A Chinese Odyssey: Part One - Pandora's Box (1995) User Reviews

One of Stephen Chow's best performances!

[Kinmui · 9/10 · 13 November 1999]

Don't expect this movie to be the typical comedy/adventure/action HK movie. In fact it's a very well written tragedy, not only about love, but life in general. The acting is excellent, especially for Stephen Chow and Karen Mok. Since the story is split into two movies, you must watch them both to fully understand the whole story.

Even though the characters are taken from the classic novel "Journey to the West", however, it has nothing to do with the original. I surely will not even consider it as an adaption... a REINVENTION is probably the correct word.

If all you are looking for is a few good laughs, the movie has plenty. But this movie definitely have more to offer, so enjoy!

Entertaining nonsense

[cherold · 8/10 · 13 September 2013]

This is one crazy movie, with martial arts monkeys, ladies who become giant spiders, and all sorts of devils and other supernatural characters wandering around causing trouble. It's fun, funny, and wacky.

One interesting thing is that it's a movie full of strong women and weak men. You don't see that too often. True, love slows the women up, but outside of that they are tough as can be.

I saw this movie with badly-done subtitles I downloaded off the Internet, so I was sometimes a little unclear as to what was going on, but the movie is such crazy fun that I barely minded.

fantasy martial arts extravaganza Stephen chow style

[chrichtonsworld · 8/10 · 11 February 2007]

A Chinese Odyssey Part One: Pandora's Box is a fantasy martial arts extravaganza like A Chinese Ghost story. Just to give you an idea what to expect. The main character is Stephen Chow. He plays The Monkey King and Joker. Joker is The Monkey King reincarnated who doesn't know of his past life. It is through these roles where Stephen Chow shows his versatility as an actor. If you have seen some of his movies than you know what to expect. He always tries to combine humour, martial arts and drama. Maybe for some the humor will be a bit over the top. But Stephen Chow's humour is very visual and will appeal to many viewers. A few scenes made me laugh so hard I almost choked. I even dare to say that some scenes in this film outclass Kung Fu Hustle when it comes to comedy. And that one was hilarious. I liked how during these scenes the actors maintain straight faces and are very serious about what they are doing. You know like they did in the Naked Gun film series. To me that makes all of it even funnier. Another thing I liked that the comedy does not come at the expense of action. Of which you will have plenty of. Most of the martial arts is done with wire works though and in combination with fighting demons this is done beautifully. The special effects may look a bit cheesy compared to CGI to some, but are very enjoyable because most of the effects are used creatively. I personally prefer effects done this way since it shows that sometimes all you need is a little imagination to create movie magic. And Pandora's Box certainly is magical. In fact it's a fairytale you can enjoy over and over again.

One of Stephen Chow's best

[portishead_pat · 10/10 · 25 April 2002]

I remembered watching this movie many years ago and knew that it would be an instant classic. It wasn't so much of the slapstick humor that made Stephen Chow famous but the depth of the story line that rarely exists in HK productions.

Using an important part of the classic story, "Journey to the West", the director attempted to retell the story of how the Monkey god (Sun Wu Kong) was tamed and willingly escorted the Longevity Monk on a journey to India (West) to receive the sacred buddhist scriptures. In the original text, Monkey was captured by the great lord Buddha and entraped under the "5 Fingers Mountain" (Hand of Buddha) for 500 years where he was tamed and then saved by the Longevity Monk.

In the movie adaption, he was appointed the protector of the Longevity Monk but strayed from the path of holiness when he fell in love with a demoness and tried to sell out his master (the demons believed by eating his flesh, they would gain immortality). Monkey was eventually captured and was to be destroyed when his master intervened, begging for his disciple's mercy and sacrificing himself to save his disciple. The Goddess of Mercy then decided to send the Monkey 500 years forward in time to live a life of sufferings as a mortal before passing judgement.

The story comes in 2 parts and has to be watched together to be fully understood (the 1st part had quite a cliffhanger going on). While great performances were to be expected from every cast involved, Stephen Chow stood out as the Monkey God. As a mortal he attempted to resist his fate and change his future, as an immortal he tried to forget his mortal longings and focus on his mission. Stephen Chow's portrayal of the struggle and growth of the character was simply excellent.

Watched a Downloaded Copy with Crap Subtitles. Still Great!

