Some things I liked some I did not.

Sadly Over-hyped

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

This influential classic of the Hong Kong fantastic cinema is one of the most pleasing I've watched from that country, a funny, fast-paced, atmospheric and exciting romp through a haunted world which expertly mixes together a tragic love affair (between man and ghost, a theme that has swamped Chinese cinema ever since this hit first came out), some fine martial arts swordplay, horror and expertly-played comic relief to the hilt. It's an entertaining and genuinely likable movie which has something for everyone and offers all the exotic magic and fantasy you could want from an eastern movie like this.Sure, the first half is a little slow, but this is only so that the characters can be built up (yes, there are real characters here to like, not just action figures). There are the three main stars - Leslie Cheung, who shines as the young and innocent taxman drawn into events beyond his comprehension; Wu Ma as the sarcastic, world-weary swordsman Yen giving an excellent performance and stealing his scenes, and Joey Wong, who fits the bill perfectly as the ethereal love interest Lit Sin Seen. The comedy is enjoyable without being laboured and there are lots of slapstick antics to help take your mind off the thin plot, which serves as a basis for lots of visual delights.This is a film where murky stop-motion corpses slither and stir in ruined temples to great spooky effect; where bodies return to life and have to be burned apart by magical bolts. Men are menaced by gigantic killer tongues (great effect, forget that crappy Spanish comedy KILLER TONGUE - this is how it should be done), men battle demons with colourful bolts and heads roll aplenty. Then there's the tentacled slimy monster that the tongue turns into, a macabre skull-lined inn (that's some furnishing design), a portal into Hell (simple but good special effect), the frightening Black Lord who attacks with slime, tentacles and weirdo flying heads all over and the final battle in Hell which is excellently staged and a convincing depiction of a netherworld with it. The budget is high enough that you never question what's up on screen and there's a poetic, almost lyrical aspect behind the frenetic action which makes it a strong and influential movie in the genre. Superior stuff.

Director Ching Siu Tung throws everything but his kitchen sink into this epic (and almost indescribable) adventure, creating not only the definitive Hong Kong movie experience but also perhaps the world's first musical-romance-martial arts-action-comedy. Key ingredients include a pack of spectral wolves; some animated rotting corpses, a ghost-busting Zen swordsman, a transvestite vampire with a voracious tongue the length of the Great Wall, a beautiful spirit under a terrible curse, and an all-too human pilgrim whose bumbling innocence is the perfect defense against every supernatural peril. The film is an ideal antidote for the post-summer blockbuster doldrums: it's fast, furious, totally ridiculous and, despite some oddly translated subtitles ('scary' becoming 'scareful', and so forth), one heck of a lot of fun.

A masterpiece of comedy, a masterpiece of horror, a masterpiece of romance, if there is anything negative to say about A Chinese Ghost Story, it might be that the special effects looked dated in comparison to modern technology. The film has a simple premise: a poor debt collector has to stay in a secluded area while trying to collect a debt. Of course, it happens to be haunted as well.What I wasn't expecting the first time I saw this film is that it's one of the most touching love stories I've ever seen; that is without losing any of the slapstick comedy that will have you in stitches. Unlike some films of Asian cinema, A Chinese Ghost Story isn't hard to swallow for those that aren't versed in Chinese culture. Indeed, it plays on timeless, cultureless themes of the paranormal and romance.Think Evil Dead 2, if they had thrown a wonderful love story into the mix. This film is for real, despite being overlooked by many. It's absolutely among the best I've ever seen. It's ability to combine the best aspects of multiple genres, and cross cultural boundaries in order to appeal to humanity everywhere, is nothing short of fantastic. Highly recommended, 10/10.

This movie is one of my favourites. It is a genre-mixture with ingredients of the Action-/Horror-/Romantic-/Comedygenre. Some of the special effects may seem outdated compared to modern standards. This minor flaw is easily ignored. There is so much to discover in this story. The romantic relation between the two main characters is so beautiful that it hurts. The visuals are beautiful too. The action is great which is no surprise, it is originating from Honkong, birthplace of the world's best action movies. The humour sometimes seems a little bit silly but in a good way. Somehow this movie is being able to balance the different moods and keeps being good. Absolutely recommended.