User Reviews

Whenever I see most reviews it's called 'a misfire for Eddie Murphy'. These critics want to take a look at some of the stuff he's doing these days, and maybe soften their stance in retrospect... "The Golden Child" is not highbrow entertainment, but thanks to some of the cast it breathes new life into old clichés, and gives Murphy one of his best roles. I don't understand the pervading lack of 'love' for its efforts, at all. Perhaps it was released at a time when the establishment had grown weary of knockabout, thrill-a-minute adventures? Steven Spielberg started it with Indiana Jones; it's unfair to make this one a scapegoat when what is possibly its biggest sin is also utterly harmless. There's nothing necessarily wrong with trying to capitalise on trends.

Yes it's silly, but even an occasional observer should be able to understand that 'ridiculous' is where Hollywood's idea of mysticism begins and ends. What's more important than believability with a story like this is that the audience have entertaining tour guides on hand to show them the mysterious sights. Michael Ritchie and Eddie Murphy fit the bill for this capacity just fine. My advice to you is to buy the ticket and take the ride.

By all means this is not Eddie Murphy's best film, like Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hours and Trading Places, but he has also done worse, Norbit anyone? But it is one of his most underrated films, perhaps even THE most underrated. By all means it is not perfect, as the story does have its silly and predictable moments, one or two parts in the middle half sag a tad in the pacing and the effects do seem creaky by today's standards, but it is not flat and unfunny like critics make it out to be and although I make every effort not to take IMDb ratings to heart I do think the rating is a disgrace for this film. The Golden Child may be flawed, but it also has its strengths, such as Eddie Murphy's charming performance, funny and smart script(or so I think), a fun performance from Charles Dance, decent direction and agreeable soundtrack. So overall, while it mayn't be to everybody's tastes, I do suggest you at least give The Golden Child a fair chance before judging it so harshly. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I saw this movie available on Netflix and was interested in the premise. You have Eddie Murphy who plays a private detective that specializes in finding missing children. He is told he is the "chosen one" and must protect the "Golden Child" who was kidnapped by an evil sorcerer. I didn't know exactly what to expect. Eddie Murphy is known for doing a lot of action or comedy movies. This movie ends up being a mix of action, comedy and fantasy.

Some people will mention this movie was a low point in his career. Well this movie earned close to 80 million dollars. Eddie Murphy has done some more recent movies that have done far worse. There are a lot of funny parts in this movie. I really enjoyed this movie. This was a fun movie to watch.

When the only truly pure being on Earth is taken by a Demon and his bizarre, circus freak troupe of minions from the holy place where he is being raised who you gonna call? In this case Chandler Jarrell (Eddie Murphy), a private investigator who focuses on locating missing children while wearing ridiculous hats.

But Chandler sez "No" when initially asked by the exotic-hot Kee, who is working on behalf of the Tibetan forces of good - some business card that would be.

"No matter", she replies, "You are already on the case". So Na-Na to you Mr Jarrell.

Jarrell is fast talking, hip, and irreverent but well meaning - in other words everything that summed up Eddie Murphy in his "relevant" phase, which ended around the release of Boomerang when Murphy got all serious and introspective and sh*t.

Kee on the other hand is poised, deliberate, sombre and calm, but surprisingly well equipped at unexpected times - and I'm not just referring to the scene where she gets her white blouse soaked for no good reason... well two good reasons.

After the two team up the trail takes them to the lair of a bikie gang, then Chinatown where they meet Kala the Oracle (of sorts) who informs Chandler of the magnitude of his quest - being that he is the Chosen One after all...

Chandler also learns that the Golden Child is a once in a thousand generations birth, born specifically to rescue humanity, capable of restoring life with a touch, wise beyond reason and with the ability to make a Pepsi can dance to classic 1950s songs...

So there's that.

There is a cool oddball dream sequence and a trip to Tibet to obtain the sacred dagger that can free the imprisoned Golden Child, and a pretty hilarious scene where Chandler and Kee have to bluff the airport security to escape from Tibet.

When finally meets his nemesis Sardo Numspaa (Charles Dance) formally to discuss the dagger for child swap things heat up, before a good quickie 80s finale in which everything builds to a crescendo, the figureheads of good and evil have a showdown and all is resolved in about 6 minutes.