[andressolf · 10/10 · 29 May 2013]

First off let me say that I watched this movie not under the best circumstances. I downloaded it from Piratebay and was watching it on my Media Player when I realized within the first 2 minutes that the subs were awful. There were many English typos and because of that it seemed to be a poor translation. HOWEVER the acting was so good and the scenes so good that even with rudimentary dialog (that is to say basic translations) it still made me laugh quite a lot and I can't remember when was the last time I enjoyed a movie THIS MUCH! It's been SO long! This must be one of my favorite movies. Top 10 at least. Maybe even top 3 if I dare say so- but the problem with saying so and with saying it is absolutely one of my favorites (and it is) is that I am not sure many others will understand why it is one of my favorites or will even care to understand. It is one of my favorite movies for a number of reasons. Let me tell you why.

1) It kept me in suspense. I am familiar with Goku the monkey king and how he was mischievous and had to pay penance for his sins and play a good guy for a while to gain freedom or whatever. That is as far as my knowledge of Goku the monkey king goes, oh and I know he is supposed to have a circlet and lance and was reminded of that later. Big deal, right? Wrong. This movie told me a story I have never been told before and kept me wildly guessing and entertained throughout! It is like a fairy tale. A very good fairy tale to movie translation. A very good play of sorts. What I enjoy about it the most is that I went into it not knowing what to expect. I thought it was about Buddhism? hello? but instead it was about....Well. It's hard to put into words. Read my first sentences about what I knew of the story of the monkey king. That much in this movie is still true. However there are many things I did not know that this movie tells and because my life is so boring and most things predictable (that is to say most movies, video games have predictable plot lines) this was a movie with nice twists and turns that got me to be interested in story-telling and cinema again. And boy did it get me interested again in a big way! I am in awe with how good the writer(s) must have been- the original writers that is to say who came out with the skeleton of this story because there is some wild stuff in here.

2) This movie is surprisingly funny. Actually I had another 2 and 3 in mind as to why this movie is one of my favorites but forget them both. Oh yeah! It reminds me of the wild and wacky stuff I used to watch as a kid in it's creativity! Namely the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. If you're a 90's kid like me and grew up on that show you may actually love this. It's similar because there is martial arts and funny bad guys and action scenes in this. Also the special effects are old school with make-ups and costumes, none of that CGI stuff. I can appreciate the old ways because it doesn't really detract from the story or acting here and that is what's strong.

I suppose people may give this a 7 or 8 instead of a 10, maybe even worse, but I am not too concerned about that. I know why others may not like this (because it's too foreign, or they are too busy to appreciate it's intricacies, or they don't find it funny, whatever the reason someone may not like this, maybe they have heard the story differently and have a preconceived idea of how it should be, who knows, but I had fun watching this and that is why I watch movies to begin with. To have fun. To forget life for a bit. Watch it if you want to be entertained and are not scared of Chinese films as an American or if you can laugh at silly faces, voices, and remarks.

Great imagination ... on the journey to nowhere

[amid77 · 7/10 · 23 February 2005]

This is a nice movie, including the second part.You can really appreciate the imagination and some twisted sense of humor. Decent fighting scenes, pretty woman and impressive art design. The story is, well, kind of freaky, so all this together make this film very surreal, but entertaining enough. Stephan Chow, genius as usual, is very helpful.

You can see that Jeffrey Lau got a lot on his mind. In this movie he presents identities in crisis, internal struggles, personal development and learning, some religious, cultural and social issues, including sexual problems. All this presented to the viewers through fantastic story, while completely ignoring the laws of Fisics.

But the way he chooses to make his statements or opinions looks strange, simplistic and not complete, at least to Western culture cynic like me. There a lot of movies dealing with the same stuff in another way, more realistic and, that's why, more powerful.

So, it's great Mr Lau are talking and presenting this sort of themes in his personal and interesting own way, but the movie is not for everyone. His extreme fantasy takes the viewers far away from reality, it's all very distant, like some alien world. The plot and the characters are very confusing sometimes, this unbelievable environment seems artificial and doubtful, so the movie has no real impact, no meaningful influence, it's like grabbing water with hand. You know you felt something, but there is nothing left.

The Funniest and Absolutely Epic Comedy in the Chinese Fantasy Genre.

[theycallmemrglass · 9/10 · 28 March 2010]

There is no doubt in my mind that Stephen Chow is a true master of mixing surreal comedy, romance and drama in most of his films that he has written and directed. But hold on, he didn't write or direct this film that was made way back in the mid 90s! But it sure feels like a Chow directed film. In fact, Jeffrey Lau wrote and directed and this is my first introduction to his films. It seems to me that Stephen Chow may have learnt much from Lau when directing his later movies and indeed style of comedy. Its just so similar but even the deserved global success of Chow's Kung Fu Hustler and Shaolin Soccer can't topple Lau's crowning achievement of this glorious comedy fantasy epic.

