Rating: 
Summary: Bad subtitles/wonky audio.
Review: It's great that they decided to redo the subtitles in bright white w/black borders so that they could actually be read, unlike in the VHS print. It's too bad, however, that they didn't find somebody who spoke English to do the translation. The redone subtitles are grammatically worse than the original, to the point that they are completely nonsensical; even if you try to deduce what they might have meant from prior knowledge of the movie, they are still incomprehensible.It's almost insulting that they care so little of their English speaking viewers, and worse, it is very distracting. I also experienced weird doubling/echoing artifacts with some of the music tracks near the end of the film (not sure if this was my player or not, but I kind of doubt it). Combine the two and you end up with a pretty good film on a crappy DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: Great jet li movie but not his best
Review: Jet LI plays young swordsman Ling in this epic tale. He loves wine and woman and through out the film he wants to find the strongest wine. Besides being a drunk in this movie he does pull off some super fast swordplay. This movie will have you rewinding fight scenes to see what exactly happened. Even in slow motion it's hard to follow. I think they sped the film up too fast in some areas, but besides that it's a decent movie...
Rating: 
Summary: Great depiction of Jiang Hu
Review: Jiang Hu (rivers and lakes, which refers to the world in which martial warriors live) is a dream to us Chinese just as the Knights stories to the Europeans, the Samurai stories to the Japanese. From the ancient time to the morden days, this dream has never faded. Numberless fictions and movies have been produced on the depiction of Jiang Hu. But the true sense of Jiang Hu in many Chinese's minds is hard to reach. A lot of movies ended up ridicules. To me, swordsman II is by far one of the few films that are close to the imagination of Jiang Hu. The movie is adapted from the fiction "Xiao Ao Jiang Hu" by the most popular Wuxia story writer Jin Yong (Louis Chan). Though the screenplay is way different from the original work, the sense of Jiang Hu is presented poetically. The movie tells that after being sold out by their master, the hero Linghu Chong, together with his juniors, set to retire from Jiang Hu to lead a peaceful reclusive life. But on the verge of leaving, he met Ren Yingying, the daughter of the former leader Ren Woxing of a secret sect. The sworn brother of Ren Woxing, Dong Fang Bu Bai (the invincible), secretly imprisoned the leader and usurped. Ren Yingying, who has been loving Linghu Chong, tried to find out his father. Ling Huchong, facing the situation, decided to help Ren Yingying first before retiring. The invincible practised a secret form of martial art and transsexed. He (she) fell in love with Linghu Chong accidentally. After Linghu Chong rescured the former leader, the invincible pursued. As Linghu Chong was away, the invincible massacred almost all his juniors. Linghu Chong, with deep sorrow, joined Ren Woxing in attacking the invincible to revenge for his juniors. By the time they came to the invincible, Linghu Chong found out the invincible was the one that he fell into love with. While the invincible found out Linghu Chong came to attack him (her), he (she) fell into deep despair and resentment. In a mixed sentiment towards Linghu Chong, the invincible was defeated before he could rise up against the emperor. When Ren Woxing restored the control of the sect, he started to purge the men he distrusted from the sect. Linghu Chong, informed by Ren Yingying that her father was to kill him too, had to leave. Reng Yingying, because of being loyal to the sect, was unable to follow Linghu Chong. She could only stand on the shore in desolation and watch grievously as the boat was sailing away. The story tells so vividly about Jiang Hu world, in which men can not behave as they expect to. With spendid cinematography and graceful choreography, this movie is extremely compelling. After watching that, all the dreams about Jiang Hu rise with temptation and sighs.
Rating:
Summary: Swordsman II and Swordsman I together
Review: Junior/Kiddo is Ling/Fox/Seniors "sister" only in the sense that the other students of the Wah mountain master are his "brothers". She is actually the daughter of the dead master of the school and has a much more compelling failed romance in the first episode of the series. Swordsmen II is more about gender roles with Asia/Dawn being torn between genders and Junior/kiddo trying to figure our how to deal with her adult femininity after growing up as a tomboy. This is one of many good reasons to track down the original Swordsman so that you can figure out just what all is happening in the movie.
