maudlin kid.

But didn't you giggle a little bit, if only unintentionally, at the Doctor who went paralytic whenever she was touched by a man?

A fine adolescent pass-time, worth it as the second DVD you rent.

Or maybe third.

OK, the dialogue blew.

Black Belt it ain't ...

[kosmasp · 1/10 · 5 February 2007]

Not even "Black Mask" (that's referring to the at least funny attempts in the first movie with Jet Lee)! And I won't even go there to talk about actors (nonexistent or at least maybe hiding behind a "mask"?!?) or a plot (also nonexistent, but even if you tried to search for it you wouldn't find it behind any mask!).

Now if we'd leave those two facts out of the equation, you still could have a fun decent little b-movie here. But you read right (not only the 1 star I gave it, but also the word "could"!)! Nope, this movie isn't only (un-)funny, it has also a really bad action choreographer. Or maybe it was all the stunt teams fault who knows. But if you got no plot and not even decent acting, than the least you should have in a b-movie action picture is a few decent action scenes ... And there are nowhere to be found ... (btw. even the appearing/listed Rob van Dam (WWE/ECW) can't elevate this movie, for any fans out there!)

Final Conclusion: You shouldn't bother to watch it (imo)

Utter Junk

[simon_booth · 2/10 · 26 January 2003]

The first Black Mask was not a great a movie, but it was not a really bad movie either, and contained at least some excellent action courtesy of Yuen Wo Ping and Jet Li. No Jet Li for the sequel, but Wo Ping is back and this time Tsui Hark steps up from producer to producer & director. The movie was actually completed back in 2001, but shelved by Columbia Tristar until Christmas 2002, when they decided the world was finally ready for Black Mask 2.

Well they were wrong. The world will probably never be ready for Black Mask 2, at least so long as there is any other possible source of entertainment to be had on the planet. Tsui Hark, Tsui Hark, Tsui Hark... what have you done? Now I'm usually a sucker for the comic book CGI fests... loved Stormriders, loved Avenging Fist, watched Legend Of Zu twice and even kind of enjoyed The Wesley's Mysterious Files. But even I cannot avoid or deny the fact that Black Mask 2 is utter crap!

Where to begin with the flaws? Well, the script for a start... incoherent cheese with zero wit or style that feels like it was written by 1st graders. On crack. Actually the story is credited to Tsui Hark, Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud - the latter two writers also responsible for the story for recent flop The Touch. The script was adapted from the story by two more gwei los... it's a really sad fact that HK movie makers seem to feel they need to hire Western writers to make good movies now, because all experience so far has been of disaster. Perhaps the writers were forced on Tsui Hark by Sony though, who bankrolled the project. Whoever, whatever the logic, it was a bad bad plan. Amateurish, dull and frankly a bit weird (the weird is probably Tsui Hark's contribution though), the script makes Black Mask 2 feel like a really bad made for Sci-Fi Channel b-movie.

But it's not just the script! There's also the awful, awful acting - the totally ridiculous female scientist love interest being the worst... no wait, Terence Yin maybe, though he was thankfully only in the movie for a short time. But *everybody* acted badly to some degree - former porn queen Traci Lords was probably the best actor in the film.

And then... then there's the special effects. Rubber monster suits! Fake prosthetics! TV grade make up! Lots and lots of really awful CGI! Oh god, the horror. Nowhere near the quality of Legend Of Zu or Avenging Fist.

At least there's the action, which pops up now and then and occasionally kicks some ass - you can really tell the Yuen Wo Ping shots in there, because they shine like diamonds in elephant crap. Lead actor Andy On actually has some decent moves, though the real deal martial arts is only punctuation fights that are mostly written in CGI and hit-or-miss wirework. Even ace editor Marco Mak seems to have been drunk or asleep or something, as his normally fluid editing of action scenes is well off. The one thing you can normally count on Tsui Hark to do well is shoot cool action, but here he lets us down in this respect too.

I was prepared for the worst already, having read not one positive comment about the movie... but even expecting so little I couldn't believe how bad the movie is. Tsui Hark's has always been quite variable but usually at least varied from 'ok' to 'excellent'. Here he hits rock bottom, certainly the worst movie of his career.

What happened? How could it all have gone so horribly horribly wrong?

Avoid!

X-men go home!

[winner55 · 5/10 · 25 June 2006]

Many critics thought that the first Black-Mask film was too over the top to be believable, let alone likable. But actually, its humor depended on its being unbelievable without being campy - a remarkable feat, largely accomplished by the actors. At any rate, as with The Heroic Trio, the humor was absolutely necessary to offset the extreme violence of the film. For me it worked.

