Monkey King: Reborn—Sun Wukong Animated Again

The Monkey King (a.k.a. Sun Wukong) is sort of like the Chinese Loki. He is a demigod and a trickster, but he can also be a bit of a screw-up. In this film, he calls himself a demon (with a soul), but same difference for us mortals. Whatever you consider him, he messes up big time in Wang Yun Fei’s Monkey King: Reborn, which releases this coming Tuesday on DVD and VOD.

This indeed the Monkey King, who we have seen in numerous Journey to the West, of radically varying quality. This is the reformed Monkey King, who serves as the legendary monk Xuanzang’s disciple, along with Pigsy and Sandy (a.k.a. Bajie). However, he is still a handful. While staying in a Taoist monastery, he rather undiplomatically (but ever so archetypally) steals fruit from the Tree of Life in their garden. When the obnoxious caretakers blame him for their own theft of a special fruit, he goes on a rage bender and inadvertently destroys the tree.

Ever so inconveniently, it turns out the mystical tree was keeping the mega-evil “Father of Demons” buried underneath (much like the Monkey King himself was once imprisoned under a mountain). At least Sun Wukong is determined to clean up his mess, but he will need the help of the embodiment of human qi, whom the Monkey King calls “Fruitie,” because he initially mistook him for a fruit spirit.

Maybe not so weirdly, Fruitie looks a lot like the “radish” creature from Monster Hunt and it is similarly annoying. However, Sun Wukong’s in-your-face swagger is definitely entertaining. The character design of this animated Monkey King is not so very different from that of Tian Xiao Peng’s Monkey King: Hero is Back, but he has more hardnosed attitude this time around.

In fact, this really is not an animated film for young children. Sun Wukong is prone to cussing and his big battle with the Father of Demons gets impressively brutal. On the other hand, adult wuxia fans will appreciate the action.

The Monkey King 3: Still Journeying West

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.

Monkey King: Hero is Back—Sun Wukong in Some Highly Animated Animation

All things considered, it is rather encouraging to see Sun Wukong, a.k.a. the Monkey King is more popular than ever in China. He compulsively rebelled against authority, leading his notorious “uproar in Heaven” before becoming a disciple of Buddhist monk Xuanzang, protecting him on his quest in search of sacred texts. Following hit live-action films starring Donnie Yen and Aaron Kwok, Sun Wukong gets the animated treatment in Tian Xiao Peng’s Monkey King: Hero is Back (trailer here), which opens this weekend in select cities.

There will be no Journey to the West for this Monkey King—at least not yet. Instead, young Liuer inadvertently frees the mischievous hero from his five-hundred-year imprisonment. It turns out the orphan could use some help. After his parents were killed in an ogre attack, Liuer was adopted by Fa Ming, an itinerant monk. Unfortunately, the lad was separated from his surrogate father when he rescued a toddler from ogres commanded by the Saruman-like Hun Dun, who is in the market for child sacrifices. Enter the Monkey King.

Except the newly released Sun Wukong will need some convincing before he decides to play the hero. Liuer will have some help from the Monkey King’s fellow Journey to the West Disciple Pigsy, who is also conveniently reanimated. However, their once and future comrade Sandy the Sandman will not be joining them this time around. Given Pigsy’s ineptitude, most of the heroics will be left up to the Monkey King, with occasional assists from the boy and the monk.

MK’s CG-animation is perfectly presentable and some of the classically-inspired design work is downright cool, such as the White Dragon and Hun Dun’s cliff-face lair. Liuer can be a bit of a pain, but the action sequences are surprisingly cinematic. It is also absolutely bizarre how much the animated Sun Wukong looks like the painstakingly made-up Kwok in The Monkey King 2 in 3D, or vice versa. Yet, there is something arguably more appealing about the wiry, hardnosed animated Monkey King than the twitchy recent live action portrayals.

Ironically, Jackie Chan provides the Monkey King’s voice in the English dub, but not in the original Mandarin. It definitely sounds like him, for what that’s worth. For additional class and cred, James Hong dubs the righteous old butt-kicking Fa Ming. Frankly, the production values are considerably higher than you might expect. However, there are several scenes that are probably too intense for most young viewers, but Monkey King-Journey to the West fans will appreciate their integrity.

Over the years, the degree to which Sun Wukong has been depicted with primate or human features has swung back and forth like a pendulum. Like the live action blockbusters, Hero is Back doubles down on his Simian-ness. It is not as visually striking as Wan Laiming’s classic Monkey King—Uproar in Heaven, but it respects the character and delivers the action. Recommended for young but relatively mature wuxia viewers, Monkey King: Hero is Back opens tomorrow (7/29) at the Cape Ann in Gloucester, MA and has a number of special weekend matinee screenings at participating Landmark Theaters.

