A Chinese Odyssey: Part 2 - Cinderella

When I first time watch this movie,I am a elementary school student still... ... If you thought it is very absurd,Cannot understand,That is the normal reaction. When I watched for the first time, similarly thought there are some plot which I did not understand (at that time I was ten years old).

This a kind of non- conventional humor, if you wanna understood this story completely ,you should have know something about the "Xi You Ji",(It was awfully translated by someone to Mokey,Mokey King etc )if not, you'd better carefully see this movie, then, you will like it.

In Zhong Guo, the 80's births people have the special sentiment to this movie, the classical dialogue were known very well by each who birth on 80's. Afterwards, appeared many movie which take "Xi You Ji" story as the background , or imitates the style of this movie directly , but they all are unable to surmount it.

It is unfair that there is no thorough review on this masterpiece: Chinese Odyssey I-II (1994).

Someone would dare to say this is THE BEST movie ever, to me it is certainly clear that there is no other movie can compete with this in making tearing eyes of audience at the end of movie on which they really don't know whether the tears came from too much laughing or from the pathos of epic love story. As many other great cult movies this one also has difficulties to deliver its greatness to audience especially to non-Asian (due to lack of background and missing points in translated caption etc.), however this difficulties can be overcome and I strongly recommend trying this movie since it is worth your time and effort. One simple way to overcome the plot complexity and its hidden meanings is to watch repeatedly, this way will work on this movie just as it does upon the movie like 'Mulholland Drive (2001)'. These two movies belong to completely different genres but they have one thing in common that you have to watch multi-full time to get it.Let's get into the detail of Chinese Odyssey I-II, it has at least four aspects to discuss,

(1) Background story and its twist of Chinese great classic novel 'Journey to the West'; You don't need to read the book thoroughly and you can get information from internet,Or you may only need to know that the novel was written basis of the real event of a Chinese monk Xuanzang (602 – 664) who went to India to get the Buddhist bible and get it to the Chinese King in order to bring justice and peace/love in the world. The author gathered folk tales and even mingled with traditional fantasy mythology into a classic.

The content of novel includes 81 episodes of adventures while the protagonist Son WuKong (Monkey King) guides Xuanzang with two friends. This story generated many modern versions of twist such as the international big hit of Japanese Manga "Dragon Ball" The movie Chinese Odyssey I-II covers Wukong's troubled mind between earthly desires and righteous job (getting the scripture) with nice mixture of romantic love story.

(2) Peculiar sense of humor; The first thing the audience can notice on this movie may be the unusual sense of humor some times goes behind the tolerance of normal people. It is because Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer 2001, Kung Fu Hustle 2004) once you get his sense of humor you will really enjoy it, this is same for Mike Myers, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy and Jim Carrey. He is as good as these American actors for comedian and romantic hero so it is fair to say that without him this movie would be impossible, but this movie has more than just Stephen Chow.

(3) State of martial art; From the typical Hong Kong martial art style, well known by legendary Woo-ping Yuen (who worked in Matrix and Kill Bill series), you can enjoy fantastic fighting scenes in this movie. Woo-ping Yuen has worked with actors; Jet Li, Stephen Chow and director Hark Tsui (if you don't like Stephen Chow's style it will be worth to check 'Chinese Ghost Story (1987), and The Legend of Zu (2001)). By the way the director covering martial art of this movie is the other legend Xiaodong Cheng.

(4) East-West culture confliction (Christianity vs. Buddhism); One of the reasons that those great Chinese movies such as 'Chinese Ghost Story (1987)', 'The Legend of Zu (2001)' and 'Chinese Odyssey I-II (1994)' don't get right reputation in western world is they have basis of reincarnation which is from Buddhistic or generic eastern idea. As for me I regularly attend church and follow guidance of Jusus, but I have no problem with reincarnation idea in movies. Many American movies also have imposed reincarnation idea such as in 2001 A Space Odyssey (1968), The Big Chill (1983) and The 13th Floor (1999).

(snake legs) : The plot of Chinese Odyssey I-II is very complicated which is different from normal Hollywood movies, I recommend to watch two parts (I and II) straight..

What an insane thing this is! The story of cinema has been written from a predominantly Western point of view this first hundred years. Were it to be evenly told somehow, this would be in a short list of cult classics you have to see, for sheer bonkers imagination.

It's rooted in a Chinese classic about the Buddhist monk who brought back the first scriptures from India but that's just the springboard that supplies the context and characters of legend, it has as much actual history as the Pythons' Holy Grail does about medieval times.

Everything at first takes place in some remote outpost where a mysterious woman walks into the company of a petty thief and his gang. That night characters are revealed to be Devils, the woman changes into a giant spider. Immortals and supernatural beings show up through both films. The "hero" is a scoundrel who gets beaten all the time and set on fire, in that marvelous way Hong Kong has of mocking cool.

There's time travel and a story about being incarnated as the "Monkey King" of legend, meanwhile the famed Buddhist monk is shown to nag everyone with legalistic obtuseness. Illusory magic puts characters in each other's bodies. Half of it makes no sense at all but strangely it somehow does. A Bull King with his army comes stomping into the scene. Now and then it erupts in flying wuxia, remarkable gliding and leaping through colored smoke. A battle takes place inside someone's body, slashing through arteries!

