The Monkey King the Legend Begins (2016) Reviews

• Mostly visually amazing, but not as into the story as I hoped

  subxerogravity2016-02-11

  I know the Monkey King is a huge thing in China. I herd about it before and have see the American adaption, the Forbidden Kingdom, with Jet Li as the Monkey king. This movie was visually bad ass. I loved the design of the title character. All the CGI actually worked to make the movie feel very big and very epic. It makes me wish it was released in IMAX here in the States, not just in 3D. The final battle in the movie was mind blowing. But I just did not get into the tale of the Monkey King. I don't know why this story is so popular and the movie did nothing to change this thought. It was suppose to be funny in certain places, but I did not get it and it just seem that a lot of things were happen just to produce a cool special effect for it, not to drive any story. It was fun to look at but not the most compelling story, speaking as someone unfamiliar with the story being told

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• A Spiritual Journey with Man-pigs, Blue Guy and a Giant Skeleton

  masercot2016-12-27

  Just watched this on pay per view after seeing the first one last week on Netflix. Not going to compare the first to the second, except to say that the second movie has better special effects; otherwise, it's two different movies with two different casts. I enjoyed both. This movie concerns the maturation of the Monkey King. After being imprisoned for five hundred years to learn humility, meditation and how to live in a very tiny space, Wudong is freed by a monk, but forced to aid the monk in his quest for a holy scroll by a torture crown that causes pain when the monk chants. There are a lot of fun but baffling fight scenes in this one. Wudong fights a pig-man and a blue man who are both allies, it turns out. There are some nifty demons. And, of course, the fact that there is a giant skeleton who is made out of smaller skeletons goes without saying... The acting in this one was good and the effects were great. What didn't I like? The subtitles were just awful... unreadable at least half the time. My Mandarin is a little rusty, so it made the plot hard to follow much of the time. So, I can recommend this movie. There is the death of a child and torture of children, so I'd advise no one younger than teenager to watch.

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• Fun fantasy adventure

  jasonlock-116082016-07-09

  I really enjoyed it, it was a fun action fantasy romp, and I love the various Journey to the West stories. I didn't see the first Monkey King, it had such poor reviews so I didn't bother. Anyway, Monkey King 2 completely feels like its' own entity, it is a different story from the book and the Monkey King origin story has been told many times before. Aaron Kwok is a delight to watch. I can't say how he compared to Donnie Yen but he's so lovable. It's FUN, often funny. Gong Li is very hammy, and couldn't chew the scenery more, but it's within the tone of the film. It really is a riveting family adventure from start to finish It contains the usual overabundance of CG which all these Chinese blockbusters have, but the quality isn't awful this time! Much better than some of the video-game level effects I've seen recently in others. There is a lot of practical wire-work amidst the wash of particle effects and glowy things. Most importantly, the charisma of the stars shines through it. I saw this on a trip to China, I don't know if it received, or will receive a release in the West, but it should. It will probably turn up in the Netflix graveyard at some point. It's better than most cookie- cutter American fantasy blockbusters, with, of course due to the nature of the source text, much better lessons and values sitting underneath the action than 'yet another Hero's Journey story' as Hollywood pumps out again and again.

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• A spectacle of epic proportions!!!

  WilliamOTyler2016-02-18

  The Monkey King 2 picks up right where the first Monkey King left off, continuing the story based on the legendary Journey to the West tales. This sequel is quite a level up from the first in a lot of ways. It's calmer and all around more precise and focused in its filmmaking, which in itself makes for a better upgrade, but the special effects and overall look of the film have been ratcheted up as well. Not that the previous installment was bad, but The Monkey King 2 finally presents a version of this classic Chinese story that lives up to its original epic otherworldliness. The film is beautifully and intricately designed. The sets are grand, even when they aren't really there. The costumes are lavish, holding great detail and weight. From monkey fur to pig nose, the makeup effects are stunning and amusing. The fight sequences are dramatically extraordinary, as they should be for deities at battle, with great choreographed wirework for literal high-flying action. The CG animation is not the absolute best, but even that doesn't deter from the film. There's so much going on anyway that nothing is ever able to pull you out of the adventure. There is always something else more beyond belief to draw your eye. Since the film was actually shot in 3D, not converted to the format afterwards, it perfectly matches the bigger than life feel of the film and is extremely successful and atmospheric. The Monkey King is the stuff of legends, and the actors here are perfectly cast in a rich variety of characters. Xiaoshenyang is an adorably perverted piggy Zhu Bajie, Him Law makes a hefty brute in Sha Wujing and Feng Shaofeng comes honest as monk Tang Sanzang. Li Gong is absolutely flawless as the villainous White Bone Demon, a knockout that throws back to classic female villains that are as deadly as they are beautiful. She is formidable. This is what Angelina Jolie should have been in Maleficent. Likewise for her henchwomen and their entrance into the film is a dazzling moment of horror. Aaron Kwok, starring as The Monkey King himself, gives a smoother portrayal than his predecessor. I'm unsure if it was a character choice after the events of the first movie or an actor's choice to make the character a little cooler, but it's a good choice nonetheless, making him simultaneously more relatable and dreamy, but still with his playful monkey mannerisms and charm. The Monkey King 2 is a top notch spectacle, in incredible 3D, that puts Hollywood's latest over the top endeavors to shame. With movies like Gods of Egypt, and all of its gloriously shiny cultural appropriation, happening more often than not, it is wonderful to see a big budget film made by and for its own culture. It adds more than authenticity. It's also amazing to see how majorly the movie has done in the Chinese box office. No doubt due to its timed release around the Chinese New Year, celebrating the year of the monkey, the film has already set a world record of $548 million in one week, topping Star Wars: The Force Awakens which previously held the spot. And The Monkey King 2 well deserves all the success that the year of the monkey brings to it.

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• Much much better than the first movie

  tdevil92016-04-29

  I wasn't expecting a sequel after watching the disappointing first film that was 2 years behind the original scheduled release. Despite the plethora of well-known actors/actresses, it turned out to be a huge disappointment due to the deviation from the original story. Chow Yun Fat was the most miscast actor when he was chosen to play the Jade Emperor :( I'm glad to say that this sequel is much better than the first movie in every aspect. The script focuses mainly on Sun Wukong and the Bone Demoness. The monk is left to look like a bumbling idiot. He looks and acts like the same role in the Stephen Chow's Journey to the West. Aaron Kwok's portrayal of Sun Wukong is much less flamboyant than Donnie Yen's portrayal - and for that, I am glad. The special effects are very well done, which is a relief considering the disaster in the first movie. If I hadn't watched Iron Man or Harry Potter before, I would be even more impressed with some of the effects in the final battle scene. Gong Li visual presence was, for me, the epitome of womanhood :)

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