Green Snake (2021) User Reviews

Green Snake

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 4 December 2021]

These comments are based on watching the film in Mandarin with English subtitles; the names used are those used in the Netflix subtitles.

As this Chinese animated sequel opens to sisters; Verta, the Green Snake, and Bianca, the White Snake, are battling Fahai, a demon slaying monk. He prevails and Bianca is confined to a pagoda. Verta tries to continue the fight but finds herself transported to Asuraville, a modern city where her demon powers no longer work. It is a city in conflict; with humans, demons and various creatures fighting to survive or dominate. Verta will have to find people she can trust and overcome many difficulties if she is to discover a way out of the city and rescue her sister.

The English title of this film should be 'White Snake 2: The Tribulation of the Green Snake' but on Netflix it is retitled 'Green Snake'; presumably because would prefer people weren't put off by the fact that it is a sequel to 'White Snake'; a film they don't have the rights to. I suspect that watching 'White Snake' first would be a good idea but even without seeing that I really enjoyed this. The prologue quickly introduces characters before the action moves to Asuraville; here we are introduced to more characters and quickly learn that not everybody who Verta gets help from will survive. There is lots of impressive action; both the spectacular fight scenes and movement through the cityscape. The character designs and animation are really good; up there with Disney/Pixar... but a little more suggestively dressed! While the action isn't gory it might be too intense for younger viewers, some events may be too upsetting as well so I wouldn't recommend this to younger viewers unless an older family member has checked it out first. Overall though I'd certainly recommend this to older viewers; especially fans of animation or Chinese drama/action with magical elements. Having enjoyed this I'll certainly keep an eye open for 'White Snake'.

Awesome animation/environments with lots of cool action, but fantasy was a bit too out there for me to fully appreciate it.

[stevebondi · 7/10 · 14 December 2021]

I appreciated the first chapter ("White Snake") somewhat more, because it was a bit more grounded in the character dynamics over the extreme fantasy world aspects. Nevertheless this movie is beautiful and intense :-)

Not as good as the first one, but still worth your time

[gaarauzumaki_992 · 7/10 · 22 May 2022]

Basically what the title says. The animation is superb, the action is breathtaking.

But the overall plot and the setting isn't on the same level of quality as the first movie.

Definitely looking forward to a 3rd one if they decide to make it.

A nice surprise. Amazing animation, nice action, but plot based on a perhaps too unfamiliar mythology.

[cmartinport · 7/10 · 5 December 2021]

I wasn't expecting much of a Netflix recommendation, especially since they hide the fact that it's a sequel, yet I actually enjoyed it. I don't agree entirely with the story, quite sure I didn't understand part of it (especially because the mythological background it's a bit far from my knowledge, and the movie does little effort to introduce it), and I pretty sure part of it can't actually make sense. Yet the animation and scenography are great, the action sequence and the characters design are really good, and the story is enjoyable, giving some nice entertainment, which actually makes me look for the prequel, and makes me think that maybe some great movies could be produced with those elements.

Good animations!

[giangdang00 · 7/10 · 17 December 2021]

Story: lackluster Action: very nice!

Graphics: very impressive

Overall: its a good movie to watch for some good action and slight story included in the bundle

1st movie WHITE SNAKE is much much better with story, i recommend!

A Visual Masterpiece

[kestrel-15 · 10/10 · 12 December 2021]

My wife and I were blown away! Without question, this is the highest quality CGI we've ever seen. The characters and settings all looked fantastic. The various kinds of magic were incredibly beautiful. The girls were incredibly cute. I grew up loving books, but increasingly enjoying movies and video games. It is a delight when these bring sights I could not have imagined - and this movie is a great example. Places and characters weird and wonderful, of multiple genres.

Another reviewer felt the writers really love tragedy. This begs two responses. First, this tale wasn't written for this movie. White Snake is a Chinese legend, at least hundreds of years old. This is an adaptation, and the writers took creative license, but the basic story is already set - like any telling of King Arthur, Aladdin, etc. Second, watch the ending more closely, and think about it. This is not actually a tragedy. There is also a post credit scene, which ends the movie quite delightfully.

In short, a fun treat for all sorts of audiences. Especially those who like Chinese legends. But more beautifully brought to screen than any animated film I've seen before. This raised the bar. I can't wait for more!

