The Chinese mainland is troubled by angry demons, born from injustice and rage, vengeful spirits with supernatural powers. Enter the demon-hunters, a breed of almost superhuman warriors, all with special traits that make them worthy adversaries. Amongst these deadly fighters, who capture demons via their brute force, is the Buddhist apprentice Xuan Zang (Zhang Wen), whose weapon of preferred choice is a book of Nursery Rhymes, which appeal to the inner good laying dormant within each evil creature. However this course of action makes him a laughing stock amongst other demon hunters, amongst them Miss Duan (Qi Shu), whose eternally replicating bracelet make her a worthy adversary of any supernatural foe.
Nonetheless Xuan Zang's inherent goodness and dedication to his beliefs, slowly earns him Duan's adoration, which Zang rebukes citing his focus on the Greatest Love. However Duan remains adamant to capture the love of the monk-fighter. Meanwhile a vicious pig-demon causes havoc, thus causing Zang to search out the aide of the Monkey King.
A huge fan of Stephen Chow's earlier work I must admit that his newest feature has left me somewhat wanting. His requisite absurd humour remains present, but either the sense of novelty has whittled away, or the movie lacks the subtle mix of drama and lampoon comedy which made "Shaolin Soccer" or "Kung Fu Hustle" so memorable. Heavily Buddhist in its morality, Chow attempts to introduce the ridiculous, but struggles to replicate a cohesive atmosphere throughout the movie. It was still entertaining to view, but much like the family drama "CJ7", it left me wanting for a rewatch of his previous works. Often unfunny, even laborious, despite its multitude of intriguing concepts, "Journey to the West" is a half-hearted entertaining, but ultimately disappointing, addition to Stephen Chow's filmography.
The CGI isn't always up to par, especially with regards to the animal monsters, who often seem like takeaways from the Sci-fi Channel.
Nonetheless Xuan Zang's inherent goodness and dedication to his beliefs, slowly earns him Duan's adoration, which Zang rebukes citing his focus on the Greatest Love. However Duan remains adamant to capture the love of the monk-fighter. Meanwhile a vicious pig-demon causes havoc, thus causing Zang to search out the aide of the Monkey King.
A huge fan of Stephen Chow's earlier work I must admit that his newest feature has left me somewhat wanting. His requisite absurd humour remains present, but either the sense of novelty has whittled away, or the movie lacks the subtle mix of drama and lampoon comedy which made "Shaolin Soccer" or "Kung Fu Hustle" so memorable. Heavily Buddhist in its morality, Chow attempts to introduce the ridiculous, but struggles to replicate a cohesive atmosphere throughout the movie. It was still entertaining to view, but much like the family drama "CJ7", it left me wanting for a rewatch of his previous works. Often unfunny, even laborious, despite its multitude of intriguing concepts, "Journey to the West" is a half-hearted entertaining, but ultimately disappointing, addition to Stephen Chow's filmography.
The CGI isn't always up to par, especially with regards to the animal monsters, who often seem like takeaways from the Sci-fi Channel.