It's all as crazy as anything the Pythons and Abrahams/Zucker did, as devilish as Army of Darkness. It's drawing from its own Chinese folk tradition of course about ghosts, immortals and magical belief. It begins with Guanyin, this is the boddhisatva of compassion in Buddhism, facing off with Monkey because Monkey can't stand the monk's nagging and wants out from the mission.

How revealing to watch it with a Marvel comparison in mind (who have many of the same stuff, mythic beings, gods and demigods) where everything has to be laboriously explained. Everything here just springs from air, shapeshifts in and out of illusion. Characters come and go with no obligation to some overarching purpose, or feels like it. Self is malleable, a matter of illusory disguise, a foolish invention the story gives rise to; so proper in a Buddhist context.

Another context sees the women in control, the men as dufuses. Men and women change bodies, changing the social dynamics. Self being illusory, anyone can be anything, a devil of vast powers turn into just a girl in love. Yet the central tenet in the story is the pining for deep love.

I could barely make sense of it but what I could hold onto is sweet and layered. The hero travels through time to save his loved one, until he loses himself. But it seems that was someone he started to love out of duty to a story he made up, because he said he was who she was waiting for, Monkey. Being lost, he meets another girl who is his true love and "turns him" into that person. There's body swapping at this point and she becomes possibly a Pigheaded henchman. His being torn between dutiful and true love is surreally transmuted in a scene with dual marriages supposed to take place.

By the end we have veered off into a cosmic showdown where the sun is tethered close and burns everything up. And then we return to normative reality. The "Monkey King" has to resume his place dutifully in the journey of fantastic mythadventure while his mortal self stays behind with the love of his life. Parting illusory from real.

This is taking whimsical nonsense as your dharma teacher.

This movie has two parts. I suggest you watch them both in one sitting. This is based on the famous Chinese story "Journey to the West." Joker aka reincarnation of the Monkey King(Stephen Chow) delivers a lot of laughter. He get's involved in a demon women(Jing Jing, played by Karen Mok) and makes a mistake while traveling back(500 years too far). He eventually falls in love with the Zixia(Athena Chu). From there they ensure on a crazy journey fill with laughter, and love. The first part is more of a comedy with the plot leading into the second part. The second has more to do with the adventure itself. I must say the ending was touching. Sure there is lots of laughter in the movie, but the underlying love story was good. I wen't in watching and expecting all out funny, but got much more. The movie itself is very memorable. Music wise, it's spectacular. However, in the end I was kind of left in the air. I didn't have the full details as I would like. Which leaves room for a third one(unfortunately there is none) that would show conclusive ending and giving all the details.

One the whole, this movie work's for all kinds of people. It's got comedy, romance, and fighting. One of my favorites.

Opening with the beautiful Athena Chu entering an abandoned desert village, we are treated to a quick but fun fight when a gang of Heaven's guards attack her, in true Ching Siu Tung style of course!

This leads us back to the end scene of part one, where she meets Joker (Chow) and makes him her slave, as well as stealing his Pandora's Box. His attempt at trying to open the cave door to retrieve it is hilarious, and once in, does what he has to in an attempt to get the box and save Jing Jing back in his own time.

They set off soon after, from towns (where we see the hilarious Ng Man Tat back as Pigsy) to the desert, where one night, Chow witnesses the Monkey King arguing with a Goddess; a return to the very first opening scene of part one...

And then it all comes together. Chow, who has now seen via the magic mirror that he is the Monkey King reincarnate, gets an insight to who he is going to become. Seeing that his former self has the Pandora's Box he attempts once again to get it from them, of course, with hilarious results that shake the storyline up in crazy ways!

Cinderella cranks the comedy and madness up to 11, with more demons (the soul sucking scene is just too funny), more Bull King, and of course, more Monkey... But it also has heart that seems to blend flawlessly with the ridiculousness of it all - one of those scenes has Longevity Monk, Law Kar Ying, giving a painful rendition of the Platters song 'Only You'.

That's followed by a crazy body swap which leads to more hilarity, from a fight with the Bull King, to a botched fake suicide attempt that results in a rescue mission. Then the return of Karen Mok's character Jing Jing, spins Chow into a comedic flashback as he very quickly goes over their story in part one, to try and convince her who he really is!

Madness!!

The last 20 minutes is a total delight as Chow takes full Monkey King form, facing off against the Bull King and his army with his own team of monkeys in an all out battle of weapons and wire-fu, big set pieces and stunt work, while breaking the heart of his beloved and suffering the pain of love lost. All of that, while the piece of earth they are fighting on is flying into the sun... and then some.

A Chinese Odyssey 2 is something else - and both films are well worth seeing. All in all, this is a fantasy love story which delivers in every department and is one of the legends finest adaptations. It's beautiful, hilarious, touching, action packed, and well worth seeing!

Overall: I only wish Chow had stuck around to continue the story, but nonetheless has helped give us another amazing piece of Hong Kong cinema!