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Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

Tang Sanzang, an aspiring Buddhist hero tries to protect a village from three demons. He develops complex feelings for Miss Duan, the demon hunter who repeatedly helps him, and finally quest... Read all Tang Sanzang, an aspiring Buddhist hero tries to protect a village from three demons. He develops complex feelings for Miss Duan, the demon hunter who repeatedly helps him, and finally quests to meet the legendary Monkey King. Tang Sanzang, an aspiring Buddhist hero tries to protect a village from three demons. He develops complex feelings for Miss Duan, the demon hunter who repeatedly helps him, and finally quests to meet the legendary Monkey King.

• Stephen Chow
• Chi-Kin Kwok
• 65 User reviews
• 51 Critic reviews
• 68 Metascore
• 2 wins & 21 nominations

• Prince Important

• Master Nameless

• Fist of the North Star
• (as Xingyu)

• Killer Wu …

• Taoist Priest

• Almighty Foot
• (as Charlie Zhang)

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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• Trivia This was the highest grossing film of 2013 in China, making 1.247 billion yuan.
• Goofs Set in ancient China, the female demon hunter Killer Si has shaved armpits, something unheard of in that period.
• Connections Followed by Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (2017)
• Soundtracks Love In A Life Time Composed by Lowell Lo Original Lyrics by Tang Shu Chen Lyrics by Wendyz Zheng Performed by Shu Qi Imar Music Entertainment Co., Ltd. Rock Music Publishing Co., Ltd.

User reviews 65

• paul_haakonsen
• Jul 27, 2014
• How long is Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons? Powered by Alexa
• February 7, 2013 (China)
• Official Site
• Heng Dian, China
• Bingo Movie Development
• Film Workshop
• Huayi Brothers Media
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• Mar 9, 2014
• $205,637,183

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• Runtime 1 hour 50 minutes
• Dolby Atmos

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Film Review: ‘Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons’

By Richard Kuipers

Richard Kuipers

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Visuals are more dazzling than the storytelling in “ Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons.” A qualified return to form for Hong Kong hitmaker Stephen Chow (“Kung Fu Hustle) after mushy sci-fier “CJ7,” this mostly entertaining action-fantasy-comedy about a demon hunter soars when pyrotechnics take centerstage, but is less successful when the focus switches to words. Nevertheless, “Journey” has gone bananas since its Feb. 7 domestic release and looks certain to crack the $200 million mark and overtake “ Lost in Thailand ” as the highest grossing Chinese movie. Commercial potential beyond Chinese-speaking auds appears limited. North American release details are pending.

The pic is the umpteenth movie inspired by Wu Cheng-en’s classic 16th century novel “Journey to the West.” The source material about the arrival of Buddhism in China provided the basis for “A Chinese Odyssey Part One: Pandora’s Box” and “A Chinese Odyssey Part Two: Cinderella,” domestic hits starring Chow as the mischievous Monkey King .

With Derek Kwok (“Gallants”) credited as associate director, “Journey” follows a simple pattern of elaborate set-pieces followed by brief pauses for reflection and explanation, not all of which are entirely compelling or convincing.

Popular on Variety

The first spectacular sequence shows young demon hunter Xuanzang (Wen Zhang) arriving in a fishing village during a gory, “Jaws”-like attack by the fearsome Water Demon. Chow’s knack for mixing suspense and slapstick is impressively displayed as Xuanzang leaps about rickety walkways and see-sawing bridges resembling the board game “Mouse Trap” before rescuing a baby just inches from becoming the creature’s next meal.

In one of several new ideas brought to the old tale by Chow, Kwok and six other credited writers, sensitive Xuanzang reads nursery rhymes to demons in the hope they will reject the dark side and join him as allies in the quest for spiritual enlightenment. His belief is that these beasties were once good-natured humans that suffered terrible injustice, and a lilting lullaby is all it takes to undo the damage. Watched by villagers as his technique restores the Water Demon to his previous human form as Sand Monk (Lee Sheung-ching), Xuanzang’s moment of glory is stolen by the sudden arrival of Duan ( Shu Qi , “If You Are the One”), a feisty femme demon hunter with radically different ideas on creature control and a flair for showbiz that the nerdy Xuanzang lacks.

Duan invites herself on Xuanzang’s missions to challenge and change other demons — pig K.L. Hog (Chen Bing-qiang) and Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King (Huang Bo), an especially tricky customer who’s served 500 years of solitary confinement in a remote cave on orders from Buddha himself. While sequences such as Duan using her “Infinite Flying Rings” to disintegrate Hog’s minions at his restaurant-cum slaughterhouse are filled with razzle-dazzle CGI and exciting 3D effects, talk-based segs between showpieces too often lack the nimble scripting and heartwarming charm that distinguishes Chow’s best work, like 2001’s “Shaolin Soccer.”

