Much of "The Inspector Wears Skirts II" feels like a retread of the first film, except that it's not as funny or as fresh: girlfights, harsh training, Stanley Fung trying to woo Sibelle Hu, Sandra Ng not finding a guy to woo her and constantly getting into trouble, a boys vs. girls martial arts tournament, etc. The action climax (in the last 10 minutes) does offer some spectacular fighting and stunts, but for most viewers it will probably be a case of "too little, too late". The absence of Ellen Chan is also unfortunate, but at least we have among the newcomers the busty Amy Yip, and a short-haired actress (sorry, I don't know her name, but she plays Joey) who pulls off a couple of impressive moves at the tournament. Anyway, it's not a painful film by any means, but you must be prepared for about 90% comedy - 10% action (while the original was about 70% - 30%) (**)
6 Reviews
Inferior albeit funny sequel
FilmMining1011 May 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Reviewed by Filmmining 101:
An unnecessary sequel, "The Inspector Wears Skirts 2" might as well be an extensive conclusion of the previous film and no one would notice. Nothing has changed including its cast and creative forces behind it and in typical Hong Kong fashion there is strong implication that it was shot relatively quick after the release of its predecessor.
Although the direction of Wellson Chin is more confident in round 2, the film leans heavily towards the prolonged comedic shenanigans between the old SKIRTS and the new recruits whom they have to endure and of course, train in a rather hilarious montage that is a Cantonese and gender swapped version of "Police Academy 2" (1985) and "3" (1987). The only difference is the inclusion of far cruder (and to this writer's preference) and funnier Hong Kong jokes; random sound effects, dead pan delivery, OTT performances and pranks characterized by a below-13-year-old IQ are ever present in a practically non existent plot.
The script incorporates and represents sometimes gratuitously Hong Kong's simplistic comedic overtones in 80s peak mode unaware of the West's obsession with political correctness. Occasionally, its random slapstick "explosions" and unintelligent verbal exchanges are a joy to watch under today's climate where the fun police monitors the muttering of every single word. From that perspective, it is definitely funnier than its predecessor.
This though comes at the expense of the fight sequences for which the cinematic action Mecca is known for. Despite having support from the, let's be honest, legendary Jackie Chan's stunt team (all of whom have minor roles), the action is limited with a few mano a mano (or girl to girl) fights. The lack of Cynthia Rothrock is felt and there is a tendency to downplay the female led stunts. Even Sibelle Hu is sidelined in favor of the now large SKIRTS unit who are more interested to navigate the complexities of romance and bitchy emotions than kicking ass. Most of the acting weight falls to the comedic chops of the superb-on-timing Sandra Ng, Billy Lau and Stanley Fung but when Jackie Chan is your producer you might as well deliver on that front and not being a cop out.
Yet, the climax ends as soon as it begins leaving us with the constant efforts of Inspector Kan to woo Madame Wu. Offering nothing new in the action and comedy departments, it is nonetheless an enjoyable flick for a late pizza Sunday afternoon. Hong Kong enthusiasts will still eat it up due to its impeccable stuntwork although it is glaringly obvious when men do the tough pirouettes which gives it an extra point for surrealism. There is even a random dance number (again) half way through reminding us just how cool Hong Kong people would dress in the late 80s. At the end though, you won't remember much, feeling exhausted from all the hysterical antics and the absence of even a banal and basic plot.
An unnecessary sequel, "The Inspector Wears Skirts 2" might as well be an extensive conclusion of the previous film and no one would notice. Nothing has changed including its cast and creative forces behind it and in typical Hong Kong fashion there is strong implication that it was shot relatively quick after the release of its predecessor.
Although the direction of Wellson Chin is more confident in round 2, the film leans heavily towards the prolonged comedic shenanigans between the old SKIRTS and the new recruits whom they have to endure and of course, train in a rather hilarious montage that is a Cantonese and gender swapped version of "Police Academy 2" (1985) and "3" (1987). The only difference is the inclusion of far cruder (and to this writer's preference) and funnier Hong Kong jokes; random sound effects, dead pan delivery, OTT performances and pranks characterized by a below-13-year-old IQ are ever present in a practically non existent plot.
