The Monkey King 2

The film itself is boring, the effects are good, the photography and costumes are fantastically beautiful and colorful, the script is even round, it has some pretty boring and childish comic strips, it looks cool, but it's very boring and boring...

I wasn't expecting a sequel after watching the disappointing first film that was 2 years behind the original scheduled release. Despite the plethora of well-known actors/actresses, it turned out to be a huge disappointment due to the deviation from the original story. Chow Yun Fat was the most miscast actor when he was chosen to play the Jade Emperor :(

I'm glad to say that this sequel is much better than the first movie in every aspect. The script focuses mainly on Sun Wukong and the Bone Demoness. The monk is left to look like a bumbling idiot. He looks and acts like the same role in the Stephen Chow's Journey to the West. Aaron Kwok's portrayal of Sun Wukong is much less flamboyant than Donnie Yen's portrayal - and for that, I am glad.

The special effects are very well done, which is a relief considering the disaster in the first movie. If I hadn't watched Iron Man or Harry Potter before, I would be even more impressed with some of the effects in the final battle scene.

Gong Li visual presence was, for me, the epitome of womanhood :)

This is full length movie based on one of China's most famous legends, The Monkey King. It stars Aaron Kwok in the title role, tasked to escort a traveling monk, Tang Seng (Shaofeng Feng), to the west to fetch ancient Buddha scriptures while protecting him from the evil White-Bone Demon (Gong Li).

While the TV-series adaptation of the story has the Monkey King and his counterparts dealing a host of demons and monsters to protect the monk in each episode, this movie places emphasis on one demon, the White-Bone Demon, portrayed stunningly by Gong Li. She is a menacing force to be reckoned with, capable of spreading chaos and casualties to those dare to cross her - all the while maintaining her spellbinding beauty.

Kwok is excellent as the Monkey King, feisty and powerful in his own might. Xiao Shen-Yang did great as Zhu Bajie - a womanizer who provides much needed comic relief - and Chung Him Law gave an effective portrayal of Sha Seng - a character more on the sidelines but did a great battle with the skeleton monsters and showed the most concern for the master's well-being.

The movie was a little too high on the CGI in some parts, but it works well mostly, especially in the scenes involving the White Bone Demon as she floats around zapping her dark magic. The visual effects really captures the majesty of the kingdom and rich countryside, and the make-up and costumes brought the characters to life in very detail.

The plot was fast-paced from start to finish, full of suspense and adventure, and the dramatic elements of trust and second chances really make the film all the more interesting. An excellent adaptation of this epic journey!

Grade A

I know the Monkey King is a huge thing in China. I herd about it before and have see the American adaption, the Forbidden Kingdom, with Jet Li as the Monkey king.

This movie was visually bad ass. I loved the design of the title character. All the CGI actually worked to make the movie feel very big and very epic. It makes me wish it was released in IMAX here in the States, not just in 3D. The final battle in the movie was mind blowing.

But I just did not get into the tale of the Monkey King. I don't know why this story is so popular and the movie did nothing to change this thought. It was suppose to be funny in certain places, but I did not get it and it just seem that a lot of things were happen just to produce a cool special effect for it, not to drive any story.

It was fun to look at but not the most compelling story, speaking as someone unfamiliar with the story being told

The plot is the same most probably with some modifications but the screenplay was different and all the new characters in this film make it slightly difficult for us to merge in with this film.

The visual presentation of the characters and the mischievous-ness they do are all watchable to a certain limit but we get bored after some time maybe it'd be good to watch for the kids and the twists & turns and the evil gameplay stuff was well made though we've seen them all in other films.

One of the visually appealing Chinese/foreign movies ever made

overall, it's a movie for kids and a must-watch for them.