But you do have to attune yourself to their style of comedy. At times the comedy is rather Naked Gun style but the BIG difference is that with a Naked Gun/Airplane style movie you are never emotionally involved with the character's journey/fates. This is a real epic Chinese fantasy adventure chock full of side splitting comedy, drama, time travel, love triangles, deceit, tragedy and old school wire-work martial arts. Not many movies can boast such a varied concoction and even fewer can pull it off in such a knockout cocktail. Close comparisons for me are Zu Warriors and A Chinese Ghost Story.

The story actually moves at a breakneck speed despite the fact it is drawn out into a 2 part epic saga. Chow is at his very best in his dead pan (Buster Keatonesque) comic timing and furthermore gives an emotional underlining subtext in his performance much akin to the great Charlie Chaplin classics.

The comedy is inventively laugh out loud but always rooted to the storyline and never stooping low for a cheap laugh. The storyline is set firmly in the Chineses mythological realm of gods and demons and apparently extracting a chapter from a famous Chinese story called Journey to the West, putting its own spin on things.

Its not a flawless movie though, and one cannot expect it to be with such an ambitious premise and so much elements thrown in. While the first part of this epic is the more comedic, the second part begins with a somewhat convoluted progression of the storyline and becomes quite confusing with too many women involved in a long multiple women juggling segment. It is my only gripe, however.

I personally would also have loved to see more of the arrogant, fun and cool Monkey King persona but I can understand that more of him may not have served the story pacing well. Pity though, as the Monkey King is a really fun character here than I've seen elsewhere including the fun Monkey Magic television series.

My review covers both parts of this film as a whole. So in a nutshell, this is a vastly entertaining, side-splittingly funny, fast moving, emotionally driven Chinese fantasy epic. And I will now be seeking to watch more Jeffery Lau films as well as Stephen Chow's early movies.

The very best of Stephen Chow's acting

[colinchan · 6/10 · 15 July 2000]

Should be watched together with "xian lu qi yuan" (part II, Cinderella) And definitely should have been re-edited -- cut those bad and meaningless run-and-chases and combine the two to make a decent romance comedy.

Best chinese film

[LiqinXu · 10/10 · 9 July 2002]

best chinese film till now. about 80% university student have seen more than 3 times. the quotes in it have been quote everywhere by young men. it becomes a magic culture deep in the life of young men

nowadays.

Dufus Flying Whimsy Great Sage

[chaos-rampant · 21 October 2015]

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 is a tale itself!

[zs-29274 · 7/10 · 27 February 2018]

You can think of the successful or unsuccessful attempt of this movie from several different angles: firstly, it's a Stephen Chow work; secondly, it's a Hong Kong entertainment movie rather than Hollywood; thirdly, the filming Location of this movie is mainland China and the production company of this movie is Xi'an film studio which is a very powerhouse of Chinese culture along with Beijing. In the opening, this movie is absolutely unsuccessful no matter in any aspect. A few decades afterwards, there are more and more people discussing it from more and more viewpoints in China or IMDB. It has been a phenomena, same this movie itself is a tale...

Chow Sing Chi has delivered his unique sense of humor

[agent2009 · 10/10 · 30 December 2004]

This is one of the finest Chow Sing Chi has made so far. Ng Man Tat is not the first time to act as a supporting character as he has done quite a few before this one. These two comedy actors can promise a lot of laughters they are perfect pairs, making no exception for this movie. Special effect is something i don't expect too much or have any comparison with Hollywood, but in generally speaking i can accept it. Every Chinese should have learned about who monkey king is, or what he has achieved during the journey to the west, or Chinese odyssey. Director Jeffrey Lau makes a new point of view that leads the viewers in a mysterious way n that's a challenge, it comes out so well with those weird dreams the joker (Chow Sing Chi) has been having them from time to time. A romance involved with Karen Mok generates a lot of funs and refer to what happens later that the joker does undergo a struggle whether give up all he has and take the Holly Quest, leaving all the memories behind, unfortunately includes the relationship with his beloved Karen Mok. In the process Chow Sing Chi has delivered his unique sense of humor, which we refer it "a sense of nonsense humor" that becomes part of our culture in Hong Kong, and i am glad to see that. If you want to see a movie that makes you laugh and relax a bit, this one is a good choice.

