werdnahall Sorry for the silly title -- though it's true (my notions about Chinese would have it called 'White Snake, Green Snake'.) OK, now that I've outed myself as a bit of a HK-geek, I'll just say that I enjoyed this one quite a bit. If you're the type you likes the quirky, wonderful comedy/supernatural/action genre perfected by Hong Kong cinema you won't be disappointed. (Of the action it's more magic and wires than kung-fu, but still action to be sure). The main draw for me though, besides the well-played and attractive leads (and interesting tension in knowing they're both snakes) was the originality of the story, and relative unpredictability as to where it was going. Nice details throughout told me this was the work of a thoughtful director, despite the odd moment of unintentional comedy.

BA_Harrison Tsui Hark's magical fantasy Green Snake is such a tour de force of stunning visuals and expertly crafted moments of cinema magic that one can easily forgive the occasional dodgy special effect or lapse in narrative cohesion.Maggie Cheung plays the beautiful titular character, one of a pair of benign female snake demons who have mastered the ability to transform themselves into humans. Her companion, White Snake (Joey Wang), is far more experienced than Green at altering her appearance, and has also managed to acquire human emotions, falling in love with a young scholar Hsui Xien (who is quite unaware that his girl is actually a scaly serpent in disguise).Desperate to experience the same feelings as White, but unable to control her desires, Green also attempts to seduce Hsui Xien (the lucky old so-and-so), and even tries to seduce a powerful monk, Faat Hoi, whose mission it is to trap demons; this naturally causes all kinds of problems which eventually result in Hsui Xien discovering White's secret.For the majority of its running time, the lyrical beauty of Hark's tale is more than enough to retain one's attention; even when there isn't much happening story-wise, the film is shot with such style that it is totally captivating. For example, the scene in which Green gatecrashes a Bollywood dance routine while a rain-drenched White slithers off to spy on the scholar might not add much to the plot, but with its lush colours, amazing soundtrack, and Cheung's impossibly sexy performance, it's one of the most memorable cinematic sequences that I've seen.Towards the end of the film, events do start to become slightly wearisome, and perhaps the film is a little too long for its own good; some viewers may find Hark's leisurely pace a little too slow, whilst others might laugh at the sometimes less-than-effective special effects (the CGI magic crane is certainly very weak). However, the film's positives far outweigh its negatives, and fans of Asian fantasy should definitely seek it out.

curtpdx ...and this one's very good. It's a retelling of the Chinese legend Madam White Snake, and while some of the effects aren't what a big-budget film would allow, Cheung and Wang convey a sexiness in their roles that make it highly entertaining.Shaw Brothers made a version of the story titled Madam White Snake in the 60's or 70's. In 2001, there was a very lengthy Taiwan-produced TV series of the same name. So far as I know, neither of these are out on DVD.

eraceheadd This film was wacky, weird, and just plain nutty. It absolutely amazes me how Hong Kong Cinema, and Asian cinema in general, tries to pull off such lavish and fantastic movies on such small budgets. I can only imagine how much money a Hollywood exec. would think of throwing into a picture like this. When some guy is China is saying, "Hmmm, you need a giant talking snake, huh? Give me $20 and a new bicycle and u got it by next week."What a wild ride, (got lucky and saw it on the big screen) but what would you expect from Tsui Hark. The guy is just awesome with the camera, its so kinetic, it can make the weak sick. The story line of this movie is also kinetic - part myth, part fantasy, part romance, part comedy, with a little bit of kung-fu thrown in as well. I loved the setting; the canal town, it was really beautiful. The effects wern't bad either.The whole move is basically about the struggles of female sexuality in a male world. I think the points of the story are great, but the action is just so nuts, its almost hard to watch. Seeing Maggie Cheung and her co-star slither around on their bellies was really funny. The two were quite sexy together, and there were some fantastic scenes in the movie, but, I think it was just a little too much for me to take. I was a bit disappointed because I was hoping for a little more action than the silly comedy. Fans of the fantasy genre should get a kick out of it. But, I'd rather see some Wu-tang clan stuff, or just watch Maggie Cheung for 2 hours. (oh - the title song will haunt you!)