In making this film, Tsui Hark seems to have kept one eye on developments in Hollywood surrounding the rise of the comic-book movie, of which the X-Men films became exemplary.

Big mistake. For one thing Asia has its own comic-book tradition, which has recently had a major impact in the West, so why try to make a Western style comic-book movie in China? And what is with all these professional wrestlers, anyway? we all know they're X-Men wannabes, that's why we watch professional wrestling, but who wants to see them morph into real X-Men/ Doesn't that kind of miss the point? Also, this isn't really a sequel to Black Mask at all, these are all new characters - I feel cheated! Bring back Jet Li! I wish Hark would get his eyes off Hollywood except when he makes a film there - and even then! There's nothing wrong with being Chinese - especially if you happen to be making a kung fu film!

This is a really awful movie. Spare yourself the pain.

[SoBusy · 2/10 · 7 January 2005]

I am the kind of viewer who gleefully accepts the jeers of his friends when they see his shelves full of cheesy flicks from both the action and monster genres (and those are right next to some of the finest serious attempts at film making as well mind you). YET... Even with my tolerance of more than a little stupidity in my entertainment, I found this movie to be very nearly unbearable. I only kept watching past the first 15 minutes out of a combination of morbid curiosity regarding just how bad this thing would turn out to be and sheer wonder at how in the world Traci Lords, of all people, wound up being lucky enough to find work but unlucky enough to find THIS work. Poor Traci. The years are treating you well, though. I'll give you that.

The "special" effects are, well, ineffective and the characters are as uncompelling as the almost half-hearted fight scenes are. Not trying to be too picky here, but honestly the wire work is pretty poor too, with slow and unlikely trajectories etc. I've seen work from second rate films made 10 years ago that tops this. The dialog is really absurd, and they really needn't have bothered with the plot they went for since it's so stupid and swallowed up by the copious mediocrity that strikes you at every turn in this piece of garbage. BM2 (a poor sequel to BM no matter what you decide it stands for) doesn't even take much advantage of cute Teresa Herrera, who plays the closest thing to a romantic/titillation role. I've got a sneaking suspicion that she is capable of being good in a movie, but maybe I am just going easy on her because I have a weakness for women in lab coats. Growling, sneering, silly dialog, bad effects, and a dumb story? If you like this kind of stuff, just watch pro "wrestling" for free.

Simply one of the worst movies ever made and a stain on the career of everyone involved.

[harosa · 1/10 · 3 November 2002]

This has got to be one of the biggest disappointments of the year for me. I know that the first Black Mask was no work of art, and that without Jet Li this movie wasn't going to be all that to begin with, but when I heard Tsui Hark was directing and producing, especially after the excellent Time and Tide, and that Yuen Wo Ping was doing the fight scenes I had high hopes it would rise above it's B-List cast of actors and wrestlers, especially the unknown in the lead role. Imagine a blend of the first Black Mask, toss in elements of MANIMAL, SWAMP THING 2, GUYVER 2 and the prerequisite MATRIX, and throw in some over the top WWF and comic book gimmicks and you might have some idea on what to expect, and I dont mean this in a good way. From terrible acting all around( I mean, c'mon, most are wrestlers) to some really horrid F/X and tremendous use of wires, there's nothing to recommend besides the few glimpses of some decent fighting and what started out as almost being a cool blend of an over the top action and comic book movie. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

Not brilliant, not even particularly good...

[jamie_likeskylie · 4/10 · 17 December 2003]

Not the worst film I have ever seen. The acting is not up to much. Traci Lords is a bit better than most of the others. The action is okay though although Lords is invisible for most of her action sequences. The story has a good anti drugs message for kids even though some of it may not be that suitable for all youngsters. Watch out for WWE wrestler Rob Van Damm, his acting is terrible!

bad movie,but interesting

[FilmCriticBoy · 4/10 · 23 February 2008]

I KNOW THIS IS A BAD MOVIE.The screenplay is really bad,and the actors are unknown and the budget is pretty low.But it has it's entertaining moments.The acting and the direction are decent.And this movie is original in it's own bizarre kind of way.I wouldn't recommend this movie to people who love to watch quality movies.Although it has some funny moments and good action scenes and decent CGI it is a pretty bad and trashy movie.But it is not the worst movie ever made.Have you ever watched The foreigner with Steven Seagal or Derailed with Jean Claude Van Damme.Those movies are much worse than this.This movie is at least original and it does not contain clichés.This is a bad movie,but it is not a painful experience to watch it,and it is semi-entertaining.

