7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
When a travelling monk is stranded in a wasteland, The Monkey King must escort him across the land to retrieve sacred scriptures and protect him from an evil demon.
Starring: Aaron Kwok, Gong Li, Shaofeng Feng, Him Law, Shenyang XiaoForeign | 100% |
Martial arts | 44% |
Action | 33% |
Fantasy | 29% |
Adventure | 8% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Cantonese: Dolby Atmos
Cantonese: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Cantonese: Dolby Digital 2.0
Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 2.0
English, Mandarin (Simplified)
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Joseph Campbell made part of his inestimable reputation on the thesis that myths were archetypal creations that blasted through the artificial barriers of nationality and culture and which therefore appealed to some “universal” aspect of human consciousness, but I had to wonder about the veracity of that stance as I watched the fascinating but peculiar The Monkey King 2. There’s no doubt that all sorts of foreign films treating folkloristic aspects from whatever culture their “native” nationality might be may well not play as convincingly to other cultures as they do in their own homeland, but The Monkey King 2 seems especially befuddling at times, perhaps due at least in part to the fact that this film’s progenitor, The Monkey King: Havoc in Heaven's Palace, doesn’t seem to have had an official release stateside (the link is for an MOD BD-R, which makes me question its authenticity, though if you poke around the internet, it does appear that there are Hong Kong releases available that are supposedly Region A compatible). Would, for example, a typical Asian viewer respond as “naturally” to a distinctly American piece of folklore like Paul Bunyan or even Johnny Appleseed the same way someone born and raised in the United States would, however artful a cinematic adaptation of such tales might be? It’s something at least worth considering, though The Monkey King 2, for all of its visual ingenuity, may have other, more foundational, problems to address which may contribute to a kind of chaotic viewing experience, at least for those not completely conversant with the film’s source material, let alone the first Monkey King film.
The Monkey King 2 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The IMDb lists the Red Epic as the camera of choice, with a 2K DI, and the results are by and large glorious looking. This is a film built out of both impeccable practical elements like sumptuous production design, but a wealth of CGI and greenscreen elements, and all of them are knitted together fairly organically throughout the presentation. There are occasional moments where the CGI isn't totally convincing, but the bulk of the effects are quite impressive, even if many of them were obviously designed with 3D in mind, something that this 2D Blu-ray obviously doesn't offer. Colors are often incredibly vivid, from Sha's cobalt blue skin to Sun's kind of orange-yellow fur. Fine detail levels pop very well in close-ups (as can be seen in some of the screenshots accompanying this review), and aside from some expected softness in CGI and greenscreen elements, this presentation offers excellent clarity and sharpness.
I believe The Monkey King 2 is the first release I've personally reviewed that features a Cantonese Dolby Atmos track (there are other tracks in both Cantonese and Mandarin—see the specs above for details). While it looks to me that at least some of the actors weren't speaking Cantonese on set, at least as evidenced by the occasional mismatch of lip movements with dialogue, in terms of the sound mix itself The Monkey King 2 is a consistently enjoyable and immersive experience. Many of the big action sequences featuring the Monkey King offer a glut of surround activity, with some whimsical sound effects smartly placed around the soundfield, helping to establish the character's ability to move at lightning fast speeds and whack the living you know what out of his nemeses. Other effects, like a kind of web the White Bone Demon weaves as part of a spell are more subtle but still extremely effective. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly and fidelity is superb on this problem free track.
- The Monkey King (1080i; 3:16)
- The Monk (1080i; 3:33)
- Bajie (1080i; 3:27)
- Wujin (1080i; 2:33)
- A New World (1080i; 2:17)
I frankly had more than a few questions about not just the plot dynamics, but indeed the characters themselves, as I watched The Monkey King 2, but you know what? It ultimately hardly mattered, for the film's breathless pace and visual virtuosity made this a consistently entertaining viewing experience. This is a bright crazy quilt of energy, and for those willing to just go with the flow, the journey (to the west or otherwise) is extremely enjoyable. Technical merits are very strong, and The Monkey King 2 comes Recommended.
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