Perhaps The Golden Child doesn't move quite as fast as films do today and the FX - which were pretty cool in the 80s - don't hold up quite so well now, it is fun and enjoyable while it lasts and also has a few quotables, including "One of her ancestors was raped by a dragon", which is a line you don't hear every day.

Final Rating - 6.5 / 10. Not often listed among Eddie Murphy's highlights, but The Golden Child is a very solid and worthwhile - if a little dated - relic from the 80s.

Like most people, I enjoyed Eddie Murphy in the 1980s with the humorous, wild movies he made. Many of the characters he played were similar: wisecracking, loud, funny and obnoxious. This is one of the wilder stories he was involved with with a very good mixture of action, romance, fantasy and comedy.

The female lead in here was an attractive actress named Charlotte Lewis. With her looks and manner, I thought she might go places, but I think this was the only hit movie she's been in.

Twenty years after "The Golden Child," I have found most of those Murphy films not the entertainment they used to be. Maybe it's just me getting older, but Eddie's constant shouting and abrasive boorishness is too much to take now. That includes this movie.

I would lie if I said that this movie is good, it isn't. The plot is down the drain and so unlogical that it makes my head ache, but the movie does have some qualities. The actors are OK and the footage can't be complained at either and I must add that thanks to Eddie Murphy the movie is watchable and even funny.

I don't know how he does it but his zany jokes keeps hitting the right comedy-button - every time.

So the conclusion is that, in the end I must recommend you all to see it - if not for a brilliant movie but for Murphy's jokes.

A magic-fuelled '80s comedy/adventure hybrid that occupies the same sub-genre as BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA and THE LAST DRAGON. THE GOLDEN CHILD is less spectacular than both of those films – it has fewer special effects than the first and no martial arts like the second – but it proves to be a likable enough film boasting a strong comic turn from Eddie Murphy before he stopped making films for adults.

The story, as it reads, is exceptionally lightweight: Murphy is, for some inexplicable reason, the 'Chosen One' and his job is to rescue the 'Golden Child' from the clutches of evil, personified by Charles Dance in one of those stock British villain-type roles that Hollywood seem to love. There's a magic dagger, an interlude in Tibet and some magical adventures involving the cute shaven-headed kid, but for the most part this is a vehicle for Murphy to show off his comic abilities and he does that admirably.

The movie boasts a rare performance from Charlotte Lewis, a poor actress but quite lovely to watch on screen. There are also two supporting roles for familiar Asian actors in Hollywood, James Hong and Victor Wong, the latter giving a particularly funny turn as a mad mystic. Watch out for Randall "Tex" Cobb, almost unrecognisable beneath Klingon makeup. The special effects have badly dated since the film's initial release, but in a good way: I admit I got a kick out of seeing the various magic bolts, mysterious creatures and climatic scenes involving a demon attack (the demon, incidentally, looks just like the one at the very end of EVIL DEAD 2). THE GOLDEN CHILD is no great shakes but fans of 1980s should nevertheless enjoy it.

Somewhat underrated Eddie Murphy movie with Eddie playing an American social worker recruited by a Tibetan woman to help rescue a kidnapped boy with special powers called the "Golden Child." I remember when this came out it wasn't met with a warm reception, from the critics or myself. In part I think because it wasn't a straight comedy like myself and others had come to expect from Eddie. But also because it wasn't as good as the similar Big Trouble in Little China, which came out the same year. Ironically, this was a bigger box office hit than Big Trouble but the latter has gone on to deservedly earn a cult fandom while Golden Child still has a mixed reputation at best.

Eddie Murphy is pretty good here and seems to be having a fun time. Charlotte Lewis is fine, performance-wise and looks-wise. Charles Dance is an enjoyable villain. The scene stealer here is Victor Wong, who was also in Big Trouble in Little China. The special effects are charming in that special way '80s effects often were. Love the Pepsi can dance scene. Some cheesy stuff in this movie for sure but, for the most part, it's pretty entertaining. If you like '80s movies you should find something to like with this. It's got action, comedy, and a little bit of fantasy all mixed together. It's not what I would call a classic but it is fun.

