THE MONKEY KING (Theatrical Release USA 2015)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 2.5|5.0 Starsìì

The Monkey King relies heavily on special effects to tell its story. Chow Yun Fat and Donnie Yen (IP Man) play lead roles in this artistic interpretation of an old Chinese myth.  While the costuming department completely wins the prize for beauty and originality, the writing department’s script is complicated and needs background story to appreciate the complexity of the story. Without research into the meaning of the plot before going to the movie, the relevancy and sense becomes lost in cultural differences. Donnie Yen interprets the Monkey King using laughter that seems, at times, a little annoying.  The movie needs much improvement to meet the higher standards that mark good entertainment.

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

Demons wage war on heaven incurring significant damage which a goddess repairs by sacrificing herself. One piece of herself falls to earth and creates the Monkey King.

Additional Thanks

Thank You to Director Pou-Soi Cheang for directing efforts. Thank you to Executive Producers Clarence Yiu-leung Fok, Robert Harris, Kiefer Liu, and Michael Wehrhahn for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Sun Wukong/Monkey King (Donnie Yen), Jade Emperor (Yun-Fat Chow), Bull Demon King (Aaron Kwok), Master Puti (Yitian Hai), Erlangshen (Peter Ho), Princess Iron Fan (Joe Chen), and Ruxue (Zitong Xia).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

No. This movie requires much Chinese cultural knowledge. Without that background, it makes it exceptionally difficult to get the impact and the meaning of the story.

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers

THE MONKEY KING 2 (Theatrical Release USA 2016)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 2.6|5.0 Starsìì

The Monkey King 2 is slightly better than its prequel, The Monkey King; but it has a long way to go to make it even a 3-star movie. It’s slow. The special effects are third class. Without knowledge of the Monkey King myth, a cultural Chinese classic, the story is difficult to interpret so that the viewer keeps asking, ‘Why is this important?’ Actor Aaron Kwong has replaced Donnie Yen as the Monkey King in this sequel film. His interpretation of the Monkey King character seems more serious than Donnie Yen’s interpretation. Kwong accomplishes this change of character by reducing Donnie’s open, care-free, laughing interpretation with a serious, down-to-business persona that replaces the open laughter with chuckles. It is highly recommended that viewers do cultural research on this myth or at least read the movie’s full plot from Jimmy Wales’ Wikipedia pages before viewing this film. Knowledge will enhance the entertainment value of the film.  

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

The Monkey King (Aaron Kwok) keeps a Buddhist monk Tang Sanzang (Feng Shaofeng) safe on a long journey plagued with demons.

Additional Thanks

Thank you to Pou-Soi Cheang for directing efforts. Thank you to Executive Producers Wong Hoifung and Kiefer Liu for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Sun Wukong (Aaron Kwok), Baigujing/White-Boned Demon (Li Gong), Tang Seng (Shaofeng Feng), Zhu Bajie (Xiao Shen-Yeng), Sha Seng (Chung Him Law), Guowang/King (Fei Xiang), and Guanyin (Kelly Chen).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

No. If the viewer wants to finish this series, then this is it. There are better films within this genre that provide more entertainment value: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon or Curse of the Golden Flower.

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers