Movie Review Feng Shui 2 (2014)

 

Feng Shui 2 | 2014 | 1h 40m
Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller | Country: Philippines
Director: Chito S. Roño | Writers: Chito S. Roño, Roy Iglesias
Cast: Kris Aquino, Coco Martin, Cherry Pie Picache
IMDB: 5.3
My Rate: 7/10

Lester accidentally sees himself in the Bagua he stole and doesn't realize that the good luck he's been getting and the bad luck happening to the people close to him is coming from the Bagua, until Joy comes and tells him the hidden secret.

Warning:

Contains scenes of violence and murder.

 

Synopsis:

The twin family who found the Bagua before met a tragic fate. Lesler (Coco Martin) has the task of taking the Bagua and giving it to the Lotus Feet relative, the ghost that possesses the Bagua. But a man takes it first and brings it to a temple.

To complete his task, Lesler follows the man and steals the Bagua. But Lesler, unaware of the curse of the Bagua, opens the Bagua package to see what's inside. Lesler accidentally sees himself in the Bagua mirror.

Lesler suddenly experiences good luck, where the loan shark who took his motorcycle just lets him go. Lesler realizes that the Bagua he handed over is placed above his house door. He never knew who put the Bagua there. On his way to return the Bagua, greed starts to take over Lesler's heart and he decides to keep it.

Good luck after good luck happens, until his mother becomes a victim and dies tragically. Lesler realizes that the Bagua has brought a curse upon him. Especially after Joy appears and sees the Bagua at Lesler's house. Joy is also scared because good luck has reappeared in her life.

Joy tries to help Lesler and invites Lily, the first owner of the Bagua, to destroy the Bagua together. Will they succeed in destroying the curse?

 

Review:

Feng Shui 2 is based on an idea from Coco Martin, based on his love for Feng Shui (2004). For viewers, it's recommended to watch the first sequel of Feng Shui first. Because the story is connected and can't stand alone. Even though there are some new story ideas presented in this second sequel.

The film opens with a pretty interesting scene where there are some summaries of events in the first sequel, presented in black and white. Then, to show its connection to the present, color starts to appear little by little. This transition is done quite interestingly to show the relationship between the story in the first film and the second film.

Compared to the first film, the story isn't a hundred percent the same. Some new things are shown, like how the 'ghosts' are increasing and need more 'victims'. Compared to the first film, the feeling of dread is less visible because each death isn't shown too much. So, the story feels a bit boring and the foundation isn't strong enough.

Another drawback is that Lesler, who should be the main character in this second film, isn't strong enough. The story about him is less explored and not deep enough. The story starts to show tension again when Joy appears and makes Lesler's character weaker. This is a shame because Lesler's character should have been strengthened, especially since half the story is focused on Lesler.

The acting of the actors can be said to be pretty good. The lighting, camera movement, and editing techniques are pretty good. The choice of music and soundtrack also helps to build tension in each scene. Unfortunately, the resolution is less satisfying than the first film.

Spoiler alert. The first film ends with the Bagua being found by Joy's new neighbor and Joy disappears without any explanation of her whereabouts. This gives a pretty good open ending and makes the audience curious. Especially after the second sequel is shown, everything feels connected to each other. Even if the second sequel wasn't made, that ending would still be a good ending, like a conclusion to everything.

But, the second sequel feels lacking. Joy, who is shocked and screams after hearing her lover's voice, seems to raise a new question about what happened to her lover. While it would have been better if everything was over when Joy found Lesler's body. Especially the after credit about Lesler's lover, just makes the less satisfying ending even worse.

Overall, the storyline is still enjoyable and the story idea is quite systematic. From this film, we also realize that greed won't bring good things into our lives.

 

Memorable Scene:

Lesler's father, who hasn't been home for years, suddenly shows up with good news. He wants to take Lesler and his mother to move to a better house. Lesler sees this as a huge stroke of luck.

Lesler was angry and resentful towards his father for not contacting them for years, which caused his mother to become depressed. But his father's appearance still brings him happiness, especially seeing his mother so happy too.

 
Memorable Dialogue:

"You lived because you fought."

 

Ending:

Cliffhanger

 
Recommendation:

Worth to Watch

 

(Aluna)