Reviewed by: pjshimmer Date: 07/14/2005 This movie is definitely an all-time worst coming from Tsui Hark and Wo Ping. I never imagined they would be capable of making such garbage, but they did it. Tsui Hark, who was my favorite filmmaker once, has really lost it. [2/10] Reviewer Score: 2

Reviewed by: Sydneyguy Date: 09/18/2004 Summary: Could of been so much better If only, if ONLY the developed the script better this could of been something so much better!! The action is good, the CGI i felt was a little overboard but at the end of the movie you feel like you just watched a cartoon!! Very disappointed 3/10 Reviewer Score: 3

Reviewed by: hoppingghost Date: 06/14/2004 Summary: From Bargain Bin and Back... From Bargain Bin and Back... This film was horrible no matter who was involved egah. I bought it used in the bargain bin and it was so bad I returned it and said it did not play (it actually did skip a few times). It was so bad my spouse left the room to read a book in the other room and shes a major HK Film fan as well. Save yourself and pass on this film.

Reviewed by: j.crawford Date: 05/26/2004 Summary: only get HK vcd for any fun..... Although based on a story by Tsui Hark, the screenplay is total crap. Even the fantastic Yuen Clan can't save this mess. Snapped up in 2001 by a Hollywood company, the film was straight to DVD in the USA. Skip it and pick up the Hong Kong VCD. At least you can have some fun trying to identify the star voices in the Cantonese dubbing. This junk started a down trend in a brilliant career. [En français] Bien que basé sur une histoire de Tsui Hark, le scénario est totale merde. Même le fantastique Yuen Clan ne peut pas enregistrer ce gâchis. S'arrachent en 2001 par une compagnie d'Hollywood, le film a été directement en DVD aux Etats-Unis. Ignorer et ramasser les VCD Hong Kong. À moins que vous puissiez avoir du plaisir cherche à identifier l'étoile voix dans le doublage cantonais. Cette ordure entamé une tendance à la baisse une brillante carrière. [In deutscher Sprache] Obwohl basiert auf einer Erzählung von Tsui Hark, das Drehbuch ist insgesamt Mist. Selbst die fantastische Yuen Clan can't save diesem Durcheinander. Schnappte sich im Jahr 2001 auf ein Hollywood, der Film wurde direkt auf DVD in den USA. Direkt und holen Sie sich die Hong Kong VCD. Zumindest können Sie etwas Spaß zu identifizieren, der Stern Stimmen in der Kantonesisch Synchronisation. Diese Junk ein Trend nach unten in einer brillanten Karriere. [En español] Aunque basada en un cuento de Tsui Hark, el guión es total basura. Incluso el fantástico Yuen Clan no puede salvar a este lío. Fichado en 2001 por una compañía de Hollywood, la película fue directamente a DVD, en los EE.UU.. Skip ella y recoger la de Hong Kong VCD. Por lo menos, usted puede tener algunos divertirá tratando de identificar a la estrella voces en el doblaje cantonés. Esta basura comenzó una tendencia hacia abajo en una brillante carrera. Reviewer Score: 1

Reviewed by: mrblue Date: 09/18/2003 I'm a bit insulted by this movie as both a martial arts movie and wrestling fan. The plot (which has nothing to do with the first movie) has Black Mask (played by dopey newcomer Andy On this time) taking on a group of genetically enhanced wrestlers (WWE grappler Rob Van Dam among them, whose personal ganja stash probably cost more than this entire movie) and some arch villain with dumb-ass x-ray glasses. Now, this might have been cheesy good fun like the first film, especially with Tsui Hark and Yuen Woo-Ping running the show. But, Tsui hasn't turned out a good movie in some time (Legend of Poo, I mean Zu, anyone?) and Yuen has been channeling most of his energy into the Matrix sequels, and the results show on the screen. Black Mask 2 pretty much represents everything that is bad with action movies today. A lousy script, sub-par acting (you know you're in trouble when former underage porn star Traci Lords does the best job in your film), and some really bad special effects and CGI add up to yet another half-ass action experience. I did enjoy checking out RVD, Traci Lords does look great in the movie (even though they stupidly have her invisible for a lot of it) and some of the fights were decent. But, overall, there really isn't too much to warrant a viewing of Black Mask 2. Even if you're a fan of the first movie, give the sequel a pass unless you're desperate for some rainy day entertainment.

