journey to the west 2 trailer (2017) chinese fantasy movie

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Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back

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Journey To The West 2: The Demons Strike Back

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Film Review: ‘Demons Strike Back’ at the Audience in ‘Journey to the West 2’

• BY Jonathan Landreth
• Feb 6, 2017

Every day while CFI’s Hollywood readers take in the business of the Chinese film industry, the actual movies can sometimes seem exotic or remote. But in major US cities, mainstream Chinese films are increasingly available: thanks to Wanda’s purchase of AMC and distributors like China Lion, they get American theatrical releases practically simultaneous to their premieres at home. Though they receive virtually no publicity outside the non-Chinese community, these films are more than worth seeking out by anyone serious about engaging the Chinese industry, understanding the Chinese sensibility and familiarizing themselves with China’s talent pool. Periodically, CFI will review and point readers in the direction of noteworthy US releases of contemporary commercial and independent Chinese titles.

Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (2017), directed by Tsui Hark; written and produced by Stephen Chow. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, opens in the U.S. February 3, 2017 (cinemas here ).

If you’re going to see one of the two current Chinese films inspired by the adventures of China’s greatest mythological hero, the Monkey King, make it Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back .

Director Tsui Hark and writer-producer Stephen Chow’s fantasy sequel shattered opening day box office records in China (US$52.5 million) at the start of the lunar new year holiday; seeing it in the US will offer a quick snapshot of what draws Chinese audiences out in droves. Assuming you take an interest in that sort of thing and are up for high-spirited adventure and some cross-cultural anthropology, just don’t go to the movies expecting the sort of Hollywood blockbuster that typically sets records in the New York or Los Angeles.

Sure, Journey to the West 2: The Demons Strike Back  ( JTTW2 )   features plenty of special effects that propel its heroes, Monk Tang (Kris Wu), Sun Wukong (a.k.a. the Monkey King, played by Lin Gengxin), and their buddies Pigsy (Yang Yiwei) and Sandy (former NBA player Mengke Bateer), through a gauntlet of monsters on their journey to India in search of enlightenment—but the effects are inconsistent, in some scenes spectacular and reminiscent of Terry Gilliam, and then cheap or laughable in others.

These are not the surreal WETA Workshop-like effects of a Lord of the Rings fantasy realm. Sometimes they leave the human talent hanging, forced to cover for their lacking on-screen environment in what ends up being an enjoyable, if accidental, so-bad-it’s-good sort of visual comedy. In one memorable scene, Wu, in monk’s robes, almost succeeds in deploying his pop idol smirk to distract the audience from what’s clearly a run shot against a green screen. Wu hoofs it in slo-mo, away from his alter ego Monkey, across a CGI landscape of gnarled forest. The cartoony, depth-perception-defying jaunt instantly recalled Jimmy Stewart falling out of an upper story in Rear Window in 1954.

To the credit of Wu and his co-stars—including his love interest Felicity (Jelly Lin) and his unrequited admirer The Minister (Yao Chen)—they also show heart. Additionally, for those interested in the Chinese classics, they deliver the clearest interpretation in a while of one tale from the 16 th century epic novel for which the film, and many more like it in China, is named. (If you think the Star Wars , Star Trek , and Marvel franchises have sequel fever, you’ve clearly never delved into China’s archive of literally hundreds of Monkey King movies.)

Despite some wild action sequences that deliver Chinese mythology with Alice In Wonderland -level psychedelia—including sexy maidens turned to man-eating spiders, Sandy morphing into the Biggest Fish Ever, and The King (played with brilliant mischief by Bao Bei-er) turning into a nightmarish, petulant demon-child—director Tsui and producer Chow fall short of making a movie that will sprout legs in the West.

American audiences will feel let down if they expect a seamless depiction of an extravagant fantasy world. Chow excels in a kind of kitchen-sink absurdism, juxtaposing ridiculous premises and jokes against one another, and frequently breaking the fourth wall—an approach that mitigates some of the pleasures to be gained from sinking into a large-scale, mythical action-adventure. At the same time, the antics of Monk Tang, Monkey, and company, each of whose strengths complements the others’ weaknesses, possess brio and often inspired silliness that manages to deliver some sincere Buddhist teachings.

So yes, the movie now topping the box office in the PRC, where religion is tightly controlled by its one-party state, has a spiritual message.  The message is that we are all subordinate to a greater power called Buddha, and only through surrender to that notion and a practice of cooperation with one’s fellow man (or monkey), may inner peace be attained.