The main problem is Duan’s wildly enthusiastic attempts to woo Xuanzang despite his avowed devotion to “a greater love” than what she’s offering. Pushing the opposites-attract notion a bit too far, Duan’s repeated declarations of passion for Xuanzang never ring true, and it remains a mystery why she finds him so irresistible. An early sequence showing Duan and her sexy comrade (Chrissie Chau) conspiring to activate Xuanzang’s libido produces chuckles, but variations on the theme prove far less mirthful.

Although Chow does not appear in the movie, his acting style and screen persona are writ large on the main cast. Shu is dynamite as the all-action Duan, Huang amuses as the eccentric Monkey King, and Taiwanese singer Show Lo scores big laughs as Prince Important, a narcissistic rival demon hunter with an entourage of soon-to-be-superannuated female sidekicks.

Where the helmer’s touch works least is the central role of Xuanzang. Mainland thesp Wen does nothing particularly wrong, but his perf as the nervous greenhorn feels Chow-lite, and his narrowly written character is less lovable than he ought to be. It doesn’t help that Wen sports a ghastly “finger-in-the-light-socket” hairdo more fit for a costume party than a serious young seeker of spiritual fulfillment.

The pic is beautifully designed and photographed in predominantly rich earthy tones by lenser Choi Sung-fai (“ Flying Swords of Dragon Gate”). The orchestral score by regular Chow collaborator Raymond Wong adds plenty of punch to action sequences, but is slightly overused in the dramatic passages. The rest of the technical work is first class. Things conclude with a set-up for a sequel.

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

Sai yau: hong mor pin

(Hong Kong-China)

Reviewed at Hoyts Tea Tree Plaza Cinemas, Adelaide, March 4, 2013. Running time: 110 MIN.

An Edko Films (in Hong Kong), Huayi Brothers Media (in China) release of a Village Roadshow Pictures Asia, Chinavision Media Group, Bingo Movie Development, Edko Films production. (International sales: Bingo, Hong Kong.) Produced by Wang Zhongjun, Stephen Chow, Ellen R. Eliasoph, Han Sanping, Dong Ping, Bill Kong. Executive Producer, Chow.

Directed by Stephen Chow. Associate director, Derek Kwok. Screenplay, Chow, Kwok, Huo Xin, Wang Yun, Fung Chih-chiang, Lu Zheng-yu, Lee Sheung-ching, Ivy Kong. Camera (color, widescreen, HD, 3D), Choi Sung-fai; editor, Chan Chi-wai; music, Raymond Wong; production designer, Bruce Yu; art director, Eric Lam; costume designer, Lee Pik-kwan; sound (Dolby Atmos), Zhu Yanfeng; visual effects supervisor, Ken Law; visual effects, Macrograph, Different Digital Design; action choreographer, Ku Huen-chiu; line producer, Ivy Kong; associate producer, Alice Chow; assistant directors, Leung Kwok-fai, Keith Chan Cheung-kei, Ng Ka-pui; second unit camera, Gao Hu.

With: Shu Qi, Wen Zhang, Huang Bo, Show Lo, Lee Sheung-ching, Chen Bing-qiang, Cheng Si-han, Xing Yu, Lu Zheng-yu, Chiu Chi-ling, Yang Di, Chrissie Chau, Ge Hang-yu, Fung Ming-hun, Yeung Lun.

(Mandarin dialogue)

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Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

2013, Adventure/Comedy, 1h 50m

What to know

Critics Consensus

As sweet, silly, action-packed and ridiculous as director Steven Chow's best work, Journey to the West serves up dazzling action sequences while playing its disparate elements against each other with thrilling abandon. Read critic reviews

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Journey to the west: conquering the demons   photos.

A Buddhist disciple (Zhang Wen) battles demons by using a book of nursery rhymes to appeal to their inherent goodness.