The Monkey King 2 in 3D: Aaron Kwok Wears the Monkey Suit

After causing an uproar in Heaven, Sun Wukong needs to repent. However, monkeys are not good at contrition, nor are kings or demigods. Nevertheless, the Monkey King agrees to do penance by protecting Buddhist monk Xuanzang on his pilgrimage in search of scriptures. Unfortunately, a seductive demoness will try to end the epic Journey to the West prematurely in Cheang Pou-soi’s The Monkey King 2 in 3D (trailer here), which opens tomorrow in New York.

The Goddess Guanyin offers the Monkey King an offer he cannot refuse. In exchange for his freedom, Sun Wukong will loyally protect and serve Xuanzang during his journey. Of course, this will be easier said than done. To restore her demonic life force, the wicked White Bone Spirit is determined to eat the monk, thereby ingesting his spiritual essence. As a result, Xuanzang’s party is constantly surrounded by minor demons in human guise, but the monk remains obstinately blind to their true nature.

The two constantly argue over Sun Wukong’s apparently groundless fighting and killing. The Monkey King’s comrades, Zhu “Pigsy” Bajie and Sha “Sandy” Wujing find themselves stuck awkwardly between the monkey and the monk, but they have a sinking feeling the hairy demigod is more right than wrong.

Unlike Surprise, Monkey King 2 largely plays it straight, or at least as straight as possible when the protagonist is hyperactive primate. This time around, Aaron Kwok steps into Donnie Yen’s monkey suit and just basically goes nuts in a way we never knew he had in him. Watching him zip around in the hirsute makeup sort of brings to mind Robin Williams. Frankly, it is kind of stunning that he can bring this kind of chaos. Reportedly, Kwok trained hard for the role, but the physical is the least of it. Still, he definitely looks good performing Sammo Hung’s zippy, otherworldly action choreography.

While Kwok is a minor revelation, Gong Li re-confirms she is one of the best in the business as White Bone Spirit, a.k.a. Baigujing. She has to be the most alluring and sophisticated supernatural temptresses perhaps ever seen on-screen. She brings all kinds of sinister élan, yet drops subtle hints of her long buried humanity. In contrast, William Feng Shaofeng is a bit wooden as Xuanzang, but it is hard to compete with Kwok and Gong.

Monkey King 2 is so frenetically supercharged, it sort of leaves viewers dazed. At times, the gravity-defying Sun Wukong looks more like a character in a video game than a movie. However, you have to give Kwok credit for pushing himself. As crazy as it gets, Gong still classes up the joint and even manages to outright steal the show. Recommended for fans of big, bold wuxia madness, The Monkey King 2 in 3D open tomorrow (2/5) in New York, at the AMC Empire.

Journey to the West: Stephen Chow Unleashes the Monkey King

Wu Cheng’en’s classic Ming era novel is a big thick multi-volume work that has inspired many film adaptations drawn from various points throughout its epic time frame. Still, you might not find the exact story of Stephen Chow’s latest comedic spectacle in there, but several of the characters will certainly be familiar. The Monkey King and his fellow demons will tangle with a young and awkward Xuan Zang in Chow & co-director Derek Kwok’s Journey to the West (trailer here), which opens this Friday in New York.

As a novice demon hunter, Xuan Zang hardly seems likely to reach enlightenment. However, he will do his best to fight the water demon plaguing a provincial fishing village in the go-for-broke opening sequence. While he is more effective than the charlatan that took the first crack at the creature, he is no match for the prowess of Miss Duan, a demon hunter extraordinaire. She does not think much of his use of a collection of nursery rhymes to appeal to the demons’ inner youthful goodness. Nevertheless, she falls for Xuan Zang hard, which confuses the devout Buddhist no end.

While Miss Duan handles the Water Demon with relative ease, KL Hogg (the Pig Demon) turns out to be elusively slippery.  Their pursuit of the latter will bring them into uncomfortably close contact with Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. At this point, all bets are off.

Wen Zhang (recognizable from Ocean Heaven) is appropriately wide-eyed and innocent as Xuan Zang, but the film is completely dominated by Shu Qi. As Miss Duan she shows all kinds of moves and a flair for physical humor we never knew she had in her. Watching her kick demon butt is a sight to behold, but it demonstrates the superior action opportunities for actresses in Chinese language cinema, especially when contrasted with their Hollywood counterpoints.