Unnecessary negativity towards an all-around good film

[crashman79 · 10/10 · 30 January 2003]

I don't understand why there are so many negative comments on this movie. Just watched the DVD last night, and in my opinion it was great. The effects were done nicely, the wire work is great, and Jet Li not reprising his role of the Black Mask is entirely forgivable. The only gripe I have really it took me some thought after watching the movie to figure out what animal Claw was bonded with.

Yes, it departs from the original's style, but aren't you getting tired of sequels that are just the same movie with different villians? That would kinda get like the Megaman (Rockman) video game series.... still entertaining but you've already seen it.

In all the movie was excellent, aside from the oh-so-slightly cheesy costumes when the animalists "turned" which for the most part aren't noticeable (slow-mo wasn't a good idea for a few scenes).

Those of you that are being so negative towards this movie, in my opinion, would have liked the flick a lot better if you hadn't seen the first, but I could be wrong.

Better than expected

[jhs39 · 6/10 · 20 January 2003]

I had pretty much heard nothing good about Tsui Hark's English language sequel to the Jet Li vehicle Black Mask. That coupled with the fact that most of Tsui Hark's films since Chinese Feast have been disappointing and largely incoherent, there wasn't much reason for optimism. (I used to be a huge fan of Hark's films but I couldn't even sit through Legend of Zu). Black Mask 2 is a comic book flick that recalls, sometimes self-consciously, other bigger budget Hollywood flicks such as X-Men, Spiderman and The Crow. I don't see any reason why fans of the genre wouldn't enjoy this. It's very fast paced, genuinely goofy and mostly fun. It's even got a decent script, at least compared with the impossible to follow Time and Tide and Legend of Zu, which made me think Hark had completely lost any story-telling abilities he had once possessed. The wrestlers turning into monsters might make more sophisticated viewers wince, but this seems to be aimed at a solidly adolescent audience, and anyone who finds entertainment value in pro wrestling or in rubber monster fare like ULtraman or Power Rangers should get a huge kick out of this. Don't watch expecting a classic like Once Upon A Time IN China and you will likely have a good time.

A Horifffic Omen of Things to Come

[stalinsays · 3/10 · 11 January 2003]

Black Mask 2 is not a kung fu movie, it's glitzy, over-budgeted, loathsome piece of garbage. I would rather eat bad meat then see it again.

As I watched I did not wonder why Jet Li refused to reprise his role, I wondered whether they even bothered sending him the script. The director of this movie should have been put on Ritalin. Camera shots are never held for more than a second (it's like watching MTV on fast forward), making you disoriented, and never quite able to discern what's going on. The mind melting quickness of the shots are only equaled by their p*** poor selection. The camera stares straight into lights, moves through actors, and moves around so fast you think you're on a flight simulator. To sweeten the pot, Black Mask 2 features a script so convoluted, unlikely, and out of touch, that it makes you feel like handing the screen writers behind Vin Diesel movies an Oscar.

The Kung Fu choreography reminds you of the way a director would have Tom Hanks fight; actual, impressive maneuver are completely replaced by fights confined to camera pans and zooms. Special effects are frequent, superfluous, and downright stupid. Everything that was wrong with Blade 2 can be found here multiplied to the tenth power. This movie is devoid of watchable content.

This movie will make you wish you were DEAD. I suggest it whole heartedly to my enemies.

0 out of any conceivable number of stars

Cheesy but fun...for fans of the Guyver films

[AlbertV79 · 4 January 2003]

I expected the sequel to be pretty cheesy since Jet Li couldn't reprise the role he made legendary. It's like watching one of the Guyver films, only instead of the Guyver, you have Black Mask, played decently by newcomer Andy On. There always has to be one who thinks differently of everyone and if I am the only one, so be it!!! I liked Black Mask 2, even though I don't consider it a true sequel to the original. But as a fan of the Guyver films, I enjoyed it. If you liked the Guyver films, check out this film.

