Okay,
so they are on a bit of a detour. Somehow, on their pilgrimage to the West,
Xuanzang and his demigod disciples (Sun “Monkey King” Wukong, Zhu “Pigsy” Bajie,
and Sha “Sandy” Wujing) found themselves whisked into a kingdom of Amazon
warriors, where men are strictly prohibited on pain of death. Maybe there is a
bit of a Wonder Woman influence there, but Wukong is still the one with all the
cool superpowers. He is a veritable Superman, but he cannot save his master
from the dangers of love in Cheang Pou-soi’s The Monkey King 3 (trailer here), which opens this
Friday in New York.
Who
would’ve thought blow-dried Cantopop star turned actor Aaron Kwok would become
the definitive Monkey King, but there is no doubt he has made the iconic character
his own. As a result, it is a tad bit frustrating he plays a supporting role in
the third film in the series that bears his name. Wukong can handle just about
anything flesh and blood, but even he flounders against the aquatic River God
monster, so Buddha and the Goddess of Mercy send the band of pilgrims through a
wormhole into Womanland.
When
Xuanzang locks eyes on “The Queen,” mounted on her enchanted stag, it is love
at first sight. However, rules are rules, so the Preceptor insists on executing
the fab four, just like any other mangy dog excuse for a man. However, the
Queen is intrigued and reluctant to comply, which leads to complications. The
simian demigod keeps his eyes on the prize: those scriptures waiting to be rediscovered
in India, but his master learns to appreciate love from a whole new
perspective. Just in case you were worried, there is also some unfinished
business with the kaiju-like River God from before.
The
previous Monkey King was a
fantastical wuxia delight because of Gong Li’s wonderfully seductive and
sinister élan as White Bone Spirit. Nobody can touch the hem of her scaly
serpentine garments this time around, but Gigi Leung distinguishes the film in
a different way. As the Preceptor, she starts out as Cruella de Vil, but she
evolves into a tragically romantic figure of noble sacrifice.
Once
again, Kwok looks like he is having a blast with his monkey mannerisms—and his
enthusiasm is contagious. He might not be as true to nature, but in terms of
energy and conviction, he is up there with Terry Notary in The Square. As Xuanzang, William Feng is supposed to be sort of
placidly dopey in a Zenned out kind of way, which he duly is. However, Zanilia
Zhao quite endearing and even rathe poignant as the star-crossed Queen.
Compared
to the previous bang-zoom film, Monkey
King 3 is a little light on the action until the third act. However, it is
still entertaining to watch Kwok do his monkey thing. Also, Cheang and screenwriter
Wen Ning do some interesting fantastical world building. As crazy as it gets,
it still takes its Buddhism seriously, which is refreshing. Weirdly, it might
just be the most Valentines-appropriate film of the week. Recommended for Monkey
King/Journey to the West fans, The Monkey King 3 opens this Friday
(2/16) in New York, at the AMC Empire.