Demons have never looked better than in this delirious fantasy-romance directed by Tsui Harak (Once Upon A Time In China). The story of two snake demons (Maggie Cheung and Joey Wang) and their love-hate relationship with mortal men is a dazzling visual feast, filled with stunning plateaus, vivid costumes and sets, and unforgettable images.
Maggie Cheung and Joey Wong play the half-humans Green Snake and Son Ching, two beauties who live in an open-air house on the outskirts of town. Son Ching, through 1000 years of discipline, has begun to evolve out of her reptilian heritage to become a human being; Green Snake has only been practicing for 500 years, and feels more comfortable slithering around, or catching vermin with her two-foot tongue.
Fa-Hai (Zhao Wen Zhou), self-righteous Buddhist monk with extraordinary powers (and a bad case of spiritual materialism), proves to be their greatest adversary. Furious that Con Ching or Green Snake would dare transgress natural law and take on human form, he takes upon himself the role of enforcer -- a kind of metaphysical traffic cop. His lack of love leads to the destruction of his own ashram and a nearby town.