Rating: PG-13 (Partial Nudity|Fantasy Violence|Bloody Images|Some Sexual Content)

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

Original Language: Chinese

Director: Stephen Chow , Chi-kin Kwok

Producer: Ivy Kong , Zhonglei Wang , Dajun Zhang

Writer: Stephen Chow , Chi-kin Kwok , Yun Wang , Xin Huo

Release Date (Theaters): Mar 7, 2014  limited

Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016

Box Office (Gross USA): $17.7K

Runtime: 1h 50m

Distributor: Magnet Releasing

Cast & Crew

Fist of the North Star

Prince Important

Shing-Cheung Lee

Bingqiang Chen

Sihan Cheng

Master Nameless

Stephen Chow

Chi-kin Kwok

Screenwriter

Executive Producer

Sanping Han

Ellen Eliasoph

Zhonglei Wang

Dajun Zhang

Ying-Wah Wong

Original Music

Choi Sung-fai

Cinematographer

Chi Wai Chan

Film Editing

News & Interviews for Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

Critics Consensus: Mr. Peabody & Sherman is a Blast From the Past

Critic Reviews for Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

Audience reviews for journey to the west: conquering the demons.

Well written, well directed, well acted. Exceptional.

There was one scene that made me lmao and one scene that made me cry, but otherwise this is a bastardisation of a prequel of the real Journey to the West story.

A much better version of the Monkey King story than the other outing with Donnie Yen made the same year.

A Buddhist demon hunter who tries to redeem evil spirits clashes with a powerful mercenary huntress who keeps killing his potential converts; she also falls in love with him, despite his vow of chastity, and together they seek the Monkey King's help to defeat a powerful boar demon. The special effects aren't up to Hollywood standards and the Chinese comedy tropes are unfamiliar, but only the most unimaginative and parochial Westerner could fail to be charmed by this endlessly inventive and surprising fantasy/comedy/romance from Stephen (KUNG FU HUSTLE) Chow.

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Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

Story: Young demon hunter Xuanzhang (Wen Zhang) fights a water demon in a fishing village and realizes the limits of his skills. If it weren't for female demon hunter Duan (Shu Qi), who comes to his aid, not only had there been more victims among the fishermen but his own life would have been ended as well. Xuanzhang believes that not only humans but demons as well are initially good. Therefore, he is looking for "Greater Love". Unfortunately, he still lacks the special skills to awaken the good in demons, but his master firmly believes that Xuanzhang will one day be enlightened. Chasing a powerful pig demon Xuanzhang again runs into Duan, who has chosen him as her future husband because of his virtue. But Xuanzhang isn't interested and desperately looks for a way to take out the pig demon. It is said that Sun Wukong (Huang Bo), the Monkey King, knows a way, but because of his misdeeds he has been imprisoned in a mountain by Buddha 500 years ago. Xuanzhang has no other choice but to go on a quest to find Sun Wukong.

Review: "Journey to the West", written by Wu Cheng’en during Ming Dynasty, has already been adapted for the big screen several times. Even Stephen Chow has made this story into a movie with his two-parter "A Chinese Odyssey" before, but he is now retelling the story in a spectacular special effects-loaden film and along the way happens to break all box office records in China. After all, you can't help but think that he deserves this success, because as is always the case when Chow is involved, the movie is radiating charm at its finest and is above all else extremely entertaining. What you have to put up with is some incoherence in tone, a questionable structure and special effects, that can't hold a candle to that of Hollywood productions. Since this is a 3D-movie a good amount of the budget probably has been devoured by the technical realization of those effects, but if that was the case then a more sparse use of special effects would have been the obvious thing to do.

To get straight to the point, Stephen Chow doesn't play the lead role this time as he did in his former movies "Kung Fu Hustle" or "CJ7" . He doesn't even have a cameo appearance. He fully focuses on his work as a screenwriter, producer and director of this work, although he shares latter job with Derek Kwok Chi-Kin ("Gallants"). His choice of actors certainly makes up for that, though. Wen Zhang could already prove his acting expertise at Jet Li's side in the quiet drama "Ocean Heaven" , Shu Qi ( "Confession of Pain" ) balances the tough-girl image with comedy very well and she is the most likeable individual in the film. However, truely exciting to watch is Huang Bo ( "Cow" ) as the Money King. His demonic nature is portrayed by him in a very subtle, charming, but also mischievous way, making it a pleasure to watch him.

