The Brave Archer II Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Brave Archer II Blu-ray Movie Review

The Brave Archer II is an entertaining follow up sequel to the original Brave Archer. Featuring a story by Louis Cha, The Brave Archer II is an impressive action-adventure. Produced by Runme Shaw (Clans of Intrigue, The Sword Stained with Royal Blood), The Brave Archer II is a Shaw Brothers classic. The cast includes Sheng Fu, Niu Niu, Danny Lee, Kuan- Chung Ku, Yi-Min Li, Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok, Meng Lo, Shirley Yu, and Ku Feng.

Kuo Tsing (Sheng Fu) is back and continues his journey as a kung fu legend. Kuo is now earning the hand of his beloved, Huang Yung (Niu Niu). Despite his incredible strengths, Kuo is injured in a battle with a rival clan.

Ouyang Ko (Danny Lee) and Kuo fought an epic battle and Kuo was not the victor of the extended fight. Soon the East Venom Huang Yao (Kuan- Chung Ku) is the new leader. Kuo has somehow found himself being replaced as the Clan leader afterwards. Yet the battle and the stakes aren’t over. The journey for Kuo is only just beginning.

Sheng Fu continues to do a superb job in the central role. Sheng Fu is terrific as Kuo. Kuo is such a nice and entertaining lead protagonist. Niu Niu does a superb job playing off of Sheng Fu. The chemistry is effective.

The supporting cast of characters featured in The Brave Archer II includes Yang Kang (Yi-Min Li), Chou Po-tang (Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok), Qiu Qianren (Meng Lo), Sha Gu (Shirley Yu), and Hung Chi Kung - 18th chief of Beggars Clan (Ku Feng). The supporting cast did a solid job throughout the film. The performances were fun.

The action scenes are outstanding. The action direction by Robert Tai (Avenging Warriors of Shaolin, Ten Tigers of Kwangtung) is excellent throughout. The stunt work is top-notch and there is plenty to love about the impressive stunts. The end result is an even more thrilling Shaw Brothers action classic.

Written by Kuang Ni (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Dirty Ho), The Brave Archer II is well-written. The dialogue is excellent. The second installment in the series features good character moments. A fun follow-up to the original.

Directed by Cheh Chang (Vengeance!, Five Elements Ninjas), The Brave Archer II is a must-see sequel to the original. Chang did a terrific job with the filmmaking. The Brave Archer II offers plenty of epic Shaw Brothers moments.

The Brave Archer II Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory, The Brave Archer II is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. The release provides a well done high-definition encoding.

The release features some DNR. The DNR is a notable drawback to the presentation. The transfer is not quite as crisp of a high-definition presentation. The color reproduction is excellent throughout. A solid transfer – even if perhaps not as good as a new 2K/4K remaster would have offered.

The Brave Archer II Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (with English subtitles) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono. The lossless audio sounds crisp during the presentation. Dialogue is well reproduced. The English subtitles are well-done and free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

The Brave Archer II Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Fine Archery – Documentary (HD, 1:03:02)

Trailer (HD, 1:17)

Still Gallery (HD, 2:01)

The Brave Archer II Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Brave Archer II is a fantastic Shaw Brothers production. The filmmaking is top-notch throughout and the action scenes are spectacular. Directed by Cheh Chang (Five Elements Ninjas), The Brave Archer II is incredible. A great installment in the Brave Archer film series. The Blu-ray release provides a quality high-definition presentation and lossless audio. The release also comes with a feature-length documentary. Recommended.