Plot: Cao Cao's initial defeat doesn't hold him back, and he is still convinced that his fleet will overpower the Shu and Wu states. They have some master tacticians on their side though, and before Cao Cao can even think of starting the war, his army is already heavily demoralized by the tricks of his adversaries.
Watches
June 28, 2009
A slight improvement over the first film, though there are still some minor annoyances that kept this from the big epic cinema experience it was supposed to be. The fact that the first part (dedicated to deceit and trickery) is by far the best is not a good sign for a film that banks heavily on large-scale warfare.
The big battle scenes just aren't interesting enough for their duration. Things improve near the very end, when there's more one-on-one fighting, but the endless deaths of soldiers pierced by arrows and flailing swords get tiresome. The actors are solid though and there are some memorable moments, but it's not best-in-class.