I am guessing the reason this movie did so well at the box office is of course Eddie Murphy. I think this was his first movie since "Beverly Hills Cop" so at the time he was hot. Considering that one made over two hundred million and it was R and this one made about 80 million and it was pg does say it was not all that popular. I have never been a big Eddie Murphy fan, so that is probably another reason I didn't care for it much at all. This one has Eddie as some sort of finder of lost kids. He must find the golden child or the world is in terrible peril. The plot is very bad, but as bad as it is it does not compare to the special effects. I had seen better stuff done in the 70's than some of the stuff this one offers, Ray Harryhausen did better stuff. Still the main reason you see a movie like this is because of Eddie, unfortunately he is not very funny in this one at all and it just seems stupid to put him in the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" type scenes. I guess they were hoping for a fish out of water effect, but to me it just did not work.

I loved this movie. I totally disagree with some (negative) critiques that I've read over the years. This was a great vehicle for Eddie Murphy! He appeared to have a great time with his part as Chandler Jarrell and he should never care about what the critics say, if he had fun doing it – and most of his audience enjoyed it! And, it WAS fun to watch as it combined some great fantasy tension with Mr. Murphy's great comedic style. You have to keep in mind that 'Golden Child' is a 'fantasy' film – just an imaginative work of magic and wonder amidst the 'real' world. During the time this film was released, I was working in a video rental store. This was one of the most popular with all our customers. Every single time, we put this one up on our monitor, ALL the copies we had went out fast with wait-list requests that kept it on the queue for months! Everyone who rented it loved it! I was the resident film critic and all my regular customers would ask my opinion before they rented – this was one of my favorites and I knew the taste of my customers so I highly recommended this one to most of them. I really feel that this film is a Sleeper – it may not have done too well at the box office – due to very poor marketing – but it hit a high in the video rental and purchase market later! (YES, I did buy this film for my own video library!). I adored the little boy who played the 'Golden Child' – J. L. Reate - but after looking at his profile in IMDb, I noticed that he never did any more films. That is sad, because he definitely had an on-screen aura and could have continued with a film career. I also adored Victor Wong, who played the Old Man (I LOVED him in his part as 'Egg Shen' in 'Big Trouble in Little China' - 1986). At any rate, this was a great film. The only drawbacks that didn't seem to fit with the theme were some of the parts that got a bit more 'adult' in nature – such as 'Chandler's rather sexual remarks about the serpent lady that was presented to him as a silhouette. It was funny, but it still was out of sync. OK, so there were a few suggestive gratuitous scenes – those were put in for the mind-set of the day perhaps. This was still an adventurous and escapist type of film which we do need today to get away from all the hard core reality and depressing fluff that we are hit with from Hollywood. Now that's Entertainment!

At least "The Golden Child" represented a real change of pace for comedy star Eddie Murphy, cast here as Chandler Jarrell, a tracker of missing children whom, it is determined, is the perfect individual to retrieve a powerful child (J.L. Reate) who's been stolen by some very bad men. Should they succeed in corrupting the child, they can kill him and thus allow for evil to take over the planet. Jarrell is reluctant to accept this task (among other things, he doesn't want to experience the cold of Nepal) but, ultimately, his better nature takes over. "The Golden Child", as directed by Michael Ritchie and written by Dennis Feldman, takes what is a rather traditional fantasy quest and melds it with a contemporary, wise acre sensibility. Murphy is good and very likable in this part, and livens some scenes with his quips. He doesn't do too bad in the hero department, either. The great Charles Dance, as his nemesis, is a hoot with his straight faced performance. Charlotte Lewis is lovely to look at but that's about it. Old pros Victor Wong and James Hong add to the movie with their presence; Wong is fun in one of his standard eccentric roles. One can also hear the legendary and ultra ubiquitous Frank Welker lending a voice to an unseen demon, a voice just like the one he provided for Dr. Claw on the 'Inspector Gadget' series. There's a certain oddness to a particular sequence in the movie - the dream sequence - that makes it a real curio, as Feldman and Ritchie have fun with the whole weirdness of dreams. Dance appears to try to make Murphy an offer, and in response to some of Murphy's one liners, there's a cut to a studio audience laughing away. One of the best lines has to be, "Would you get your monkey off my back?", as Murphy refers to a henchman of Dance's with a primate like face. Granted, when Murphy gets to Nepal, there could have been a better fantasy quotient. As it is, the sequence where he proves his worth as the rescuer of the child could have had a little more meat to it. Some scenes come off as fairly awkward, but the ones that work are quite funny. The special effects aren't the greatest, but they lend a cheesy charm to the various goings-on. Michel Colombier's music is lively and loud, and the location shooting in Nepal is excellent, lending some much appreciated atmosphere. All of this is reasonably entertaining, and interesting enough. Don't let the scathing reviews dissuade you from giving it a chance. It's a nice alternative to the other Murphy vehicles from the period. Seven out of 10.

