'The Monkey King,' a lavish yet flawed dream

A poster of the Monkey King

When a film costs 500 million yuan (US$82.6 million) to make in China, it is huge. Both the studio and investors will worry if they can make their money back. Yet as one of its producers earlier explained, "The Monkey King" is a dream that they want to fulfill, no matter how high the cost. This remark put most worries to rest.

The star-studded live-action fantasy epic is directed by lesser known Hong Kong director Cheang Pou-Soi, though Hong Kong director and 3D pioneer Tsui Hark also considered directing a Monkey King film years ago. It is the newest adaption of eight chapters from the Chinese classic ancient novel "Journey to the West," telling the mythical story of monkey demon Sun Wukong who rebelled against the gods and was punished by Buddha before going on a salvation journey, protecting the monk Xuanzhang to collect the Buddhist sutras from India during China's Tang Dynasty (618-907).

"Journey to the West" is a true treasure trove, containing endless stories to endlessly inspire. In order to create a new film based on the story, Filmko studio needed both the courage and money to embark on this mission. They subsequently recruited A-list actors such as Donnie Yen, Chow Yun-fat and Aaron Kwok.

"The Monkey King" may have tried to cave into the Chinese appetite for big special effects films as visual spectacles "Avatar," "Pacific Rim" and "Transformers" all did very well at Chinese box offices. Veterans from six countries and Hollywood, including Daniel L. Symmes, Shaun Smith and Kevin Rafferty, lent their skills to make magic as the film features more than 2,400 scenes, 98 percent of which use special effects. Most of the budget was burned here, but it proved excessive.

Although the film boasted the strongest-ever post-production team, some of the scenes are still less than perfect and are more similar to a 3D cartoon or video game than to a live-action CGI film. Looking at all of the film's plots, especially the part of the Monkey King's origin haven -- the Flower and Fruit Mountain which could be filmed in a natural environment, it is understood that their creative concept was to create a place like the "Pandora" planet in "Avatar." It was 100 percent unnecessary to put nearly all the film into blue-screen cinematography as they could not fully catch up with what James Cameron and George Lucas actually managed.

For many Chinese, Zhang Jinlai (whose stage name is Liu Xiao Ling Tong) is irreplaceable as the Monkey King because of the hugely popular 1986 television series "Journey to the West." In 1994, Hong Kong comedian Stephen Chow starred in the film duology "A Chinese Odyssey," an alternative legend inspired by "Journey to the West" which became a cult classic among the nostalgic youth on the Chinese mainland. Along with the 1964 animation "Havoc in Heaven" directed by Wan Laiming, these three iconic productions are the most applauded and successful "Journey to the West" themed TV and movie adaptations in China. Other versions will always be compared, judged and criticized.

While Yen mostly imitated Zhang's approach to portray the Monkey King, he also took some notes both from Chow and actual zoo monkeys. Other than those, he also choreographed and showed off some unforgettable Kung Fu techniques. Yen's heavy make-up and his convincing performance can make people forget who really is behind that monkey mask.

Nevertheless, the real highlights of this film are not the special effects and Sun Wukong, but also the portrayal of the Jade Emperor of Heaven (played by Chow Yun-fat) and Bull Demon King (played by Kwok). In the film, the Jade Emperor is no longer a weak god who has to ask India's Buddha to help take down the monkey in the original novel; he now is an almighty god who can actually fight.

The Bull Demon King has been made to be leader of the demon world and try to take over Heaven, while deeply in love with his wife. This new concept adds more layers to the character. Sun Wukong, the monkey who singlehandedly created havoc in Heaven in the original novel, is just an innocent chessman exploited by the Bull Demon King to achieve his grand conspiracy plot.

As some significant and popular plots from the original book were cut out -- such as the Monkey King fighting the Four Heavenly Kings, and stealing food and wine from the Imperial banquet -- it is hard to say if audiences will really take to this on-screen adaptation of the novel. However, the big war in Heaven between the demons and gods shown in "The Monkey King" film is one of the most spectacular scenes ever to be seen on the Chinese screen.

"The Monkey King" is a lavish yet flawed film. It lacks wit and almost seems to have lost the pure soul of the novel. The plots come and go too fast, with many characters in the film too pale and shallow. It presents a visual feast, but still can hardly resonate with audiences in terms of emotion. Some scenes are more like a children's cartoon (i.e. the panda demon appearing on the Flower and Fruit Mountain is just laughable). Maybe this film was made to be family entertainment for all ages so it therefore got rid of several mature connotations and depths.

Though the film may be far from being a classic, it is still a decent production, as well as a bold, creative and commercial attempt. If the box office results do not utterly fail, it could usher in a new era and level for the Chinese film in terms of special effects, the magic of money and China-Hollywood cooperation.