Some feelings

[j_movie · 6/10 · 30 July 2021]

It has certain milestone significance. To some extent, it has opened the precedent of China's "spectacle" animation film, that is, the story almost completely serves all kinds of stacked wonders. This feeling is very similar to Tsui Hark's Di Renjie series, especially the four heavenly kings. Of course, this is an interesting attempt, but judging from the current market performance, it is indeed a little high and low. The reason is that it is too far away from the audience, and the emotion can not resonate with the audience. From the creator's point of view, of course, this is great, but if you take too big a step, you will get half the result with twice the effort. Discuss with friends that if the masked teenager is Xu Xian, the Zen meaning of this story may be more profound. Now it is still a little "expressing for expression, too unconventional".

Masterpiece

[wahdon · 10/10 · 5 December 2021]

Loved every min the story characters scenery the twists and turns the epic action the fight scenes the adventure. All captivating. Best animation I've seen for a while hope there will a trilogy.

If you are expecting a continued emotional ride, you will be disappointed

[AGoodMovieShouldBeEmotional · 6/10 · 23 July 2021]

The first film came out as a total surprise in 2019. It managed to tell a touching story within 97 min, with rich emotions, stunning visuals and outstanding soundtracks. Albeit flawed, Audiences in general are willing to overlook the shortcomings and praise the efforts from Light Chaser Animations for their creativity and sincerity.

2 years later, we welcomed a sequel, with high hope that it can continue the legend, both story and box office wise, that its predecessor managed to create. What we ended up seeing, however, is a Chinese-made Hollywood style pop-corn blockbuster with great visuals but little soul in it. For those who loved the first film, there is a big chance this sequel can turn out to be a great disappointment.

The biggest issue with this film is that it overthrew pretty much every establishment it tried so hard to build in the first film and went the completely opposite direction. Xuan's reincarnation is a useless weakling, leaving his wife (White snake) and further causing her imprisonment; Green snake got herself nearly killed fighting monk Fa-Hai and was sent to a modern day like world where tribulations happen regularly, starting a romance with a strong man, got betrayed, and came to the conclusion that men can not be trusted. White snake, although being a demon and never killed, somehow had to go through reincarnations of many lifetimes with one goal in mind: finding green snake, completely forgetting about her husband and child. The relationships and motivations in this film feel forced and unbelievable most of the time, along with problematic mechanic settings of the Asura world such as how time passes in this world vs time in the real world. The dialogs are direct and straightforward, but with no depth. The list can go on but I will save it since the main idea is conveyed here.

In summary, this film shattered the beautiful and touching love story we saw in the first film and replaced it with a cinematic experience of a dangerous world where safety, trust and love is scarce but full of Gang of New York style gang fighting, Fast and Furious style car chasing and world war Z style hoard attacks. The emotional bond of the two snake sisters became the main focus in this film, discarding the romantic bond between Xuan and white snake entirely in the process, making its audiences wonder: why should I feel heartbroken for Xuan and Blanca, if its creators don't even seem to care any more?

Sorry Green snake, White snake didn't betray you, you betrayed White snake.

A beautiful incoherent mess of a movie

[daisukereds · 4/10 · 14 December 2021]

While designs, clothing, monsters, characters and world building, locations, camera work and action show a lot of care and effort.. the script has bad pacing, boring developments, confusing plot-points and undercooked characters. It's almost NOT worth watching at all. It's just very dumb, with little to tie it in with it's great predecessor. Someone else here compared it to a Transformers movie.. I'd say it's even worse than that. Like a Mila's Resident Evil level of lack of self awareness. And reminded me of the worst parts of Advent Children (any FF7 fan should know).

Might as well watch it without subtitles.. enjoy the craft alone.

What a waste.

Just great

[ibrahimkhan-30185 · 9/10 · 5 December 2021]

Amazing to watch, haven't seen good animie in long time and here it was. Little mixture of Mad max and witchcraft take you to another word.. Was just amazed.. Must see in English or maybe kinda bore you.

Too much happens

[wesleythegnome · 6/10 · 2 December 2021]

It started out quite strong. I like that we're dropped into a world that looks like a human city, with very little explanation. Things seem almost normal, but not quite... meeting the first villain was scary and thrilling.

But, from there on out, there's just too much action. When every situation is life or death, all of it ends up feeling flat. Even when the main characters were actually in danger, it ended up making the movie feel emptier. We build up an emotional connection with Miss Sun, we get invested in her relationship with Verta, and then she dies unceremoniously. Verta keeps meeting more people, but their relationship isn't explored for a good chunk of the movie. There is nothing to root for.