Naturally, there is also a lot to laugh about. A few scenes are very amusing, others, however, are aiming at a Chinese audience with their queer nature, it appears. But even if everyone will find something to laugh about, there are some problems arising here, too. In "Journey to the West" the atmosphere often shifts to more dark colors. Characters can actually die here, even innocent people and children. Furthermore, some scenes are pretty bloody, the comic-nature including funny sounds can't hide that fact either. So is this really still a comedy? Can you laugh without a guilty conscience? The uneven mood of the film eventually will dull the joy a bit and all in all remains an odd decision by Chow, which was already seen in former works of his. This brings us to another point of criticism. Stephen Chow likes to quote from his own movies. But that is just a nice way of expressing that he is simply stealing from his own works. This time he also carries it too far. Many elements and scenes we have already seen this way or another in former works of his. Including the extreme over-the-top finale, whereas he also blatantly uses a scene from the videogame "Asura's Wrath". At least, things get so epic in Chow's showdown that it becomes deliberately ridiculous and a whole lot of fun. Except from him there isn't really anyone who manages to achieve that. Yet, he has to put up with some words of criticism about the special effects, which sometimes, especially when it comes to the computer-animated animals, aren't that convincing. Wasn't it predictable that the movie would make the tills ringing? To raise the budget a little bit wouldn't have been a bad idea or Chow could just have left a few of his ideas in a box for future projects.

Even though "Journey to the West" apparently may have some serious flaws, last but not least a certain episodic nature, this action comedy manages to entertain quite well. The characters are colorful, as is the case with everything in the movie naturally, the story is above reproach and the buddhistic pieces of wisdom hidden in the movie are very appealing. If Chow hadn't relied so much on special effects but more on his great cast, that shines even in the supporting roles, the movie would have gotten even more goodwill. A fantasy epic that borrows a lot from animes/video games, features some good humor as well as some pretty dark scenes. Chow targets a mature audience that has conserved the child within and wants to be entertained without having to completely check the brain at the entrance.

Beautiful, interesting, incredible cinema.

JOURNEY TO THE WEST: CONQUERING THE DEMONS

Xi you xiang mo pian.

Tang Sanzang is armed with a book of children’s nursery rhymes that were taught by his Buddhist master in the ways of demon hunting. Ambitious and eager, Tang sets off into the world to encounter a plethora of monsters. After failing miserably, he is forced to turn to Miss Duan for assistance.

One of Hong Kong cinema’s biggest stars, Stephen Chow has built a formidable career recalibrating popular genres to his own charismatically comic ends. A fantastical action spectacular starring Shu Qi ( Millennium Mambo ), Journey to the West charts a hero’s journey toward spiritual enlightenment.

Journey to the West

Cast & crew.

Fist of the North Star

Prince Important

• Average 7.2

Information

© 2013 Bingo Movie Development

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Product Description

One of the undisputed Chinese masters of comedy, Stephen Chow (SHAOLIN SOCCER; KUNG FU HUSTLE) returns with an action-packed love story about competing demon hunters vying for the same conquests.

Product details

• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.72 ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ MGNO10663DVD
• Director ‏ : ‎ Stephen Chow, Derek Kwok, Chi-hin Kwok
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen, Dolby
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 50 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ May 27, 2014
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Lee Sheung Ching, Show Lo, Qi Shu, Zhang Wen, Bo Huang
• Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ English
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
• Producers ‏ : ‎ Stephen Chow, Ivy Kong
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Magnolia Home Ent
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00IIPL11Q
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• #6,428 in Action & Adventure DVDs

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Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, journey to the west: the demons strike back.

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The Chinese film industry doesn't produce stars so much as legends. Jackie Chan , Bruce Lee, Chow Yun-Fat , Gong Li , Sammo Hung —they may once have been ordinary mortals hailing from Taiwan, Hong-Kong and elsewhere, but when they started appearing in and creating blockbusters, they left our atmosphere, riding on the raw power of otherworldly charisma and imagination that most of us could only dream of possessing. When these titans come together, it's always an event. So when Vietnamese-born director Tsui Hark finally teamed up with Stephen Chow , the mad cinematic scientist who gave the world live-action "Looney Tunes" like " Shaolin Soccer " and "Kung-Fu Hustle," it was bound to be an event. Their collaboration, "Journey To The West: The Demons Strike Back," is a fittingly gargantuan affair, huge enough to fit the ambitions of both auteurs. Chow, the director and writer of series curtain raiser "Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons," wrote and produced this sequel and ceded the director's chair to Tsui, the man who's been sweetly infecting the daydreams of Chinese audiences for 40 years. The result is both a madcap success on its own bizarre terms and an informative distillation of each auteur's sensibility.

When last we left monk Tang ( Kris Wu ), he had chosen to team up with three vanquished demons to do something productive with his grief over the death of his secret beloved Miss Duan ( Shu Qi ). It's been a while since they joined forces and the dynamic between Tang the Monkey King (Kenny Lin), Pigsy the horny hog demon (Yang Yiwei), and Sandy the fish demon ( Mengke Bateer ) has grown strained. The Monkey King has little but contempt for his captor/master, and, when we join them, they're attempting to raise a little money by putting on a sideshow at a carnival (the ADR and the elaborate set bring Fellini to mind). Monkey resents being used as an attraction and deliberately sabotages the performance, but his displays of inhuman strength still dazzle the circus crowd enough that Tang and his crew are allowed to continue unharmed on their way west.