An attractive, strange Asian woman proclaims you're the "chosen one". A little Asian boy astrally projects himself outside your window. A demon disguised as a man burns a mark in your arm with his fingernail... that's strange, but it is Los Angeles. That pretty much was the reaction of Jarell Chandler (Eddie Murphy). I'm not saying that that is the reason I didn't like the movie, but it was a big contributor.

I understand that the movie was fantasy, but to Jarell, and the rest of the otherwise normal citizens of L.A., these events were admittedly not normal. So how in the world was his reaction so tame?

Jarell Chandler's indifferent response summed up Eddie Murphy's performance. Eddie Murphy wasn't classic Eddie Murphy. He had a few good lines but this was easily one of his worst movies. I never saw Pluto Nash and Norbit was somewhat of a downer but this movie was in his heyday. The movie really depended on Eddie delivering, and I mean REALLY depended on him because the story was weak and the other actors were even weaker than the story. Of course we know that Eddie's career wasn't defined by this movie and thank God for that.

This is a strange movie. It falls somewhere between being a comedy/supernatural/action flick. Without Eddie Murphy, this movie is definitely a BORE (except for maybe the eye-candy Ms. Lewis provides). In the end, I'm sure we have all seen worse movies (haven't we?).

There Was a time when Eddie Murphy was one seriously funny guy, and this film is a good example of that, released in the fall of 1986 THE GOLDEN CHILD was met with mixed to mostly negative reviews (Then again Roger Ebert liked it) I really don't see why people didn't like this film, and to some extent it still to this day is considered a low point in eddies career, for those of you who haven't seen this film before/since i suggest giving it another watch with an open mind knowing that its a fantasy comedy and not your usual Eddie Murphy film (Probably the reason why people just didn't get into it)

The Plot concerns Eddie trying to find a kidnapped child who holds magical powers that can bring love and peace in the world or can bring chaos and destroy the world if the child were to be polluted with anything evil, and the people who kidnapped him want to sacrifice the child to gain and use his power for their own evil scheme.

PROS: Eddie Murphy is hilarious just playing the average Joe who cannot believe the situation around him, as things get crazier Eddie just gets funnier, Charles Dance as the main Villain does a Decent job at playing a Super Serious villain who seems to constantly keep pronouncing his J's Silent Which leads to a lot amusement when Eddie Murphy shares scenes with him. The Art Directiom is Splendid and the Cinematography is stunning (Especially with the scenes in Tibet) The Musical Score by Michael Colobier is so 80s but infectiously catchy Funk influenced Pop Rock that just makes you feel like a Bad A%$ The Film has a great supporting Cast Half of which appear in another similarly themed movie Called BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA And there's a handful of creative set pieces that really stand out (I.E) The Cave which Eddie must retrieve a dagger and a Hilarious Dream Sequence with Eddie and the villain.

CONS: The Final showdown with the Villain feels a little rushed and the Villain's final form isn't all that inspired And the Film's Visual FX don't hold up well in 2 or 3 scenes

But aside from that the Film is a lot of Fun, Eddie needs to release a special edition DVD/Blu Ray for this one, but according to some sources he's not too fond of this film (Honestly I don't see why, maybe because it was made at the height of his career and it burned him inside that it didn't do as well as it should have)

Overall: 7/10 "Not as good as Coming to America or Beverly Hills cop, but its not far behind and definitely better than anything Eddie made in the 90s onwards.

The Golden Child is a quirky combination of action, martial arts, fantasy, comedy and romance. The film takes itself quite seriously, save for Eddie Murphy's character, which is sarcastic and disbelieving of his fish out of water experience. However, there are several excellent action sequences, and overall the film can hold the audiences attention well. The characters are fairly compelling, and the main villain and female lead both add the tone of seriousness to the plot.