The script incorporates and represents sometimes gratuitously Hong Kong's simplistic comedic overtones in 80s peak mode unaware of the West's obsession with political correctness. Occasionally, its random slapstick "explosions" and unintelligent verbal exchanges are a joy to watch under today's climate where the fun police monitors the muttering of every single word. From that perspective, it is definitely funnier than its predecessor.
This though comes at the expense of the fight sequences for which the cinematic action Mecca is known for. Despite having support from the, let's be honest, legendary Jackie Chan's stunt team (all of whom have minor roles), the action is limited with a few mano a mano (or girl to girl) fights. The lack of Cynthia Rothrock is felt and there is a tendency to downplay the female led stunts. Even Sibelle Hu is sidelined in favor of the now large SKIRTS unit who are more interested to navigate the complexities of romance and bitchy emotions than kicking ass. Most of the acting weight falls to the comedic chops of the superb-on-timing Sandra Ng, Billy Lau and Stanley Fung but when Jackie Chan is your producer you might as well deliver on that front and not being a cop out.
Yet, the climax ends as soon as it begins leaving us with the constant efforts of Inspector Kan to woo Madame Wu. Offering nothing new in the action and comedy departments, it is nonetheless an enjoyable flick for a late pizza Sunday afternoon. Hong Kong enthusiasts will still eat it up due to its impeccable stuntwork although it is glaringly obvious when men do the tough pirouettes which gives it an extra point for surrealism. There is even a random dance number (again) half way through reminding us just how cool Hong Kong people would dress in the late 80s. At the end though, you won't remember much, feeling exhausted from all the hysterical antics and the absence of even a banal and basic plot.
Fun follow-up
Leofwine_draca20 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
THE INSPECTOR WEARS SKIRTS PART II is a fun follow-up to the first that jettisons some of that film's cast members but generally makes up for it by bringing in newcomers and giving original stars plenty to work with. This time around, it's the usual knockabout comedy as some squad newcomers face off against their old-timer rivals. A sub-plot about the love triangle between Stanley Fung, Sibelle Hu and Melvin Wong is particularly well handled with lots of funny moments, and the likes of Billy Lau and newcomer Amy Yip add a lot of merriment too. There's not a great deal of action here, although the last ten minutes or so lets rip with a hostage scenario that's nicely achieved on a limited budget.
Silly but likable movie
Wizard-814 January 2010
I wasn't able to track down a copy of the first movie of this series before watching this first sequel - if I had, maybe I would have had some of the same complaints that the previous reviewer had with this movie. I can only judge this movie alone. Anyway, I found this movie to overall be a fun little movie. It never takes itself seriously, and it has a high spirit that is infectious. The action (what there is) is pretty well done.
Any complaints? Well, the biggest complaint I have with this movie is that there's no plot - it's basically a series of vignettes. The shower sequence, which could have provided some welcome gratuitous nudity, shows nothing. And while there's action in the movie, it's mostly in the second half - the first half could have used some action to liven thing up a bit more. But despite these things, I think most viewers will enjoy themselves.
Any complaints? Well, the biggest complaint I have with this movie is that there's no plot - it's basically a series of vignettes. The shower sequence, which could have provided some welcome gratuitous nudity, shows nothing. And while there's action in the movie, it's mostly in the second half - the first half could have used some action to liven thing up a bit more. But despite these things, I think most viewers will enjoy themselves.
Loved it
BandSAboutMovies3 May 2024
Warning: Spoilers
After the Police Academy with stunts awesomeness of the first movie, this has four new squad members join the Hong Kong Police Academy to be join the Banshee Squad led by Madam Wu (Sibelle Hu). However, many of them don't get along with the existing team, like Susanna (Amy Yip), who is so well-endowed that she has to cut holes in the chest of her bulletproof vest. There's also the male team, the Tiger Squad, who are led by Inspector Kan (Stanley Fung). Just like the original, Wu and Kan have a thin line between love and hate in their relationship.
That said, this time there's competition for Madam Wu's affection, as there's a new antiterrorist trainer, Mr. Lu (Melvin Wong). The majority of this movie is all training until with twenty minutes left, it remembers that they need to bring the Banshee Squad and Tiger Squad back together and have all the good girls and guys stop fighting with one another.