Tang's mission in life is to tame demons and come closer to a Buddhist ideal, and his three traveling companions are ultimately his way to enlightenment. He has to learn how to best take care of and manage these rampaging monsters of id and misaligned humors. Monkey's disrespect for Tang is just one more way for the monk to come to terms with his personal failures, but it takes him a while to figure out that the Buddha doesn't just hand out burdens idly. The four wayward souls encounter several challenges (including a house full of spider women, a petulant king and a tricky minister's temptations) that serve as lessons in cooperation, selflessness and trust.

From an opening dream sequence that references "The Three Worlds of Gulliver," it's clear how well Chow and Tsui understand each other. Chow's more fluid storytelling is occasionally missed in "Journey To The West: The Demons Strike Back," but Tsui, who directs like Bill Bruford plays drums, takes stylistic leaps that not even Chow would have dared. The world is a playground and a canvas upon which to finger paint for Tsui. His demons rampage through one gorgeously colorful digital tableau after another, passing otherworldly skies, dizzying parades of set design, and gorgeously icky special effects every few seconds. It's all escalation all the time, finishing with three mountainous false Buddhas rising from the sea to combat the Monkey King, transformed into a rock monster. Tsui rightly sees nothing as an obstacle to his creativity, and the film feels appropriately monumental and boundless. It's also very funny to see Tsui taking to the deliberately cartoony sensibility of Chow's writing, as when characters pummel and kick each other so fast their hands turn into digital clouds, or when arms stretch like rubber bands during combat. Chow integrated this with more sly humor and emotion in the first "Journey To The West," but Tsui's clamorous direction makes these flourishes feel like magic tricks, emerging from nowhere and vanishing just as quickly.

What "Journey To The West: Demons Strike Back" misses and can't make up for is a woman's touch. Shu Qi makes a few welcome appearances in dreams and flashbacks, but they last seconds at most. Tsui doesn't give Yao Chen as The Minister nor Jelly Lin as Felicity, Tang's fleeting love interest, enough time on screen for their personalities to develop beyond "agreeably crazy" and "beautiful, sad and submissive." Shu Qi's forceful and charming Miss Duan rose above the ludicrous dictates of the character, namely that she found Tang so desirable as a mate that she'd fake murders and kidnappings to be near him. Chen and Lin can't do much with their characters and Tsui doesn't leave his camera on them for more than a few seconds per cut, which cuts down on the opportunities to do the kind of ingratiating work Shu did in the first film. Chow lingers longer on his performers as a general rule. Tsui has skies and monsters to conjure; he doesn't have time for development that isn't broad and easy to follow. Which may explain why those three female performances, undercut as they are, are the most appealing in the film. The rest of the cast is caught up flailing for the sake of physical comedy bits that are destined to fail, as Chow's humor is mostly stymied by Tsui's heavier presence behind the camera. This isn't an issue when there are demons on screen, as he's one of the greatest conductors of on-screen chaos alive (just look at his previous feature, " The Taking of Tiger Mountain ," a non-stop delight, if you don't have time to track down his whole joyous oeuvre). The repeated attempts to tell Chow's jokes (like the repeated duplicated motion spell from the first movie) in incongruous grammar result in many a joyless pratfall.

Nitpicking aside, moviegoers owe it to themselves to check this movie out. It's got more imagination in one nimble limb than a "Fast & Furious" sequel or a " Star Wars " prequel can lay claim to in their whole battered chassis. When the score kicks in and the combatants take to the heavens to wage inventive battle, "Journey To The West: The Demons Strike Back" truly soars. It's a worthy fusion of two of the film world's most brilliant stars.

Scout Tafoya

Scout Tafoya is a critic and filmmaker who writes for and edits the arts blog Apocalypse Now and directs both feature length and short films.

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Film credits.

Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (2017)

Rated PG-13

109 minutes

Kris Wu as Tang Seng

Lin Gengxin as Sun Wukong

Yao Chen as Guanyin

Mengke Bateer as Sha Wujing

• Stephen Chow
• Si-Cheun Lee

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In a world plagued by demons who cause great human suffering, young demon hunter Xuan Zang risks his all to conquer a water demon, a pig demon and the demon of all demons, Sun Wukong.