Tsui and Chow, filmmakers formed in the freewheeling crucible of Hong Kong in the 1980s and early 90s, have recently hit their commercial stride in China, spending big budgets and grossing big yuan . Chow’s The Mermaid became the highest-grossing picture of all time in China upon its release at the same time last year.

But as with The Mermaid , American audiences may find the storyline in this latest Monkey King tale too convoluted. Its takeaway—Monkey fiercely battling demons to help his monk master reach enlightenment—sometimes feels akin to a super-loud music video for Beijing’s much-touted campaign to promote Chinese soft power throughout Asia.

As an official co-production that guarantees a greater share of the film’s profits to partners from South Korea, the latest Journey To the West appears to be another attempt at cementing China as the inviolable birthplace of Asia’s most dominant action hero, and a none-too-subtle reminder that said hero, a Chinese monkey, is capable of great things across Asia—from South Korea to India, say. Slapstick subversiveness notwithstanding, it still amounts to a Sinocentric power play that diminishes the appeal of the enterprise.  Despite enjoying its great moments of wackiness, my teenage American daughter, who lived the first two-thirds of her life in Beijing speaking Mandarin— came out of a recent screening and said, “They just can’t seem to move past the Monkey King.  But they can’t seem to get it right either.”

WHAT DOES THE GRADE MEAN?

Here are some recent & modern-era vintage Chinese and Hong Kong films for comparison

• PLATFORM (2000, dir Jia Zhangke)
• THE WORLD (2004, dir. Jia Zhangke)
• DRUNKEN MASTER 2 (1994, dir. Lau Kar Leung & Jackie Chan)
• KUNG FU HUSTLE (2004, dir. Stephen Chow)
• LET THE BULLETS FLY (2010, dir Jiang Wen)
• THE MERMAID (2016, dir. Stephen Chow)
• A TOUCH OF SIN (2013, dir. Jia Zhangke)
• STILL LIFE (2006, dir. Jia Zhangke)
• MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART (2015, dir. Jia Zhangke)
• LITTLE BIG SOLDIER (2010, dir. Ding Sheng)
• EXTRAORDINARY MISSION (2017, dir. Alan Mak & Anthony Pun)
• MR SIX (2015, dir. Guan Hu)
• A WORLD WITHOUT THIEVES (2004, dir. Feng Xiaogang)
• SUZHOU RIVER (1999, dir. Lou Ye)
• HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (2004, dir Zhang Yimou)
• RAISE THE RED LANTERN (1991, dir. Zhang Yimou)
• DUCKWEED (2017, dir. Han Han)
• I BELONGED TO YOU (2016, dir. Zhang Yibai)
• THE GREAT WALL (2016, dir. Zhang Yimou)
• OLD STONE (2016, dir. Johnny Ma)
• CRAZY STONE (2006, dir. Ning Hao)
• GO, LALA GO (2010, dir. Xu Jinglei)
• KUNG FU YOGA (2017, dir. Stanley Tong)
• RAILROAD TIGERS (2016, dir. Ding Sheng)
• THE WASTED TIMES (2016, dir. Cheng Er)
• CHONGQING HOT POT (2016, dir. Yang Qing)
• MONSTER HUNT (2015, dir. Raman Hui)
• JOURNEY TO THE WEST: THE DEMONS STRIKE BACK (2017, dir. Tsui Hark)
• SOME LIKE IT HOT (2017, dir. Song Xiaofei & Dong Xu)
• BORN IN CHINA (2016, dir. Lu Chuan)
• BUDDIES IN INDIA (2017, dir. Wang Baoqiang)
• THE DEVOTION OF SUSPECT X (2017, dir. Alec Su)
• TINY TIMES (2013, dir. Guo Jingming)

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JOURNEY TO THE WEST: THE DEMONS STRIKE BACK

Xī yóu fú yāo piān.

A monk and his three disciples continue on their journey to battle demons.

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Kunal nayyar, eva longoria & billy porter among ensemble of gurinder chadha musical ‘christmas karma’ , know your chinese new year pics: ‘journey to the west 2’ & more in box office hunt.

By Nancy Tartaglione

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This weekend ushers in Chinese New Year, aka Spring Festival, and along with it are hopes that the holiday sparks some festive mainland box office. While last year got off to a great start, a slowdown at Chinese turnstiles resulted in just 3.7% growth across all of 2016. The beginning of 2017 has seen Hollywood releases in China include Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ($61.3 million through last weekend), Passengers ($33.5M) and Arrival ($7.4M). Local holdovers from 2016 that have had some staying power include Some Like It Hot ($83M), Railroad Tigers ($98M) and The Great Wall ($167M).

