Blu-ray Synopsis: Lu Chan (Jayden Yuan) is on the verge of acceptance in Chen Village, but the cozy hamlet still stands in the shadow of danger. A prodigal brother returns, Lu Chan brings a curse on the town, and Yuniang's scprmed fiancee has an appetite for revenge, as well as some new partners in crime. The second in a trilogy from the creators of IP MAN and DETECTIVE DEE,and action directed by the legendary Sammo Hung, TAI CHI HERO is a steampunk-infused kung fu throwdown that will knock you out of your seat. (100 Mins)

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Views: Continuing on from the previous chapter, Tai Chi 2 opens with the wedding of Yang Lu Chan to master Chen's daughter, Yu Niang. But it doesn't take long for things to get disturbed when the older brother of Yu Naing returns – forcing an old prophecy on the townsfolk that Lu Chan will be the true cause of their downfall. As each of them turns against the young hero, the motives of the prodigal son soon become clear, and sees the villagers preparing themselves for battle once more with the return of Fang!

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Director Stephen Fung returns with the second part of the proposed trilogy (although even as I write ten years later, there's still no sign of a final chapter) and slows things down quite a bit to allow for more character development, a fuller storyline including the relationship of the newly weds, and more emotion overall. That's not to say it's any better or any worse than Tai Chi 0, but those who felt the latter was a bit too busy for its own good, will most likely appreciate the change of pace. While there is plenty of focus on the new character of Master Chen's son, Zai Yang, and his wife this is really all about Eddie Peng's character of Fang Zi Jing getting his revenge. Having joined forces with a corrupt official, Fang utilises the power of his army as well as his weapons such as cannons, guns, and more. This gives Eddie Peng the chance to flex his acting chops, shifting from the polished jealous lover of the previous chapter to a wicked general intent on bringing pain and destruction to Chen Village. Although he had starred in some great roles leading up to this, Tai Chi 0 and Tai Chi 2 no doubt helped elevate him a little more, that saw him go on to star in films such as Cold War 1 & 2, Unbeatable, Wu Kong, Operation Mekong, and work again with Sammo Hung in Rise Of The Legend and Call Of Heroes – both of which were outstanding films.

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The rest of the main cast return as before with the addition of the incredible Yuen Biao as Master Li, an advisor to the prince and head of the royal kitchens. Thankfully, he gets to trade moves with Jayden Yuan under the direction of his big brother and looks great doing so in what would be the final fight of the film. The wonderful Daniel Wu makes an appearance as the Mad Monk in a great action scene, and William Feng who starred in White Vengeance, Divergence, Painted Skin 2, Young Detective Dee: Rise Of The Sea Dragon, Dragon Blade, and The Monkey King 2 & 3, stars as Chen Zai Yang – the estranged son of Tony Leung's Master Chen, whose story brings most of the emotion to the film as he tries to make amends with his father. I also thought it was interesting how Fung and his team gained the addition of Swedish-born actor and Hollywood veteran Peter Stomare – a highly recognisable face from films such as Armageddon, Constantine, John Wick 2, The Tuxedo, Windtalkers, and television shows like Prison Break and American Gods. Here, Stomare plays a role that would have been cast to someone such as Louis Roth, Mark King, or Steve Tartalia if this was made 30 years ago, although he seems to be enjoying his role as Duke Fleming. While doesn't get the chance to get in on the action, Stomare does bring the film to a close with one of the most intriguing shots in Tai Chi 2: Rise Of The Hero that makes me really want to see a third part from the team...

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Sammo Hung returns as the action director, although without the assist of Andy Cheng this time around, and provides a great selection of fun fight scenes. The comic book action seen previously is toned down somewhat, but it still proves to be as entertaining of course. Peter Ngor continues his duties as DOP along with the returning Lai Yui Fai who lensed Portland Street Blues, The Avenging Fist, Infernal Affairs, and Wu Xia (Dragon). It's definitely interesting how both of these projects almost came out as two totally different movies, and while I feel a lot of this was down to the main characters ascension on becoming a martial arts master and maturing, I still think there was some imbalance to the projects that could have kept the same flow throughout both chapters without them feeling so separate. Regardless, Tai Chi 2: Rise Of The Hero still makes for a very entertaining watch and I'm only disappointed that we didn't get to see more in a final film!

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Overall: While more focused on the story and emotional content of the film, Tai Chi 2 still proves to be highly entertaining and worth the watch!

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Blu-ray Extras: Making of Feature, Trailers