moonrandy I thought is a awesome movie the special effects where cool and the monkey was funny

OllieSuave-007 This is full length movie based on one of China's most famous legends, The Monkey King. It stars Aaron Kwok in the title role, tasked to escort a traveling monk, Tang Seng (Shaofeng Feng), to the west to fetch ancient Buddha scriptures while protecting him from the evil White-Bone Demon (Gong Li).While the TV-series adaptation of the story has the Monkey King and his counterparts dealing a host of demons and monsters to protect the monk in each episode, this movie places emphasis on one demon, the White-Bone Demon, portrayed stunningly by Gong Li. She is a menacing force to be reckoned with, capable of spreading chaos and casualties to those dare to cross her - all the while maintaining her spellbinding beauty.Kwok is excellent as the Monkey King, feisty and powerful in his own might. Xiao Shen-Yang did great as Zhu Bajie - a womanizer who provides much needed comic relief - and Chung Him Law gave an effective portrayal of Sha Seng - a character more on the sidelines but did a great battle with the skeleton monsters and showed the most concern for the master's well-being.The movie was a little too high on the CGI in some parts, but it works well mostly, especially in the scenes involving the White Bone Demon as she floats around zapping her dark magic. The visual effects really captures the majesty of the kingdom and rich countryside, and the make-up and costumes brought the characters to life in very detail.The plot was fast-paced from start to finish, full of suspense and adventure, and the dramatic elements of trust and second chances really make the film all the more interesting. An excellent adaptation of this epic journey! Grade A

jasonlock-11608 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 finishIt 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.

tcytcy Firstly, the plot progresses very very slow. The characters speak slow, actions are slow and the attacks are slow. As a result, i cant get sucked into the action atmosphere.Secondly, i think that teach of the characters are not being portrayed as they should have been. It just doesn't do the legend justice. the make up and dressing of the characters are also a little too over the top. Aaron Kwok tried his best to act, but the make-up and script failed him - the choice of words were...A lot of the actions were very unnecessary thus causing the characters to be portrayed in a different light. These unnecessary details were given way too much air time. I got bored at the 20 minute mark and gave up hoping for a good show at the 40 minute mark. Also, i am not sure if this is supposed to include comedy in its genre but i am seeing a lot of small silly actions (that would make one laugh in normal circumstances) right in the middle of a battle.Im just very disappointed. Some may disagree with me. but on the bright side, gong li killed her role. Wished she could be more menacing though.