Now comes what is typically the most lucrative time of year for local films. Given the recent state of Chinese box office, which last year came back down to Earth, it will be interesting to see how the New Year fortunes fare. There was a crackdown on fraudulent box office reporting in 2016 after a dodgy 2015, and that contributed to the overall slowdown, while ticket subsidies were cut and audience tastes became more discerning. Wonders one exec, “Was moviegoing a novelty for five years and now it’s not? That’s a terrifying perspective.”

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But there are several incoming offerings to refresh Middle Kingdom screens, led by Journey To The West: The Demons Strike Back , a follow-up to Stephen Chow’s 2013 hit Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons . Comedies Kung Fu Yoga (starring Jackie Chan) and Buddies In India are also on deck, as is the Deng Chao-starrer Duckweed and the fourth installment in the kids franchise,  Boonie Bears: Entangled Worlds .

The pic with the biggest profile and potential is roundly considered to be the Journey To The West sequel, and comes with a big Imax component. Chow last year directed The Mermaid which also opened during the Lunar New Year period and went on to $527M in Middle Kingdom box office to become the biggest local title ever. Chow returns as producer and co-writer, handing the helm to Tsui Hark. That Hong Kong director has such hits as Flying Swords Of Dragon Gate and the Detective Dee franchise under his belt. His last outing was 2014’s The Taking Of Tiger Mountain which grossed more than $140M during the Christmas period that year.

One U.S. exec says, “The expectation is that box office on Journey To The West will be massive,” particularly given “there hasn’t been a lot to capture the excitement of the Chinese audience” in recent months.

Pre-sales as reported this week by Ent Group had JTTW2 at about $7M, followed by Buddies In India at about $5M and Kung Fu Yoga at $2.8M. All three open tomorrow. As it did with The Mermaid , Sony has some international rights on JTTW2 and is releasing day-and-date with China in Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, Australia and New Zealand. The UK and U.S. follow on February 3, with Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand later in the month.

Of the top 10 films in China in 2016, three were launched with the Spring Festival, accumulating $884M in combined box office. Adding in Kung Fu Panda 3 , which was a U.S./China co-production and bowed a week early, the total rises to $1.04B.

Also last year, February box office hit a record RMB 6.87B, the first time Chinese turnstiles outspun those in the U.S. and Canada combined during a single month. We’ll know more about how this year is shaping up on Sunday.

Check out another JTTW2 trailer below as well as promos for all the films above:

JOURNEY TO THE WEST: THE DEMONS STRIKE BACK This latest adaptation of the ancient Chinese fantasy novel marks the first major collaboration between Hong Kong legends Stephen Chow and Tsui Hark (who appear at the end of the trailer below). Chow directed the previous JTTW which grossed about $200M in 2013. His 2016 pic The Mermaid became the highest-grossing PROC movie ever with $527M — Tsui had a cameo in that film. Among the notable cast here are Kenny Lin ( The Great Wall, The Taking Of Tiger Mountain ), Yun Lin ( The Mermaid, L.O.R.D.: Legend Of Ravaging Dynasties ) and Kris Wu ( The Mermaid, L.O.R.D., xXx: Return Of Xander Cage ). Sony has several offshore markets.

KUNG FU YOGA A Chinese-India co-production, this culture-clash comedy stars Jackie Chan as an archaeologist on an international search for an ancient Indian treasure. Disha Patani also stars. Rumble In The Bronx ’s Stanley Tong directs. Well Go USA is releasing this one in the U.S.

BUDDIES IN INDIA Another pic with an Indian backdrop, this Beijing Enlight action comedy hails from actor-turned-director Wang Baoqiang who was also in 2012 hit Lost In Thailand to which this film owes a debt. China Lion has this in the U.S. with release set for today.

DUCKWEED The Continent ’s Han Han directs this reconciliation dramedy about a son who travels back in time to experience his father’s legendary past alongside him. The Mermaid ’s Deng Chao stars with Eddie Peng ( The Great Wall , Operation Mekong ). China Lion has offshore rights.

BOONIE BEARS: ENTANGLED WORLDS The fourth film in the Fantawild Animation franchise, this multiverse installment sees the bear brothers try to thwart an elite team of thieves out to steal the Deer Clan’s Golden Antlers. China.org estimates this will be the pic to harness kids over the Spring Festival period. Directed by Lin Huida and Lin Yongchang, it made about $3M in advance screenings last Saturday.

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