The very bad, sometimes mistyped and sometimes missing, subtitles are perhaps preferable to the dubbing, but how much so depends on the viewer's patience.
Both of the first two installments are worth watching, the 3rd installment is more of a spin-off on Brigitte Lin's fame than a continuation of the story of Ling and Kiddo.
Rating: 
Summary: Legend of Swordsman = butchered Dimension DVD
Review: Legend of Swordsman dvd review - dreadful, dubbed, cut, americanised, renamed, new dreadful audio track, poor disc = do not buy this version! (buy Swordsman 2) film review - Swordsman 2 was Jet Li's largest grossing domestic film in Hong Kong in the early 90's, even outperforming Fist of Legend and the Once Upon a Time in China Series. Although the cast is very similar to the Once Upon a Time in China series due to the Tsui Hark influence (Jet Li, Yen Shi Kwan, etc). The only cast member from the original Swordsman (King Hu classic 90) is the gorgeous Fannie Yuen (Blue Phoenix). The wire-fu fighting and fantastical set make this an enchanting film, and the costumes are award-winning. This is not Jet's best film in my opinion, but is right up there with his best. Conclusion - get Swordsman 2 (Megastar), get an HK import - do anything but buy this butchered version that pays no respect to the culture or ethos from which this movie emerged.
Rating:
Summary: You want "Swordsman II", not "Legend of the Swordsman"
Review: Most of the people in these reviews who are UNhappy with the DVD are so because they bought "Legend of the Swordsman", the one with the "Jet Li Collection" notation on the cover. DO NOT BUY THAT VERSION. These reviews are shared between "Swordsman II" and "Legend of the Swordsman", so some of the reviews that instruct you to buy the "other one", are erroneous, depending on which version you're already looking at. Make sure you look at 2 things which will tell you if you are buying the right one:
1) the title - just to reiterate, get "Swordsman II"
2) the DVD cover - It should by an orange/red, with Jet Li, Bridgitte Lin, Rosamund Kwan, and Michelle Reis on it, total of 4 people. It also spells "Swordsman" with only the first "s". You don't want the one that *only* has Jet Li on the cover. Whew. That all said, this movie is epic. Even admittedly confusing at times. Some say it's unecessary to have seen the first one, but right at the beginning, they hit you with a lot of information about what sect is doing what, and how the japanese are interfering, etc... and the english translation isn't superb, so unless you're willing to pause and read the subtitles over a couple times, you will miss information. This is less so the case if you've seen "Swordsman". Nonetheless, even if you don't understand everything, there is a plethora of things to enjoy in this movie. I first watched this movie when I was about 14. I only fully understood what was going on when I bought the DVD when I was 23. I watched the movie periodically throughout my life, and enjoyed it every time. It's a skillfully done movie, excepting the translation. The subject of the transsexualism is treated VERY well. It is neither overly graphic and sensationalist about it, nor is it too prudish. The fighting is good, though if you're a martial arts fanatic, you might be dissapointed because the scenes are more about spectacle than display of kung fu skills. Flying and diversity of weapons and fighting methods play more than single-human prowess. And one other thing - the translation isn't a good one at all, but I really don't think it should take the rating down more than one star. The movie is still great and exciting, and the poor translation doesn't prevent you from understanding the important drama when it happens.
