Green Snake (1993)

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

The first must-see film of the year.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Not being a Chinese cinema fetishist like many of the posters here, I can't see what the attraction is...The movie is this bizarre about two snake demons who try to find love with human men. This brings them into conflict with a Bhuddist Monk and a Taoist priest. (Is there some weird interplay between Bhuddism and Daoism I am missing here...) The movie acts as though there is real power behind these faiths, and the Demons are real as well...but the holy men seem to be cast as the bad guys. Imagine The Exorcist told from Pazuzu's point of view...The two actresses are hot, particularly in the early scenes, but beyond that, everything seems quite repetitive and slow moving.

2 giant snakes named White (Joey Wong) and Green (Maggie Cheung) are trying to become humans. White does her best at trying to act like a human but Green finds it too hard to change. White falls in love with an honest man, and even after he finds out she is a snake he still loves her. But Green doesn't like all the attention that White is getting and starts flirting with her man. Vincent Zhao plays a high monk with unlimited power and his job is to kill any evil beings who do not follow the Heavenly laws. He has problems of his own and does not know for sure if these 2 snakes are truly evil.This is quite an adventure and it never gets boring. Joey Wong is very good in her role, but Maggie Cheung manages to outshine her. I would have liked to see some actual kung fu moves from Vincent Zhao, but he is perfect for his role. He is a master of playing straight-faced roles like the one he plays in this movie. The music is mesmerizing and the ending is very special even though it is a bit illogical. But then again, this is a movie with snakes and spiders acting as humans so the end doesn't feel too far fetched. It is one of the best endings I have ever seen. This is not you typical mindless Hong Kong movie. I had to watch it a few times to take it all in, and it manages to get better every time I see it. This movie is a real gem.There is no real fighting, and the action is what you would expect from a Tsui Hark wuxia. All of the action involves flying around, posing, and using magical powers.

Hong Kong cinema never shies away for some over the top story-telling, but when dealing with a lush fairy tale like this Green Snake, and having added a pinch of tongue-in-cheek like Tsui Hark did here, without slacking in the camera- and special effects-departments, it is an exciting, mesmerizing experience ! What a wonderful and loveable movie !

It is a really good movie. Both teal snake and white snake are charming and deadly attractive. Xu Xian is a everyday Joe male character. No man won't envy his good luck with beautiful women! ;) The monk--Fa Hai--is stubborn and prejudiced in his attitude towards human and non-humans. In the end, he seems to regret what he has done to the snake sisters. The story stresses the sexual desire of human beings. ;) Even the monk, who has reached the prestige of human-buddie, cannot deprive himself of sexual imagination and impulse.The pace of the story telling is fast; the structure of the story plots is compact; the special visual effect of magic casting and fighting is eye catching; and the music and singing is touching and resonant with the progress of the story.