There's more dancing than fighting in this, more pranks and hijinks than fisticuffs. And you know, I don't care. I love these movies, with their 80s fashion looks, lovable characters and blasts of action from producer Jackie Chan's Jackie Chan Stunt Team. There are four of these movies and I will watch every single one of them with a huge grin.
So yeah, nothing happens, but when the first movie was such a success, they rushed this one. Just enjoy it for what it is and that we can watch movies like this in high definition now and not 20th generation VHS tapes that we bought at a convention that tape rot in months.
That said, this time there's competition for Madam Wu's affection, as there's a new antiterrorist trainer, Mr. Lu (Melvin Wong). The majority of this movie is all training until with twenty minutes left, it remembers that they need to bring the Banshee Squad and Tiger Squad back together and have all the good girls and guys stop fighting with one another.
There's more dancing than fighting in this, more pranks and hijinks than fisticuffs. And you know, I don't care. I love these movies, with their 80s fashion looks, lovable characters and blasts of action from producer Jackie Chan's Jackie Chan Stunt Team. There are four of these movies and I will watch every single one of them with a huge grin.
So yeah, nothing happens, but when the first movie was such a success, they rushed this one. Just enjoy it for what it is and that we can watch movies like this in high definition now and not 20th generation VHS tapes that we bought at a convention that tape rot in months.
Kind of silly and slapstick, but better than is prequel.
OllieSuave-00714 November 2013
This is the first of three sequels to the "Ba wang hua" ("The Inspector Wears Skirts") movie series. Sibelle Hu reprises her role as Madam Wu, as do Shui-Fan Fung as Inspector Kan.
The plot devices used in this movie are pretty much the same as its prequel - training courses in the beginning of the movie, the dragged out male and female squad members dating one another scenes in the middle of the movie, and then the big action fight scene in the end. The story is also similar: female Banshee Squad Members from the Hong Kong Police Academy undergo training supervised by Madame Wu, and then later join the male Tiger Squad Members to take down a band of terrorists. However, what is different is that four new Banshee Squad Members join the group, who were at first ridiculed and teased by their fellow members, resulting in competitive and fight scenes which I thought were pretty amusing to watch. And, Fung's Inspector Kan character was emphasized more than in the previous film, which I think is a plus because he has good screen presence with his comedic, calm and witty style of acting. He tries to woo Madam Wu, attempting to win her over the more athletic and skillful Mr. Lo (Melvin Fong) in a Karate match, providing another different plot device in the previous film that I thought was pretty amusing.
Again, while this movie is similar in story to its prequel, the subplots of the new Banshee Squad Members and Inspector Kan's more emphasized purpose in the movie, coupled with a much more exciting climax, made this film more entertaining and result in what I think is the best in the "Ba wang hua" ("The Inspector Wears Skirts") series.
Grade B-
The plot devices used in this movie are pretty much the same as its prequel - training courses in the beginning of the movie, the dragged out male and female squad members dating one another scenes in the middle of the movie, and then the big action fight scene in the end. The story is also similar: female Banshee Squad Members from the Hong Kong Police Academy undergo training supervised by Madame Wu, and then later join the male Tiger Squad Members to take down a band of terrorists. However, what is different is that four new Banshee Squad Members join the group, who were at first ridiculed and teased by their fellow members, resulting in competitive and fight scenes which I thought were pretty amusing to watch. And, Fung's Inspector Kan character was emphasized more than in the previous film, which I think is a plus because he has good screen presence with his comedic, calm and witty style of acting. He tries to woo Madam Wu, attempting to win her over the more athletic and skillful Mr. Lo (Melvin Fong) in a Karate match, providing another different plot device in the previous film that I thought was pretty amusing.
Again, while this movie is similar in story to its prequel, the subplots of the new Banshee Squad Members and Inspector Kan's more emphasized purpose in the movie, coupled with a much more exciting climax, made this film more entertaining and result in what I think is the best in the "Ba wang hua" ("The Inspector Wears Skirts") series.
Grade B-
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