Following the great Temple of the Red Lotus, the sequel comes into its own, albeit there are some key changes in tone to different ends. Twin Swords is very much a serial continuation of the first, picking off right at the end of the first film. This is a more crowd-pleasing element here, a more barebones plot and more simple motivations; gone are all the interpersonal familial politics; there's a kidnap, rescue, and tons of sword fights. However there is no doubt with the Shaw Brothers production it is still elevating what is on screen. Though the film proves to be lighter on drama and makes Red Lotus feel like a soap opera by comparison, I missed the searing gravitas and operatic storytelling from part one, its powerful family dynamics and performances. That is a great film outright. But this one is a fun one, it gives you more along the lines of what you hope to see in the series. My favorite shot is the characters flying around on the rescue mission against these classical fantasy sets. It's a slice of movie heaven. It is not as good as a film in my view, but it is more action-packed, and you love the characters, the tough as nails Grandma is of course a staple in asian cinema, but here in its funniest bit, even the little girl is a sword fighting ninja too leading to some gore. The series is underrated and the trilogy has been entirely ignored in physical media warranting a release.