The prospective Expendabelles film is a case in point, with the embarrassing casting rumors centering around Meryl Streep (all dingos beware), Geena Davis (because nobody could ever get enough of Cutthroat Island), and Linda Hamilton (granted, T2 was great action film, over twenty years ago). On the other hand, every major Chinese language star takes on action roles throughout their careers, as a matter of course. Recent examples include Gwei Lun Mei in Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, Zhou Xun in the same film, as well as The Great Magician, Michelle Yeoh in nearly all her films, with Reign of Assassins being a recent example, Angelababy in Tai Chi Zero, Ziyi Zhang in The Grandmaster, and Mi Yang in Wu Dang. Now its Shu Qi’s turn and she makes the most of it.

When Shu Qi does her thing, Journey is wildly fun. Nevertheless, Chow did not return to the Monkey King character that made his name and reputation in A Chinese Odyssey just for a quick paycheck. As a reboot/prequel/film-within-the-margins, Journey starts as a massive beatdown and explodes on a cosmic scale, ending with more divine retribution than you will find in the entire Left Behind franchise. The message is simple—do not tick off Buddha.

So you have Shu Qi, a trio of demons, and an apocalyptic showdown. What more could you possibly need?  On the micro level, Ku Huen Chiu’s action choreography is impressively cinematic yet true to Chow’s eccentric aesthetic. On the macro level, Ken Law’s special effects really do not look like anything we have seen before. Plus “pseudo-model”-turned actress Chrissie Chau appears as Miss Duan’s lieutenant, Killer Four, giving her lessons in seduction that go fantastically awry. This is indeed the full assault to the senses Chow’s fans have been waiting for. Recommended with the enthusiasm of a fanboy, Journey to the West opens this Friday (3/7) in New York at the Cinema Village.

NYICFF ’12: The Monkey King—Uproar in Heaven

Wan Laiming was the Walt Disney of China. Unfortunately, his long planned masterwork finally came to fruition on the eve of the Cultural Revolution. Just as the second part of his animated adaptation of the Ming-era novel Journey to the West was released to general acclaim, the Chinese film industry was shuttered for reasons of ideological madness. Recognized as one of the greatest Chinese animated features ever, Wan’s complete The Monkey King—Uproar in Heaven has been meticulously restored, frame-by-frame, and converted to widescreen 3D. Su Da and Chen Zhihong’s Monkey King restoration had its North American premiere screenings during the 2012 New York International Children’s Festival.

Being in fact a monkey, the Monkey King is perfectly suited to animation. Supernaturally powerful, he happily leads the monkey tribe of Flower Fruit Mountain, but his rambunctious nature attracts celestial attention. On the orders of the Jade Emperor, the Monkey King is whisked up to the heavens, only to be given a dubious title and shunted off the a harmless corner of the cosmos. The Monkey King does not play that game though. He creates quite the ruckus before returning to his clan on Flower Fruit Mountain. However, the beings of the higher realm consider his rebellious drive a threat and will not leave well enough alone.

Often thought to be influenced by Hindu deities, the Monkey King clearly fits the Trickster archetype. While he eventually settles down in the source novel, Uproar features him at his most uproarious. Frankly, some of his moves prefigure several signature sequences from the Matrix franchise. He is also quite proficient with his magical staff, delivering plenty of satisfaction for martial arts fans.

However, the look of Wan’s film, by way of the Su and Chen’s restoration, is truly remarkable. It has a rich lushness, but there is also a mystical vibe that resists comparison to other films. It is also hard to describe the film’s color palate, but it is quite distinctive (and a testament to the filmmakers’ restoration efforts). Some sequences are incredibly graceful, such as the Monkey King’s encounter with a wonderfully cinematic group of fairies, at least until his mischievousness asserts itself. In addition, the restored Uproar is one of the most skillful and refined examples of 3D rendering, aside from Wim Wenders’s Pina. More than just pointy objects jutting out from the screen, the 3D here emphasizes depth on a grand scale.

The Monkey King’s story holds a place of honor amid China’s rich cultural legacy, which the ideological campaigns of the mid and late 1960’s tragically nearly destroyed. Presumably, some purists will debate aspects of the 3D digital refurbishment, most definitely including the 3D itself, but also the restoration directors’ abridgment of the film, the newly composed and recorded soundtrack (directly inspired by the Beijing Opera) and their alteration of the aspect ratio. However, these debates are good to have.

Ultimately, their efforts will bring Wan’s images to a new generation of viewers and ensure they will be preserved for generations to come. Perhaps more to the point, Uproar is an enormously entertaining spectacle that is both high-brow and action-oriented. Recommended for kids and animation fans with an interest in Chinese Culture, The Monkey King—Uproar in Heaven is likely to have a long life on the festival circuit and in specialty distribution, following its enthusiastically received screening last night at NYICFF.