Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Oh yes.
Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? If you’re a fan of “Journey to the West.”
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 119 minutes (~2 hours)
“The Monkey King 2 (西游记之孙悟空三打白骨精)” is a Hong Kong action drama in a fantasy setting, that’s an adaptation of the classic “Journey to the West” story. It focuses on the White Bone Demoness’ enmity with Tripitaka and his disciplines. It stars Aaron Kwok (Sun Wukong/Monkey King), Gong Li (Bai Gu Jing/White Bone Demoness), Feng Shaofeng (Tang Sanzang/Tripitaka), Xiaoshenyang (Zhu Bajie/Pigsy), Him Law (Sha Wujing/Sandy), and Kelly Chen (Guan Yin). It is rated PG-13.
“The Monkey King 2 (西游记之孙悟空三打白骨精)” retains the essence of the story while adding more fantastical elements to it, giving us an enchanting film about the story that all of us grew up with. It’s a visually arresting picture that presents the four heroes of “Journey to the West” as incredibly formidable individuals, reminding us why it is such a timeless story.
Highlights
Lavish sets and exquisite costumes
Everything in this film was painstakingly designed and carefully produced, and this shows in the final product. The sets carry arcane runes and markings that convey the magic that permeates the very fabric of this world, further enhancing the mystic feel of the film. Even the attire for the lowliest guard fits in beautifully with the other, more detailed costumes, creating evocative scenes and helping immerse you in the fantasy world of “The Monkey King 2 (西游记之孙悟空三打白骨精).”
Good production values and special effects
The prudent mix of practical and digital effects (rather than using CGI for everything) creates a more realistic and believable world, since not every magical effect has that flawless sheen of computer graphics. This allows the movie to conserve the digital effects for when they really matter, which in turn translates to grander and more polished displays when necessary, such as the depiction of the heroes’ super powers. The finale, in particular, is quite a treat.
White Bone Demoness is stylishly deadly
Gong Li brings grace and poise to this classic villainess, bringing a tragic quality to her motivations and actions. It’s not just her powers that make her so fearsome, but the air of intimidation that surrounds her. Her multiple costume changes also serve to keep her interesting and refreshing throughout the film, though one wonders how she manages to stay so fashionable. It’s probably magic.
Letdowns
Tripitaka is unbelievably gullible
The way the relationship develops between Tripitaka and Monkey King doesn’t warrant the misunderstandings that occur between them. The plot tries to service the original story and and give proper character development, but in doing so it creates multiple paradoxical interactions. It makes Tripitaka’s naivete look like the result of brain damage. Perhaps less growth, or fewer homages to the original story would have resulted in more believable interactions.
Sandy’s character design is overdone
Sandy is distractingly blue, so much so that you’re spending more time wondering whether which parts are make-up and which parts are CGI. If that’s not enough, there’s also a lot of detail on his body that’s unidentifiable — is that part of his armour, or is it that how a demon’s skin looks like? I applaud the effort put into his character design, but I also have to wonder what was the intention behind it.
“The Monkey King 2 (西游记之孙悟空三打白骨精)” is an entertaining film that puts its own spin on a familiar story, using modern special effects to enhance the magic of the original tale.
“The Monkey King 2 (西游记之孙悟空三打白骨精)” opens in cinemas 5 February, 2016 (Friday).
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