No plot, but plenty of style

[kapecki · 4/10 · 27 July 2003]

Forget about the plot-it's something about injecting wrestlers with animal DNA with the intent of selling their super villain talents to the highest bidder-this sequel to the original Jet Li vehicle is strictly about action and style. Acrobatic flying fights, quick cuts, zooming cameras, and non-stop special effects ranging from the visually imaginative to the unfortunately tacky are what this film has to offer. Andy On has assumed the title role, and the addition of a tough little kid suggests that this may have been aimed at Power Rangers crowd, now in their teens. If you're willing to kick back and simply take in the visual pyrotechnics, Black Mask 2 is fun and certainly better mounted than most direct to video action sequels. If, however, you remember that director Hark Tsui once gave us `Once Upon a Time in China,' you may feel a little sad.

This was not a sequel

[ScottJarreau · 3/10 · 2 September 2014]

Normally I access the "sarcasm and analogy database" in order to tear apart films that I don't like, but for this one I'll attempt to make it plain: It was a very bad film! In spite of this, there were some entertaining elements but nothing to change it's status as a complete flop. My biggest issue with the film wasn't the bad special effects, the overly theatrical martial arts action or the lack of a stable plot (Seeing as the biggest threat in the film was a last minute idea of one character, instead of being a planned and looming threat). My issue with this film is that it was in no way a sequel to the first film. For starters, the main character is clearly not the same "Black Mask" from the first film. (And I don't mean that the actor was not Jet Li) Jet Li's character Simon (or Michael to his former partners) was a Super soldier from the 701 project and each participant was labeled as such; a 701. His commanding officer was the only surviving authority figure from the project (meaning the scientific minds responsible for their creation and the Military Brass who authorized it are probably dead) and he is attempting to save himself and the other 701s from a certain death; as their enhanced bodies have a shortened lifespan and each has only a year to live. The Black Mask in this film is NOT the same character. He was a Super soldier from a nameless unit, who was "created" by a giant, talking brain and the only side effect was that each subject was devoid of human emotion. (This instead of the death sentence which the 701s faced. And on a side note, the giant brain was just plain stupid. Whoever wrote that bit in, misplaced their own brain in the script and went looking for it later) Also, Black Mask's arch nemesis in this film is another Super soldier who was not at all mentioned in the first film. (Neither was the brain!!!) Also not present in this film, was the fact that the main character GAVE UP BEING BLACK MASK AT THE END OF THE FIRST FILM! As his only purpose in donning the mask and coat was to put a stop to the machinations of his fellow super-soldiers. With his job was done, he was left with either settling down in the quiet life again until his death, or finding a cure. This film's character basically moonlighting as a "Superhero" just wasn't what the first film was about. (Neither were the exaggerations of his abilities as a super-soldier, or the fact that he wasn't trying to find a cure to save his life) These elements even more so than the absence of Jet Li, gave this film an entirely different feel. I think the one redeeming quality of the film, was Teresa Herrera's character. It was a bit funny to see her acting out her Haphephobia and of course at tad ironic that she ended up having to save the main character by doing what terrified her. Other than that, this film's fantastical elements (the Wrestlers and the humanoids and the big plant-like mutant) really play well on a child's imagination and therefore would satisfy a much younger age group; I know because I first saw this film when I was 15 years old and loved it. I watched it again at age 27 and couldn't remember why I liked it as much as I did. I purchased the film because it was $3 and I wanted to see it again- it now sits collecting dust in my large collection and probably won't be watched again until I have kids who've become teens.

Black Mask 2 is a silly good time.

[tarbosh22000 · 5/10 · 17 October 2012]

Moloch (Bell) and King (Polito) run a wrestling federation with a stable of "wrestling superstars" that include Thorn (Mane), Iguana (Bryniarski), Claw (Van Dam), Wolf (Erhuero), Snake (Mukes), and Chameleon (Lords). However, thanks to some DNA modification, he's giving them the power their character might really have, but in a wildly mutated fashion. But now they're running wild. Black Mask (On) not only has to stop them, he's got to race against time to correct his own genetically-related problems. He's going to need the help of Dr. Marco Leung (Herrera), and a young boy, Raymond (Marquette) that looks up to Black Mask because he saved his life from a rampaging evil wrestler. Pulling all the strings is evil puppet master Dr. Lang (Adkins). Black Mask sure has his hands full this time! Okay. Anyone who reads this site knows how we feel about CGI. We think it's the scourge of the movie industry and all traces of it should be wiped from the earth. It does nothing but ruin movies and make them look bad, only serving as a crutch to lazy filmmakers. Meanwhile the arts of makeup, monster effects, stunts, and Martial Arts - typically the things CGI is replacing - fade further into the distance. And while we're not changing our stance anytime soon, we still liked Black Mask 2. It has CGI in seemingly every scene, but this movie is so wildly silly, we don't really care.