Every action scene is fast-paced. The characters are agile and sturdy. But one thing that really bothered me is how the antagonists would stick to the mains like glue. No matter how fast the protagonist is, no matter how tricky, the antagonist keeps finding them with ease. While an explanation was given for the Ox Man, there was none for other villains. It felt more like the plot demanded it, than because the antagonists were just that good. They kept coming, unrelenting, and it got aggravating after a while.

Several characters die due to blunt force trauma. That makes sense, and it's refreshing to see a character dying from an injury like that, but it doesn't fully hold up compared to other moments they have to endure. They'll run and jump and are battered in ways that are beyond human, but still die from getting struck once. What is their power level, exactly? It's uneven and confusing.

There's also emotional beat issues. Blanca is hiding her baby in her robes at the start. I think it's meant to be a moment of significance when her robe falls open and the baby is unveiled, but it happens so quickly and zoomed out, I had to rewind to figure out where the baby had come from all of a sudden.

Simon betrays and abandons Verta, because she insists on saving the Masked Man, and it might get them all killed. His betrayal enrages her, depresses her enough to abandon all hope. Why? Their connection hasn't been explored at all, they've just driven around in a car together. At most, they had an alliance of convenience. But she treats him as if he owes her complete loyalty. Again, why? Ultimately, her own loyalty lies solely with Blanca.

I didn't always understand the reasoning of the main character. It felt more like the narrative was pre-written and followed that structure no matter what, even when it didn't make sense for the realities of the characters. Verta thinks all men are unreliable, both weak and strong men. She concludes she can only rely on herself, and has to be strong all by herself. And then she is helped by and saved by a weak man, but that man turns out to be her sister after all... so it just confirms her prejudice? Then what is the point of having the prejudice, from a storyline point of view? If her prejudice was towards all people, then the storyline might make more sense - she can't survive all on her own, she needs others, even when they are fallible. But it's specifically towards men.

When Verta finally beats the monk, it feels like a tiny moment in the movie, rather than a huge narrative victory. And how has she grown so much stronger, suddenly strong enough to beat the monk? For him, twenty years have passed. But for her, it's been a single day of fighting. It's not just that he's grown older and weaker, her green snake is suddenly a huge dragon. Is it because she felt supported by the Masked Man? I just wish these moments would have had more time to resonate with the audience.

There's also odd little moments like, a character and train ticket sequence that heavily borrowed from Spirited Away. The fox spirit's head turns counterclockwise both times, rather than turning back and unwinding her twisted neck.

Some emotional beats do resonate, though. The movie becomes more compelling once you get through the first third of it. The ending is beautiful and heartwrenching! I'll be thinking of it for a long time.

A touching movie with a beautiful message, overall. I just wish there had been less peril. I think it would've been easier to watch if it had been more balanced.

Looks Good, But Lost

[James_IV · 4/10 · 15 December 2021]

Looking at the film from a visual aspect, it's great. I love the design style of the CG, and the worlds they create look amazing (I specially love the design of a bus and its driver near the end of the film).

However, looking at it from a story aspect, it's awful. I was so confused throughout the film, that I simply couldn't follow it. Things were thrown at you and you'd be confused, only to have them disappear right away. There didn't feel to be much development, character or story wise. The best way I guess I would describe it is they simply were trying to put too much into the film for the time allowed.

Maybe this has to deal with the film being called "White Snake 2" (something they conveniently left off the title on Netflix). So possible, if I saw the first film, it would clear things up maybe? Or maybe, since it was created in China, there's some cultural aspects of China that it relates to I don't know.

At least the ending cleared up a few questions I had throughout the film, however, this once again feels like poor writing, where the watcher didn't even have a chance to try and figure it out, with the writers realizing "oh we should probably take care of this shouldn't we" (though it does have me now with new questions).

Either way, I'd probably give it a pass, unless you are bored. Also be aware, should you, there is a 2nd ending in the middle of the credits (though it appears to be used to setup a sequel ... I think)

A pity how the story goes

[andytennis-42638 · 6/10 · 12 September 2021]

Adopted from a well-known myth in China (and you can say a love story between a white snake and a male doctor whose fates has been tangled since prelife), the movie is still a love story but nothing I expected. I absolutely love the whole Sura city stuff and the idea of the two snake sisters (who are not both female in the original myth) finally seeing what's really been lied before them for centuries, the affection for each other, but too many things just don't add up at all. And also at one point, the director seems a bit lost in all those boring fight scenes. Basically, this movie doesn't see much improvement in every sense compare to the prequel. The west lake in winter is the only thing close to great.

