I finally saw Stephen Chows Journey to the West. I love this classic Chinese story and the adventures of the Monkey King, a classic trickster antihero character. And Ive been a big fan of Stephen Chows work ever since watching Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer. So I was excited to see it. Its very well done with his signature sort of effects that are at times almost cartoon-like in their physics. At first I was thrown off though because I was seeing the familiar parts of the story but it was obviously its own adaptation. I probably got used to seeing the slightly more roguish and heroic rendition of the Monkey King as played by Jet Li and the like and this is a very different version, perhaps more true in some ways to the original. This Monkey King is really hardcore and very much capable of using his wide array of legendary abilities. Ultimately I thought it was excellent and would have liked to see more as the setup at the end goes back full circle to the original story. The only part that really bothered me was Shu Qi as Duan. Shu Qi is an excellent actress and I enjoy seeing her but her part here was very typical. Shes presented as a very competent and highly badass demon hunter who initially often saves the main character from his own inability but just like stories like Wanted and The Lego Movie, shes ultimately a sacrifice/plot tool to ultimately help the male lead realize his destiny and instantly become a capable hero.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 03:38:58 +0000
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