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Stephen Chow Praises Shu Qi’s Incredible Talent in “Journey to the West”

Stephen Chow’s new film, Journey to the West <西遊降魔篇> will be released in February of 2013. Stephen and the cast attended a press conference at Beijing yesterday to promote the movie. A making of the movie video was shown and the casts revealed the humorous stories while working with each other.

Although Stephen is not in the movie, he was busier than most of the stars. In one of the behind-the-scenes clips shown yesterday, Stephen was coaching Shu Qi (舒淇), who portrays a comedic and crude exorcist, how to perform an exorcism, and shouted at her, “Decapitate him! Tear his hands off! His legs too!” Shu Qi performed the scene to perfection by yanking the hands, the legs, and the head of the extra, while howling with laughter at the same time.

Shu Qi told the media that was the first time she has done a scene with such dramatization, and admitted feeling high when she performed the exorcism. Another clip revealed Shu Qi going after the main character Tang Sanzang (Wen Zhang 文章), in which she savagely smacked Wen on his head and viciously kicked him. At the same time she shouted, “You useless, impotent, moron! Eat crap!” This was a departure from the classic beauty that most people associate her with. Stephen praised her acting as incredible, a guru on par with himself.

When Stephen offered Shu Qi the role, he did not contact her agency or manager. Stephen called her out of the blue and asked if she had time to have a date with him. Stephen said, “I was surprised she didn’t find it exciting having dinner with me; she seemed to be more interested in acting.”  Shu Qi enjoyed the filming process immensely, getting a good laugh by asking Stephen to demonstrate the comedic scenes first.

Stephen Chow’s Journey to the West is a nutty version of one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature. In the movie, Wen Zhang plays a comedic version of a filthy Tang Sanzang. Stephen found Wen to be so funny that he felt it was time to retire from acting.

Another leading man, Huang Bo (黃渤), who plays the Monkey King, felt left out when Wen got to do all the intimate scenes with Shu Qi. “I am extremely bitter!” joked Huang.

Source: Apple Daily

This article is written by Lance for   JayneStars.com .

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Wow. Mainland actors. Forget it, Stephen is finished.

China market much better than HK,TW,SEA market

Somehow his praise of Shu Qi diminishes him in my opinion. That woman is a terrible actress.

Shu Qi was suppose to be doing Zhang Ziyi’s role in Crouching Tiger. If she did it, she will be much more well known in the world…

but her looks not her filmography would have made the integrity of the character unbelievable. ZZY has the face of a Beijing blade albeit a very pretty one – that spartan look evokes the character of a soldier, of self sacrifice whereas Shu Qi’s full lips and squinty eyes and broad facial planes make her a candidate for exactly how she is marketed – a sex kitten.

I didn’t read the article because it is hard to respect Stephen Chow after the way he broke up with Athena Zhu i.e. in the arms of Karen Mok – yuck yuck yuck yuck yuck yuck. I can’t really LOOOK at Stephen Chow now as a result.

Wow I haven’t seen her films in a long time just pretty much those in the early 2000’s and early to late 90’s, not sure how she is now but I don’t think she’s that bad I guess from the roles I’ve seen her in like Young & Dangerous series or some other love interest roles it just wasn’t anything special. I think she’s alright

I’m trying to think of a good film Shu Qi acted in to counteract your criticism….but….I couldn’t think of anything.

Does anyone remember “For Bad Boys Only” where she co-starred with Ekin and Louis Koo? The movie was made to showcase her acting because she played 3 different characters but she was outrageously bad.

You’re wrong.

Shu qi was very overwhelmingly famous in CatIII & CatIV films back in those glory days a decade ago. That’s what makes her so hot and so special among all guys around the globe.

even though she didn’t do real porn, Maggie Q kisses in a very erotic explicit way on her show “nikita” – it does not make for a good impression but I think she tries too hard to keep her job – if HK had not taught her action moves, she would be just another unemployed actress/waittress in Hollywood

something about maggie q.. don’t fancy her at all, didn’t know what it was till now, yeah, she looks like a porn actress

I just think she’s alright but I haven’t seen those erotic films like someone mentioned so no opinion about that, For Bad Boys Only was a bad film the whole plot was useless. I heard she was pretty good in that film with Daniel Wu but I could be wrong then again I haven’t seen any of her latest films for the past few years, last is probably the Transporter where she was bearable.

A majority of her roles usually just serve as a love interest and quite frankly it’s nothing memorable but I’m looking forward to see her in The Assassin since it’s a diff role for her.

