Like most other works by Zack Snyder, this is style over substance. The production design and world building is amazing but I don’t feel for any of the characters. Action scenes are beautiful to look at but the slow motion becomes draining after a while. Feels like the movie could have been half the length if the slow motion was normal speed. I get that it’s the director’s “style” but when it becomes so distracting that I’m noticing it more than the story then it’s a problem.
Really enjoyed the first one but this sequel was very disappointing.
First of all I really hate these “thematic sequels” that reuse the same name as the first but the story is not a continuation. The story and relationship of the main guys are interesting but no where near as impactful as the first. The final action sequence was amazing even if the special effects was a bit dodgy at times.
The main issue which seems quite common in Hong Kong action movies was the mistreatment of female characters. It was present in the first but quite glaring in this one. Almost all the named female characters are killed (I counted 4 out of 5) purely to advance the plot of the story and motivate male characters. If this is something I noticed as a guy then I can’t even imagine how offensive this might be to women.
The 3rd movie is being made by the same director as this one. Still kind of interested but hoping they'll change up the story to involve female characters rather than killing them.