Reviewed by: MrBooth Date: 01/26/2003 Summary: Awful 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 shit! 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), 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 (about as good as Wesley's Files though). 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! Reviewer Score: 2

Reviewed by: LanaHandal Date: 01/22/2003 Well...... what I have to say is that... Yes.... the movie was really bad. I Jumped when I found out there was a Black Mask part 2. I got it right away. But i was so disappointed in the end. But hey, if u think about it. it was a really really bad Martial Arts movie. But if it were to be an american movie. It would have been good. Cuz american's really suck at making movies.. :p Another thing disappointed me is that I can't find any pictures of Andy On on the net. Not One! (well, just one) But i would love to get pictures of him.(and his email address would be good too.)

Reviewed by: Wu'xiaBadger Date: 01/21/2003 Summary: Crap on a crap cracker This movie is to Tsui Hark what George W. Bush is to sensible Americans: a totally unredeemable source of embaressment. I should have turned it off half way through, then it would'nt have hurt me so badly. I love Tsui's earlier stuff, and Wo Ping's always a safe bet; but throw me a frigging bone! Even the great American character actor Jon Polito as a sleazy manager can't salvage this garbage. I imagine Tsui has a Jekyl/Hyde complex thing going on; where he'll direct one awesome movie like "Time and Tide", then lash out maliciously at the world with something like this. I strongly advise steering clear of this travesty, unless youre a mascochist. On the other hand, Andy On seems like he has some potential, albeit grieviously wasted here. 2/10 (1 for Monsieur Polito and 1 for a fight sequence towards the end) Reviewer Score: 2

Reviewed by: AV1979 Date: 01/13/2003 Summary: Action could've been better!!! I will go on a limb saying that the only flaw in Black Mask II was the action wasn't good enough. Andy On, who replaces Jet Li, bounced off walls too much and not enough physical action, even in his finale against Lang (martial artist Scott Adkins). I also felt Rob Van Dam did some nifty moves that you would expect but he was pretty much wasted as Claw. Other than that, you may as well called this "Guyver 3" except instead of Black Mask, put the Japanese superhero Guyver in his place. Cuz that's what the result was. UPDATE: Who would have known that three cast members from this film would go on to play horror movie icons. There's Tobin Bell (Jigsaw from the Saw films), Michael Bailey Smith (Pluto in the Hills Have Eyes remake and Hades in the sequel), and Andrew Bryniarski (Leatherface in the remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and its 2006 prequel) appeared as the evil Moloch, wrestler Ross and Iguana respectively. Andy On has since gone on to better things, but this is quite an interesting look at one of his 1st movie roles and to see the three aforementioned future horror icons. Reviewer Score: 4

Reviewed by: Souxie Date: 01/12/2003 Summary: save yourself! run! I'm so glad I saw the Cantonese dub of this one - it gave me something to laugh at and enjoy. Seriously, there were some good points to this movie, but only a few, and I use the term "good" loosely. The plot was actually an okay one - for a comic book. They tried to change the Black Mask into a comic book hero with comic book hero powers - didn't really work too well. I think I preferred the original and best… Anyway, there were a few of the things I actually went to see - fights. But a lot of extra wirework and not enough good shots to convince you the actual people were in there, not just stand-ins. Odd how more fighting skill was shown as the intro to the movie than actually in the movie. Still, some good effects were put to use, just a pity they were let down by the rest of the movie… Thank god for Andy Lau Tak-Wah - he provided the voice of Prophet (and the news reporter half way through the movie - "…this is Andy Lau reporting", to the amusement of the rest of the theatre too) and made me think it wasn't too bad if you took it all as a comedy to be laughed at, not with. All the voice-overs were great in fact - I think they had more fun dubbing than I did watching it… This Andy Ong guy was pretty much okay - he could fight and scowl fair enough. Nothing to write home about though. Just glad I didn't see the original version… Now I miss my DVD of Black Mask… 3/10 Reviewer Score: 3

Reviewed by: Tatus Date: 01/03/2003 Summary: Better Mask Can't Hide What Lies Beneath Well let me first start of by saying - i moderatley enjoyed the first black mask movie,which had the ass kicking skills of mr jet li, but like i said only moderatley. the second does not have jet li (one of my favorite hk stars) in it but i was willing to give it a chance. where to begin..... well this time the black mask played by some other chap, who sucks ass as an actor and isn't particularly up to mr li's skills if you ask me, is batteling against a bunch of semi animal (cheap c.g) monster wrestlers and a stupid cockney idiot with a bad tash who is under the control of a giant brain in a jam jar- sounds bad? it is. gone is the gore - i'm not really a gore hound but with a film this mediocre you need some excitment - and gone is the style and flare that the original was trying (and i urge the word trying)to achieve. this was disapointing to say the least, not to mention it featured x cheap porn star tracy lords which is never a good sign. the mask looked better and the dvd box is nice and shiney and cool (if you buy the american recent release) but that is about all i can say about this heaping pile of westernised monkey shat. sad. avoid. now begone. 2/10 Reviewer Score: 2