What the filmmakers were obviously trying to do was make a live-action comic book. In 2002, CGI was still relatively new, so the adventurous Chinese makers of this movie decided to try to use this new technology to advance their vision. While it doesn't always gel, it's done so un-cynically and with such verve, we're willing to give them a pass. Director Tsui Hark, who we're a fan of, brings that off-kilter, kinetic style and plenty of cockeyed angles, as well as a zooming, constantly in-motion feel to complete the comic-booky fun. We liked the idea of combining ideas from the worlds of wrestling, comic books and genetic engineering (!) - we felt that was creative and original so we'll look the other way at some of the dodgier aspects of this movie.

On top of that, there are actual Martial Arts fights, as well as wire-fu and more traditional stunts, all overseen by the great Yuen Wo-Ping. And though this was Andy On's debut film, you'd never know it. He completely holds his own with the cast of more experienced actors. Joining him as the Kato-like Black Mask are fan favorites such as Rob Van Dam (Bloodmoon, 1997), Tobin Bell (Best Of the Best 4, 1998), and Traci Lords who looks...odd...and we prefer her in things from her classic non-porn DTV era such as A Time To Die (1991), Raw Nerve (1991), and Intent To Kill (1992), but she did liven things up in an already pretty lively movie. Super fan favorite Scott Adkins is unrecognizable as Dr. Lang, a character that looks like it wandered off the set of a Jeunet & Caro movie. But we did appreciate the presence of Adkins, as we usually do.

In all, if you're charitable enough to forgive its trespasses, Black Mask 2 is a silly good time.

For more action insanity, drop by: www.comeuppancereviews.com

An unprecedented "masterpiece" and more than likely the most audacious comic book-like movie ever made.

[Manny-54 · 10/10 · 6 March 2006]

This is no Batman, Spiderman, Sin City, Power Ranges, X-Men... this film's comic book-like effect is achieved by the inverted strategy of incorporating all the elements of a live-action into the codes of a typical comic book. Totally unprecedented mix of stylism!

What's the most fascinating that this film is using extremely subversive methods challenging the constraints of the movie (or genre) language and also our own reality by creating an artificiality in a futuristic multi-cultural highly advanced purely philosophical dimension that somehow represents the world of our wildest imagination, subconscious desires and illogical dreams, and de-facto reflecting our modern social thinking and time of the globalization... especially of the Asian and American cinema, the film is wittingly dealing with the mix of American (Californium, Iridium) and Asian (all the victims of this transformation) sensibilities and letting their main characters fighting for their own identity and searching for their own cultural roots. From this perspective the film is a pure philosophy encapsulated in a visual form contemplating the materialistic world we might be coming closer every day by our impulse for escaping from the reality... now be it the materialism in terms of the video games, computers, films or any other fascinations with the unknown that have no basis in the reality...

Why i used to call this an "unprecedented masterpiece"? Well, probably because this film clearly and perfectly meets all the criteria it has brought on itself (see above). This film practically reaches to such distant borders very few average moviegoers could even catch on to. To them the credit of a "masterpiece" is still just related to the sort of artistic "pretentiousness" (if you know what i mean) but in my mind this word's meaning is not as limited when considering the infinite possibilities of the film language.

Entertaining - if you watch it in the right frame of mind

[gridoon · 7/10 · 4 October 2005]

I tried to watch the first "Black Mask" a few months ago, but it was the dubbed version and I only lasted about 10 minutes. This sequel, however, was actually shot in English, so no problems there. Visually intricate and full of interesting and cool computer graphics (loved that extending fist!), it is one of the craziest and most action-packed flicks I've ever seen. Although most of the fighting involves heavy wirework and computer effects, it is easy to accept it because the movie never hides its comic-book roots. And in true comic-book tradition, the villains are more colorful and entertaining than the hero (especially Lang and Thorn). Amid all this action, Tsui Hark finds room for small comic asides about "Batman" and pro wrestling. And Yuen Woo Ping hasn't lost his touch: he makes Traci Lords look like just about the best female wrestler you'll ever see, even BEFORE she is transformed into a semi-invisible chameleon. In short, if you like one or more of the following things - "Batman", "Mortal Kombat", "Power Rangers", wrestling, Yuen Woo Ping and general craziness - you'll probably like the film. (***)

The mask is a trinket

[Dr_Coulardeau · 8/10 · 5 June 2009]