But I have been enjoying Shu Qi’s acting in her recent films like “Love” and “10+10”. She’s not a bad actor, but her flaws just get amplified when she acts in Cantonese because even after 20 years of living in HK, she still can’t get the accent right and it detracts from her acting.

You’re wrong. It’s all becoz of her imperfect flaw of cantonese accent that makes her so special and hot among audience & producers these days.

Special and hot amongst the audience…?

Christine Kuo and Fala Chen get slaughtered by the local audience because their accent detracts from the acting.

And it should. If your character is supposed to be a HK person born and raised in HK, then people are going to come at you because.. how are they supposed to believe the characterization if the accent is way off?

Regarding Shu Qi’s CAT III films though, she shys away from it lately. I don’t think she should though, it’s what brought her into the industry.

Even if she were to live in HK for 40, 50 years, it’d still be difficult to get rid of the accent… It would have been much easier if she started speaking canto at a younger age.

To me, it seems that when you’re an actor and your line of work includes stuff like lots of dialogue and speaking lines over and over to get the right tone for the perfect delivery, your language progress should be way ahead of some normal non-HK person living in HK.

I’m utterly disappointed… I thought Stephen would star in it. I really miss him… and I really hate that so much mainland actors/actress are used in Hong Kong movies.

Lai Ming basically paid to have a private version of Shu Qi after dating the real one. I bet if she hadn’t made those movies, she’d be married to someone who appreciates her willingness to please.

It sounds like this movie will not have any serious but touching moments like ‘A Chinese Odyseey’ did.

Stephen Chow’s career as an actor is exceedingly more successful than his job as a Director/Producer.

Don’t fix what’s not broken, Chow.

Just watching the trailer for his latest movie is full of fail.

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The Science Fiction Horror and Fantasy Film Review

Journey to the West: Demon Chapter (2017)

Rating: ★★, aka journey to the west: the demons strike back.

China. 2017.

Director – Tsui Hark, Screenplay – Stephen Chow, Lee Si Zhen Kelvin & Tsui Hark, Producers – Stephen Chow, Nansun Shi & Tsui Hark, Photography (3D) – Choi Sng Fai, Music – Raymond Wong, Visual Effects Supervisors – Kim Wook & Park Young Soo, Visual Effects – Mofac & Alfred Prosthetic Makeup Supervisor – Liu Ji, Production Design – Yoshihito Akatsuka. Production Company – The Star Overseas Limited/China Film Co, Ltd./Hehe Pictures Corporation Limited/Xiang Shan Zeyue Culture Media Co., Ltd./Premium Data Associates Limited/Shanghai Tao Piao Piao Movie & TV Culture Co, Ltd./Wanda Media Co,. Ltd./Dadi Century (Beijing) Co., Ltd./Guangzhou Jinyi Media Corporation/Zhe Jiang Hengdian Film Co., Ltd./Tianjin Maoyan Pictures./Maxtimes (Tianjin) Entertainment and Media Company./Lian Ray Pictures/Huayi Brothers Pictures Limited.

Kris Wu (Monk Tang), Lin Gengxin (The Monkey King), Yao Chen (Minister), Jelly Lin (Felicity), Mengke Bateer (Sandy), Yang Yiwei (Pigsy), Bao Beier (The King), Shu Qi (Duan)

Monk Tang continues his journey to the West, accompanied by The Monkey King, Pigsy and Sandy. In between fighting demons, they are forced to perform in towns in order to earn provisions for the journey. Monk Tang is finding the Monkey King increasingly more difficult to control. They come to the city of Bi Qui ruled over by a child king who petulantly demands that everything be arranged for his entertainment. They are banished after Monkey’s mischievous exploits go awry but Monkey sees that the king is really a demon and insistently returns to fight him. In reward for combating the demon, the real king gives Monk Tang the concubine Felicity as his companion. Monk Tang sees his lost love Duan in her, but Monkey insists that she is a demon despite all evidence otherwise.

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013) was a reasonable hit for Stephen Chow. An adaptation of the 16th Century Chinese legend Journey to the West , which has been filmed multiple times – see below – Chow spun the story through his usual bent for frenetic slapstick comedy. This is a field in which Chow had proven himself a comic genius in the past with films that he has directed/starred in such as From Beijing with Love (1994), Forbidden City Cop (1996), Shaolin Soccer (2001) and Kung Fu Hustle (2004). On the other hand, Conquering the Demons failed to work with the inspiration that Chow’s earlier films did – it can be seen that his work of the 2010s, at the same time as his work rises to all-time popularity at the Chinese box-office, has become bloated and not that funny.