This movie is very similar to "Big Trouble In Little China" though it takes itself far more seriously, and is geared towards an older audience. Where Big Trouble was very cheesy, Golden Child is more dramatic.

Overall, this is a fun romp, and an excellent way to spend a couple of hours for escape and entertainment.

I own this title and I think that it should have been strictly a serious type movie but with Eddie Murphy there had to be the occasional crack of a joke. Overall though, it is a fine movie for people of all ages.

Generally considered a low point in Eddie Murphy's career, "The Golden Child" is actually a mixed bag. It's at its best when it spoofs the solemnity and the cliches of most exotic epics, and when Murphy delivers some sarcastic, witty wisecracks. And it's at its worst when it resorts to violence (excessively graphic for such a film), special effects and too much "local color" to fill in the dead spots. (**)

It takes some time to get going, and it's not Eddie Murphy's strongest comedy performance, but it's a great fantasy film and with some stellar effects for its time. Super-bonus: Victor Wong as the old wise man. Strong performance right there!

Against my better judgment, I decided to watch 'The Golden Child'. I should have listened to my instinct...

The film doesn't start off too bad. Eddie Murphy is hilarious, with that infectious laugh. He stars as Chandler Jarrell, a detective. I enjoyed his naïve notions, which he did so fantastically well. We follow Chandler as he investigates the disappearance of a young girl, and is then approached by a mysterious client to find a 'special' boy - referred to as the Golden boy - who has been kidnapped.

Kee Nang (Charlotte Lewis) is the film's heroin, but unfortunately this character was bland, with wood-faced unconvincing acting from Charlotte Lewis. This character had so much potential, but completely ruined by bad acting and bad directing. Speaking of bland, my oh my, the Golden Boy was as passive as could be. He did almost NOTHING in this entire movie, apart from sit. Yup, SIT, as in sitting down. For the entire movie, this child was just sitting on a big cushion, rolling his eyes, and pointing a finger whenever he deemed it necessary to use magic. Seriously??? Yawn, see me roll my eyes in disbelief at how stupid this was...

Some of the comedic scenes are overdone, and then there's the romance I found distracting. I did enjoy the adventure element, but that's about it. Charles Dance wasn't too bad as the antagonist, but what the hell was that ending with that bad visuals??

In general, this film suffers from very bad directing. Eddie Murphy was by far the film's highlight, but not enough to make it interesting enough for me. 'The Golden Child' is an odd mix of comedy, fantasy, adventure, and - later - even horror elements.

The premise may seem goofy, but since Murphy's character doesn't take it seriously, it helps ease the audience into this mix of mysticism and modern-day hard-boiled child abduction. Excellent cast, particularly Charles Dance and Charlotte Lewis, and Murphy is at the height of his 80's peak in comedy/action. There's also some great F/X, a very surreal dream sequence, and a fairly original plot. Often overlooked in the pantheon of Murphy flicks, but this one is worth a look.

I'd seen parts of this movie on cable some years ago but never got around to watching it until recently. Now normally I'm not big on Eddie Murphy films (though I enjoyed Shrek), but this is the rare exception. It's got Asian mysticism and action with adventure. A chosen one versus a cult bent on their own agenda. What more do you want? If it's deep thought you're after, you won't find it here. But if you wanted a good action comedy, this is it!

Not one funny line. Abysmal script. Awfully shot and edited. Useless villains. Virtually non-existing plot. Whoever made this, probably thought they could pull off another Beverly Hills Cop. That film had a very basic plot, and was made to work through excellent performances and an awesome soundtrack. But this time around, Murphy has no funny lines, and he has no one interesting to interact with. The result is a very boring film that's awfully stitched together. And on top of all this, it is tonally confusing. Jumping from lighthearted comedy to scenes of dead children and bowls filled with kids' blood doesn't work at all. Ghostbusters pulled tonal shifts effortlessly, but its writers knew what they were doing. As for the silly Oriental lore... John Carpenter does it better. But the greatest crime remains putting Eddie Murphy in the film and not giving him funny things to say. His charisma still keeps the film watchable, but not enjoyable.