Writers of these films series really loves tragedy

[dipu111 · 7/10 · 3 December 2021]

The prequal of this movie, White Snake, ending with a tragedy ending, and I expected something different since this is a sequel, but no... it ended in tragedy too.

The movie went very well throughout. I enjoyed everything except the ending. I would have loved it very much if the ending was not a tragedy this time.

Loved it, highly recommend.

[ariezonline · 10/10 · 5 December 2021]

This is the first time ive left a review its because i was touched by this movie. Ive watched the first movie and i loved it so when i saw this I went to watch it immediately. I was thrilled and I cried so many emotions even if it was just animation. Loved it, i would definitely recommend it to anyone.

Bizarre but not bad

[oliverriordan · 7/10 · 6 December 2021]

This is such a strange movie, with so many different flowing parts and interesting ideas. While some of these elements don't work well with the story, the parts that do work can be pretty engaging and interesting. At it's worst "White Snake 2: Green Snake" is too weird and doesn't work but at it's best it is pretty engaging and visually stunning. An odd sequel but one worth watching.

Sex Reversion in Animated Movie

[Omegamon-Alter-S · 10/10 · 2 October 2021]

We all know Green Snake would save her sis after improving her power in Chinese traditional opera. And that's how I predicted the plot would be; at least that was the title of this movie showed us, but this movie has turned the cliché core of revenge into a new focus of relationship between Green Snake and White Snake.

Literature has evolved into a new form of images with words and sounds like ACG (animation, comics and games), movie and television.

The meaning of literature holds within has been diversified by these new forms also.

As a kid ten years ago or as an adult now, I am a big fan of animation all the time. We can hardly see sex reversion in movies, to say nothing of animated movies. In fact, sex reversion is a new concept in novels even these years. It's pretty bold for the producers to make a decision of putting this idea into a sequel.

It's pure and fresh to use sex reversion without adding anything connected with parody. It's natural for us to know or to understand the plot that White Snake was the hero all along. For character set, they were both courageous and kind enough to sacrifice their lives for other people. For lines or fates, they both had something they could not give up, which was obsessiveness. And it was obsessiveness to make them go through metempsychoses. It was a classic Chinese script for love.

In the movie, Green Snake commented that people who do goods to others without power are killing themselves and also others. And she wanted to be a powerful woman to protect herself without any man. But at the later time of the movie she changed her mind and realized that being normal and living in an ordinary life was good enough for them. Some say it's a symbol of feminist movement, but I consider it to be a bigger picture. I think that she has understood the meaning of happiness truly and cherished her life from the bottom of her heart.

Of course you could say she finally admitted hardship was part of life also after all those shits happened.

All in all, she has given her obsessiveness up in the end.

And the ending was really touching. In the end of the movie, after seeing flashbacks for all the reincarnations White Snake had gone through, Green Snake finally learned that even without memories or power, no matter how many years or lives, her sis would fight tooth and nail to look for her and save her.

In fact White Snake and Green Snake are not real sisters; they knew each other and accompanied each other for a long long long time like thousands of years. Eventually they became sisters or something like that. This kind of relationship is hard to be identified or defined.

In history for 'White Snake' and its spread versions, showing up as a male was original in many stories for Green Snake. And for fairy monsters the genders are not even a problem in Chinese legends. In a situation of today's world, you can call Green Snake a fluid gender (not exact in Chinese original stories or cognitions). And in this movie, her sis was the reversion one.

We can see many criticisms online over the positive ones. It's natural for any advanced work which beyond its time. Let's be patient and clap our hands for this pioneering film.

A nice idea movie

[mailtaskservice · 7/10 · 9 October 2021]

Its worth 7/10 for the ideas and its also quite nice to watch. Its worth to pay movie.

Fights in cartoons not so cool, it's like a video game with anorectic girlies

[sorin86 · 4/10 · 6 February 2022]

The sequel is far from the epic quality of the original. While the original had a solid story, half of this too long a film is packed with action. But we are not impressed with fights in cartoons, especially when they seem to continue for ever. The 2nd half of the film is more humane and we start to connect better to the characters and their story (stories).