Journey to the West: Demon Chapter is a sequel. While Conquering the Demons acted as a prelude to the saga, this brings the series more in line with the traditional adventures in Journey to the West . Here Stephen Chow has stepped back from directing, although co-writes the script and produces.

Chow has given the directorial chair to Tsui Hark, one of the legends of Hong Kong cinema. Tsui essentially created the flying swordsman genre with Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983) and has directed and produced numerous other works (see below). It is a surprise that Tsui and Chow have not worked together before, although Tsui did make a cameo acting appearance in Chow’s last directed film The Mermaid (2016).

Tsui Hark and Stephen Chow make for an uneasy mix. Tsui delivers one of his usual films, filled with wildly over-the-top fantastique moves. There are some eye-catching sequences – a battle between the party and a household of women transformed into spider beings; the slapstick nonsense around the throne room of Bi Qui, climaxing in a battle with a series of sinister clockwork creations that look like they have stepped out of a Tim Burton film and a sky filled with hundreds of flaming horses alongside a palace that is torn out of the ground and levitated up into the air. The film reaches an especially epical climactic battle with the Monkey King transformed into a giant ape made of rock that is cracked open to reveal veins of lava inside, fighting off the Golden Vulture and tearing mountains up from the ground as multiple Buddhas appear, creating massive tidal waves.

On the other hand, while this results in a much more fantastical film that Conquering the Demons , having to take on board Stephen Chow’s slapstick tone makes for a very silly Tsui Hark film. Chow’s brand of comedy that plays on frenetic slapstick and simple-minded caricatures (not to mention poking laughter at fat and ugly people) is not something you ever find in any of Tsui’s other films. The plot is also on the episodic side. Moreover, the film suffers from the problems that beset much modern Chinese-made fantasy and that is that an incredible amount of money is lavished on the sets and costuming but the CGI effects look very obviously like CGI effects.

Tsui Hark’s other genre films as director are:- The Butterfly Murders (1979), We’re Going to Eat You (1980), Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983), Aces Go Places III: Our Man from Bond Street/Mad Mission III: Our Man from Bond Street (1984), Green Snake (1993), Butterfly Lovers (1994), Zu Warriors/The Legend of Zu (2001), Black Mask 2: City of Masks (2002), Missing (2008), Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010), Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011), Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013) and Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018). Tsui Hark has also produced A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), The Laser Man (1988), Roboforce/I Love Maria (1988), A Chinese Ghost Story II (1990), Swordsman (1990), A Terracotta Warrior (1990), A Chinese Ghost Story III (1991), The King of Chess (1991), New Dragon Gate Inn/Dragon Inn (1992), Swordsman II (1992), Iron Monkey (1993), The Magic Crane (1993), Swordsman III: The East is Red (1993), Wicked City (1993), Burning Hell in Paradise (1994), Black Mask (1996), A Chinese Ghost Story: A Tsui Hark Animation (1997), Master Q (2001), Vampire Hunters/The Era of Vampires (2002), Sword Master (2016) and The Thousand Faces of Dunjia (2017).

Other versions of Journey to the West include:- the Japanese film Monkey Sun (1940); the Chinese animated Princess Iron Fan (1941); the Japanese film Songoku: The Road to the West/The Adventures of Sun Wu Hung (1959); the Japanese anime Alakazam the Great (1961); the Chinese animated film The Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven (1965), which is the best adaptation of the story to date; a trilogy of live-action films from Hong Kong’s Shaw Brothers Monkey Goes West (1966), Princess Iron Fan (1966) and The Cave of the Silken Web (1967); the popular the Japanese tv series Monkey (1978-9); a South Korean tv series Journey to the West (1982); a Japanese tv series Journey to the West (1993); a Japanese anime tv series Monkey Magic (1998); the US tv mini-series The Monkey King/The Lost Empire (2001) starring Thomas Gibson; the Hong Kong tv mini-series The Monkey King (2002); Jeffrey Lau’s A Chinese Tall Story (2005); a Japanese tv series Saiyuki (2006), which had one film spinoff with Saiyuki (2007); the US-made Jackie Chan/Jet Li vehicle The Forbidden Kingdom (2008); the modernised Emperor Visits the Hell (2012); while not long after this was the CGI-heavy The Monkey King (2014) starring Donnie Yen and its sequels The Monkey King 2 (2016) and The Monkey King 3 (2018) with Aaron Kwok; and the Chinese animated Monkey King: Hero is Back (2015).