John Lennon once complained that in "Help!" the Beatles were reduced to being "extras in our own movie." That was my reaction to this sequel, in which our heroine Lady Snowblood takes a back seat to a tedious plot about a stolen official document and to political criticism of the Japanese government of the early 1900s, which is portrayed as corrupt, tyrannical, and imperialistic. There's some good action sequences, but not as crisp as in the first film, and fairly pointless, as Snowblood is not fighting for clear goals of her own, but rather serves as a pawn, or, if you like, a queen, in the political game between a radical writer and the authorities. Plenty of blood, too little Snowblood, in other words. The first movie is also self-contained, and comes to a clear conclusion -- this one is not only unnecessary but it also undermines the lesson learned at the end of the first. It's not un-entertaining, but it is skippable.