Rating:
Summary: You want "Swordsman II", not "Legend of the Swordsman"
Review: Most of the people in these reviews who are UNhappy with the DVD are so because they bought "Legend of the Swordsman", the one with the "Jet Li Collection" notation on the cover. DO NOT BUY THAT VERSION. These reviews are shared between "Swordsman II" and "Legend of the Swordsman", so some of the reviews that instruct you to buy the "other one", are erroneous, depending on which version you're already looking at. Make sure you look at 2 things which will tell you if you are buying the right one:
1) the title - just to reiterate, get "Swordsman II"
2) the DVD cover - It should by an orange/red, with Jet Li, Bridgitte Lin, Rosamund Kwan, and Michelle Reis on it, total of 4 people. It also spells "Swordsman" with only the first "s". You don't want the one that *only* has Jet Li on the cover. Whew. That all said, this movie is epic. Even admittedly confusing at times. Some say it's unecessary to have seen the first one, but right at the beginning, they hit you with a lot of information about what sect is doing what, and how the japanese are interfering, etc... and the english translation isn't superb, so unless you're willing to pause and read the subtitles over a couple times, you will miss information. This is less so the case if you've seen "Swordsman". Nonetheless, even if you don't understand everything, there is a plethora of things to enjoy in this movie. I first watched this movie when I was about 14. I only fully understood what was going on when I bought the DVD when I was 23. I watched the movie periodically throughout my life, and enjoyed it every time. It's a skillfully done movie, excepting the translation. The subject of the transsexualism is treated VERY well. It is neither overly graphic and sensationalist about it, nor is it too prudish. The fighting is good, though if you're a martial arts fanatic, you might be dissapointed because the scenes are more about spectacle than display of kung fu skills. Flying and diversity of weapons and fighting methods play more than single-human prowess. And one other thing - the translation isn't a good one at all, but I really don't think it should take the rating down more than one star. The movie is still great and exciting, and the poor translation doesn't prevent you from understanding the important drama when it happens.
Rating:
Summary: What's a Swordman?
Review: Ridiculous can describe the fight scenes and the subtitling at once. I have a video tape copy of the Swordsman II, it's a great movie so I was really excited about upgrading to DVD, but the subtitling makes this movie unwatchable. I've seen it, I know what this movie's about! Unless you speak Chinese you won't have any idea what's going on in the version by Mei Ah Laser Disc company. Get the Tai Seng VHS version. I could have done a better job and I speak neither Cantonese or Mandarin. Whoever did this knows equally as much English. But it starts right there on the cover, what's a Swordman? Ridiculous.
Rating:
Summary: Not what you'd think
Review: So long as you go into this movie expecting a fantasy epic instead of a martial arts film, you'll do fine. While there are some pretty good fight scenes in this movie, it's more along the lines of the Chinese Ghost Story series than Dragon Inn or Iron Monkey. Just don't let that stop you from seeing it. This movie completely revitalized Bridgette Lin's flagging career and after watching it, you'll understand why. Lin is magnificent as the trans-gendered Asia, playing the role with a threatening and aristocratic gravity that's truly awesome and one of her best performances outside of Peking Opera Blues. Jet Li is always awesome to watch (although admittedly, he didn't get much oppurtunity to truly demonstrate his skills in this one). Still, his fluid grace and power come through as always. SII also has some truly great visual effects, and a seemingly unending stream of surprises. The weapons that are brought into play besides the usual swords and spears range from sewing needles to man-sized hooks as well as the vampire like "essence absorbing stance." Rosamund Kwan is lethal with a bull whip, attractive in a turban, and also (one of) Jet Li's romantic interests in the film, along with the delectable Michelle Reis; and whoever played Blue Phoenix was also more than a little attractive as well, despite her nasty habit of keeping snakes in her clothes and rustling up hordes of scorpions to swarm her opponents (she'd be your worst nightmare for a blind date). One of Tsui Harks and Hong Kong Cinema's best and definately one of my personal favorites.
Rating:
Summary: Classic film, but wait for a more competent DVD release...
Review: Swordsman II is arguably one of the greatest films of its genre, but this DVD release is fatally humstrung by ludicrously poorly translated English subtitles. Despite this being one of my all time favorite films I didn't even make it through to the end of this DVD; much of the "translated" dialogue makes no sense at all, and as a result the film loses much of its character. What's strange is that the earlier laserdisc release featured a highly effective and at times even lyrical translation. Couldn't they simply have copied the previous subtitles into the new format rather than having someone with third-grade English (at best) retranslate the whole film? My advice: keep this movie in mind, but wait for a more competent presentation.
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