Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2 reviews mixed

Actress Michelle Yeoh in Crouching Tiger, hidden Dragon 2. [Photo/Mtime]

The sequel to international hit Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has had mixed reviews from Chinese audiences despite raking in over 100 million yuan ($15.3 million) in its first two days of release.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2: Sword of Destiny is a follow-up to the 2000 original, credited with repopularizing martial arts movies in the West. The new film was directed by Yuen Woo-ping, who choreographed the first movie, and written by American screenwriter John Fusco.

A Chinese-American co-production, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2 was made by a crew of over 700 people from 22 countries, including teams from The Lord of the Rings.

Some Chinese hailed the beautiful and thrilling martial arts sequences, but others criticized the film for being "Westernized."

"The dialogue seemed to adopt a 'Western accent' in order to cater to foreign audiences. Except for the Chinese actors and great martial arts choreography, it's just like the translated version of a foreign film," wrote user Miyue....zhu on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.

Others complained about the plot. "The story is dull. It's nothing comparable to the first Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," said user rockXCH.

Still, many audience members appreciated the film as an integration of Chinese and Western cultures. "It's a good way to promote our culture so foreigners can understand it better," said Weibo user nini-babe.

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