Snake 2 is a 2019 Chinese monster movie set on a deserted island where survivors of a shipwreck encounter deadly prehistoric reptiles. Also known as Snakes 2
This is, obviously, a sequel to Snake (2018). Snake 3: Dinosaurs vs. Python appeared in 2022.
Directed by Lin Zhenzhao (Restart the Earth; Snakes 3: Dinosaur vs. Python; Junkrat Train; The Enchanting Phantom; Monkey King: The Volcano; Snakes; Pen Fairy vs. Sadako) from a screenplay written by Shengfan Zhang (Fist of Fury: Soul; The Enchanting Phantom; Monkey King: The Volcano).
The movie stars Chao-te Yin (Junkrat Train; Bad Moon), Ruoxi Li (Detective Dee’s Hell Road), Naomen Eerdeni (Giant Python; Land Shark), Lu Yu, Tao Lixin, Zhang Ge and Huang Jintang.
Plot:
On Wei Jiahuan’s birthday, her father Wei successfully accompanies her to board the yacht around the sea, but a sudden shipwreck caused by a giant snake under the water ruins everything. The yacht capsizes and everyone falls into the ocean.
Wei Chenggong (Yin Chao-Te) wakes up and finds himself on a deserted island. He sees Wei Jiahuan being carried away by a giant snake, so follows into the jungle in order to rescue her.
In this isolated jungle, countless weird prehistoric creatures are hidden, and the long journey to rescue her daughter is full of potentially deadly encounters. On the other side of the island, Wei Jiahuan and others wake up in the snake’s lair…
Review:
The version of Snakes 2 online doesn’t have English subs so some plot subtleties might be lost here. That said, Chinese monster movies are pretty basic in plot and execution so here goes.
Beyond the title, Lin Zhenzhao’s sequel has seemingly nothing to do with Snakes (2018) except it’s presumably the same island. An early attack by an absolutely massive snake shows CGI characters being thrown about in the air like confetti and does not bode well because the result is just amusing rather than terrifying.
However, the few survivors are left in a cave full of hatching young, yet huge snakes, which proves to be fairly unsettling. Vicious killer plant vines and the flying piranhas from the first film soon follow en masse. Despite a frenetic score that attempts to amp up the tension, the latter CGI creatures are as poorly presented as previously and how they manage to attack so far into the jungle is a mystery.
Not that we have to ponder long as the next critter to attack is a giant chubby toad with a deadly long tongue. It doesn’t last long as it’s soon swallowed by the mega snake. Lengthy chase sequences follow and it becomes perhaps clear why Snakes 2 hasn’t been afforded English subs.
Beyond a vengeful father and his victim daughter, the characters aren’t as developed as in the original – although we thankfully get less hokey humour – so all the sequel has to offer is extended scenes of scared characters running around in a cave and the jungle. That said, there’s enough going on constantly to maybe make it worth a watch for fans of Chinese creature features.
Adrian J Smith, MOVIES and MANIA
Release date:
Released in China on December 6th 2019.
For the trailer, clips and full film free online go to page 2
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