The girls fight like great masters, even if they look incredibly anorectic.

Animation is very good (as the original White Snake). Great coloration and attention to details.

Could be a 3D movie hit

[omaragutierrez-21632 · 9/10 · 2 December 2021]

For someone who does not know anything about the Chinese tale, and likes science fiction, this movie was quite impressive. Better sound effects could have helped. Keep watching after the credits and you will see a couple of extra clips.

Probably best to see the other one first

[neil-476 · 6/10 · 27 January 2022]

White Snake 2: Green Snake

Two young Chinese women with magic powers battle a monk. One sister is sucked into a magical pagoda while the other ends up 1,000+ years in the future in a post-apocalyptic dystopia, without her powers (although, apparently, her incredible martial arts skills are still intact). Disoriented by this world of ruined tech, demons, monsters, and people with varying agendas, she has to find a way to rescue her sister.

This 2 hour Chinese CGI feature is a sequel. It might help to see White Snake beforehand, because this movie drops you in to the battle between the sisters and the monk. You don't know who they are, why they are fighting, what's at stake, what their magical powers are - the fight is visually impressive and beautifully executed, but it's difficult to care about any of it when you don't know why you should.

There is a bit more emotional investment once the poor girl is temporally dislocated, but there are still about a million unanswered questions,

It is worth reiterating that everything about the film looks great - it is often quite beautiful, and much of it is strikingly imaginative. If eye candy is your sole criterion, you could do no better. But it's difficult to care as much as you ought to.

Badly paced, no buildup, no real plot

[pugs-89069 · 3/10 · 23 December 2021]

The art style is very nice and I love the character designs, BUT I do have some complaints. First off we went into this movie with NO explainations. I had no idea what was happening the entire time throughout this movie. We never even got the time to know the characters and learn stuff about them. Second, it is NONSTOP FIGHTING. We never got a break, a breather. After every fight, we got a minute to take everything in before another fight occurred. The producers obviously rushed this. I was very excited to watch this, but I was highly disappointed. You can do way better, Netflix.

Not a bad movie

[keithomusic · 7/10 · 31 January 2022]

This is a sequel to the anime 'White Snake' (2019). But you can enjoy this without having seen that anime. It starts rather intensely, as a fight between the two snake sisters and a powerful monk, the monk sends each of them to a different prison.

This is the story of how Green Snake overcame the limitations placed on her. There is not a lot of character development or in some cases explanations for what is happening, or why some characters are there (besides plot convenience).

The action seems non-stop but there are breathers here and there so our heroes (and the audience) can rest and try to figure out what happens next.

Green Snake is trying to find her sister White Snake and free her, but we don't find this out to past the middle of the movie.

The ending is a bit stretched out and overdone, and we don't get the finale until either a mid credits or post credits scene. Despite its flaws (as all movie have) it's an enjoyable anime. The CGI is great, the character art as well as the background is also very good, the animation is also great.

Spoilers follow!! I have a few complaints about this movie. I watched in Mandarin with English subtitles and they used non-chinese names for Green Snake and White Snake which would take me out of the movie, as the Mandarin sounded nothing like those names. And the bad guy in Asuraville had some protection that the monk had given him, why did the monk give him that? And the monk himself seems to be an evil character who punishes others because they don't obey him.

What I hope for if there is another sequel after this one

[BethL789 · 7/10 · 5 December 2021]

Okay, so maybe I didn't see the whole movie. So much has happened, that I'm trying to put all the pieces together. Like what happened to Xuan and his child during all the events Verta was in?

Also, if there is another sequel after this one, I really hope it will include the ending having Blanca, Verta, Xuan and his child living happily together. Something happened in the mid-credits in the first movie so it would make sense if there was another movie because there was something in the mid-credits of this movie too.

Because there was that time-skip of when Blanca and Xuan were married and had a child, it would also be nice if there was like a series. So that we know everything that had happened when Blanca and Xuan were reunited again leading up to the events of this movie.

I just hope there is hope for a series that takes place in between the two movies and there will be another sequel after this one which will have Blanca, Verta, Xuan and his child living happily together. I hope the creators and writers will have a chance to do all of this. Cause TBH, after the first movie, I was afraid that was going to be it. But then surprisingly, a sequel came two years later. Time flies fast especially with COVID going on. Still the ending to this one wasn't what I expected to. So yeah, hopefully we can have another chance.