One more electronic game transferred from the console to the screen. Absolutely no human density since the only interesting element here is the fights, battles and other struggles. Add to the humans some genetic manipulation and the game is won. Men become monsters and super brains become dark thinking machines. The hero is invaded by the wrong genes and saved by some genetic antidote. He finds a good doctor on his road, and that good doctor is a young and nice woman, good-looking too. The point is there is hardly any human dimension in this film. It is based on the scare differences can produce among human beings and this scare is the tool used by the bad guys to take control of the whole planet, if possible. We are here in the alternative fright of the beginning of this century. The first one is nuclear power, but it comes from last century. The new one is genetic manipulation, chemical or even germ warfare, etc, those things you breathe in and inhale and that transform you in one night time. This is of course a real scare and at the same time good support for the western states that have decided after 9/11 to turn security minded, and only security minded. The theme had been used vastly by Stephen King before, in the 1970s, and by a handful of other writers, not to speak of all the B series film on the subject. The point is here that the film has practically no depth since it is based on the scare among people who have no kind of human feelings, really. You do not even invite a girl to go out for anything else but sensual pleasure and showing off power. The rest is small talk without any profundity. But it is charming to the eyes and the monsters are nicely ugly.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, CEGID

This movie made me love pro-wrestling again.

[dead_m_a_n_walking · 20 March 2003]

Slight spoilers-

Actual TV pro-wresting has become very boring, but this film takes the 'sport' to a whole new level. The wrestlers with animal powers, or the 'good guys' (as they are called in the DVD's scene listing) combine the power and drama of wresting with unique animal traits, that keep you glued to the action. But even if they didn't, Tyler Mane, Rob Van Dam, Traci Lords, and new comer Robert Mukes (both as humans, and in their animal forms) have such amazing screen presence you can't help but admire their performances.

My only problem with the movie is that the wrestlers weren't the main story, or even the main good guys, or bad guys, the goal of the film seemed to be, to make them as neutral, or meaningless as possible, so that we as the audience focus more on the suffering of Black Mask.

In the scene where the main bad guy tells the wrestlers that if they are scared they can always leave, but then holds out a million dollar check for each one of them, you can really see the character come through; Wolf (greedy, and makes rash decisions that in the end leave him angry at everyone but himself, which is why he is my least favorite of the group), Claw (he is emotionally strong when it comes to protecting other members of his team, which is why he can't seem to walk away from a bad situation), Snake (playing up on Robert Mukes's innocent looking face, snake is the weakest member of the group, both physically and emotionally).

Chameleon and Thorn , however, do get a decent amount of time to reveal the inner-workings of their characters, as Chameleon spends the entire movie trying to find a way to cure her animal powers, and Thorn is loyal to the bad guys because he has already evolved his powers to the point where he can control them, therefore he has a level of self confidence not shared by any of the other wrestlers.

As for the Asian actors, the main characters. I just fast forwarded though most of their scenes. This is a 7/10 movie, a must see, even if you love pro-wresting.

Very Fun(Comic) Action Movie!

[Roland44 · 7/10 · 30 December 2006]

Yea...Jet Lee wasn't in this one, SO? The way it was filmed and the action sequences was incredible! Reminded me of "City of Lost Children" but as an Action movie heh Not sure why people are giving this a low grade?

All I can guess is that they were "expecting" an exact copy of BM, only more...

Expectations are the drudge of many a film, and NOT the film it's self!

IF you like a fun, action movie with some very creative filming and action shots, then this film is for you! : )

Regards, Rolland

Fantastic Adventure

[masibindi · 10/10 · 3 March 2003]

Polished performances, lightning action, great special effects, exciting characters, non-stop plot developments, horror thrills and chills, poignant moments, unpredictable, well-made flick. Exquisite direction, very original concepts, reprehensible villains, excellent score. As good as the first one which starred Jet Li.

Cack Mask 2, more like

[Leigh L. · 28 April 2003]

Brain-hurtingly awful action sequel from previously well-respected Hong Kong director Tsui Hark. What he thought he was playing at with this monstrosity is anyone's guess. I can only imagine that he rounded up the most clueless people he could find to consult on the matter of which red-hot global fads he should incorporate into his latest vision, and came out of that meeting with "wrestling" and "Power Rangers" scribbled on a Post-It note. Because that's basically what it is. The actual martial arts bits are pretty inconsequential - as is anything established in the original Black Mask, apparently.

While I personally reckon I've seen worse, I will always remember Black Mask 2 as being the film that plunged a hardy co-viewer into a fog of stress for an entire weekend and drove him to claim that "it was so bad it actually made me ill".