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I just saw this film and will put it up top as Chow's best. I may be a bit biased here though. When I was a kid a game came out for NES called Dragon Power which ended up being based on the cartoon Dragonball which led me to finding some old cartoons based directly on Journey to the West which I found fascinating. Basically, I've always liked the story of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. This movie picks up smack dab in the middle of the Monkey King's story. You won't get a retelling of his 5-pillar lesson here. Instead you follow the story of the monk that the Monkey King will one day help guide as he finds enlightenment and how he "conquers" the titular demons. If you've already seen God of Cookery, Kung Fu Hustle, or Shaolin Soccer (cj7 doesnt exist) then you know what kind of comedy and directing to expect from Chow (yes a person in a fat suit shows up- why do you ask?). So expect a few Chow typical disturbing characters, some ugly mofo background actors (is he a Coen fan?), and plently of puns (is he a Shakespeare fan?). The humor here seems a bit more balanced out than in his previous outings. I'll keep it short and just add that this movie has the best version of the Monkey King that I've ever seen. Usually Sun Wukong is played up to the point where it's embarrassingly corny (see Jet Li in Forbidden Kingdom or the 2010 tv series). Sun Wukong is a badass; so it's about time to see him played up as one instead of as comedy relief. If you enjoyed any of Chow's previous works then make sure you check this one out in theaters if you get a chance. I'll dock it a point just for a couple of bad green screen shots; even though some of the other shots looked amazing. It's really uneven in the CGI department (like Star Wars prequels bad in places). It didn't stop me from enjoying the movie and now I'm looking forward to their inevitable sequels. 4/5
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Mar 17, 2013 13:33
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| # ¿ Apr 25, 2024 04:49 |
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