Crouching Tiger sequel is best kept hidden from fans

CROUCHING Tiger Hidden Dragon 2: Sword of Destiny has only been out for about a week but it's already attracted a lot of flying daggers.

The Netflix-exclusive sequel to Lee Ang's poetically beautiful wuxia (sword fighting) original from a decade and a half ago is almost unrecognisable, if not for Michelle Yeoh reprising her role as the guardian of the jade blade.

Written by John Fusco (TV's Marco Polo) and filmed in English, it's about as authentic as fortune cookies are to Chinese cuisine and the hokey stabs at Orientalism are so cringe-worthy it makes Kung Fu Panda's screenplays look like Oscar material.