Lost in translation

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 3 August 2018]

PANDORA'S BOX is the first instalment of Stephen Chow's A CHINESE ODYSSEY series, loosely based on the classic JOURNEY TO THE WEST story of Sun Wukong. It's one of those films that's beloved by Chinese viewers for the whimsical stylistics and endless humour, but something gets lost in translation for those of us in the West; I found this one of Chow's weakest productions. The whole thing feels low budget, with a single torch-lit cave setting, and it has little to do with the original novel. Instead Chow plays his usual 'joker' character, running around after dominant women. The emphasis is very much on sight gags and character interplay, but none of it is remotely funny and the sight of actors mugging endlessly gets a bit much after a while. There are some fun fantasy elements to the story, with monsters and giant spiders turning up, but overall this is a lacklustre exercise.

Funniest Movie In History

[whatdecow-1 · 9/10 · 13 January 2005]

This is the first of a two part movie series adapted from the classic Chinese novel,Journey To The West.I would consider this as the more comedic one,while the second is more action-packed,with a little sense of art-house in it(if you watch the two together it forms a perfect balance).In this movie,Stephen Chow's character had not yet transformed into the all invincible Monkey King,hence not much action here.It was also extremely loosely based on the novel,so fans of the book might not really like this.The comedy level in this movie is so extreme...you can't even stop laughing for a minute,so if necessary,watch it bit by bit to catch some breath.Watch this solely for the humor,and you'll see a masterpiece.Sing-yeh's best film of the nineties.

Rate:****

One Of My Favourite Chow Sing Chi Movies!!

[Movie-Misfit · 10/10 · 19 January 2020]

Without a doubt one of the most hysterical films to come out of Hong Kong, this would be the first of many Monkey King tales to come from the brilliant Chow Sing Chi and director Jeff Lau - although some separately - and is still one of the very best!

Chow plays Joker, the leader of a gang of desert bandits - the oddest bunch of people you will ever see, and also plays the Monkey King in what I believe is the best adaptation of him in a movie, to date. At his hideout, Chow and his men are visited by two very beautiful and seductive women (Karen Mok and Lam Kit Ying) who turn out to be the Demon Sisters - with one of them turning into very large, and very well done, demon spiders.

When the sisters know that Chow is the reincarnation of the Monkey King, they try to get him to take them to his master, the Longevity Monk, so they can feast on him. Chow and his bandits however - including the hilarious Ng man Tat - soon find out about their scary side, which leads to some outrageous attempts at escape, trapping them, or trying to kill the sisters.

This results in big laughs, including a couple of scenes when Chow's crotch gets set alight and his friends attempts to put it out, mean stamping on his bits as much as they can! I honestly can't stop smiling (if I'm not already laughing hard) when I watch this film...

Director Jeff Lau gets a fun cameo as an immortal monk who appears to Chow as a bunch of grapes, with the great Law Kar Ying playing the Longevity Monk. While the film may be all about the typical 'no-nosense' mo lai to style of comedy, there is some genuinely smart comedy throughout the film also!

The film's action and fight choreography is handled by the fantastic Ching Siu Tung, who makes the most out of the more fantastical creature fights such as the spider women and the Bull King, who is just brilliant. The fights are mainly weapon based, with plenty of wire-fu and high flying action. One such fight takes place inside the Bull King's body, bouncing around his veins and cutting up arteries.

Towards the end, Chow finds Pandora's Box - a time travel device that he uses to jump back in time about 30 seconds in a attempt to save Karen Mok from killing herself. This in itself is very funny. Eventually though, the box sends him back 500 years to where he meets the beautiful Athena Chu, and comes one step closer to becoming the Monkey King once again...

Cliffhanger!

The one thing that really made this series stand apart from other adaptations - and more so the most modern ones - is that they were never bogged down with CGI (and bad CGI at that), but instead, impressed with fantastic practical effects that came across much better.

Overall: One of my favourite Chow Sing Chi movies and also, Journey To The West adaptations, this never fails to make me laugh or entertain!!

What Did I Just Watch?

[Mara-Jade-Skywalker-23 · 8/10 · 28 June 2019]

Intro: A Chinese Odyssey Part One is a weird, but enjoyable and hilarious movie. Known as the movie that put Stephen Chow on the map, I appreciate the film for this. But, this film wasn't my introduction to him. My introduction was Kung Fu Hustle. But I later watched this one, and I think it's even better than Kung Fu Hustle. Now, I still love that film. But this's one of the best film to come out of China, one of the favorite comedy films, and a great film.

The Story & Characters: The film centers around a the Monkey King, who after trying to gain immortality, was banished out of Heaven by the goddess of happiness, and he was reincarnated as the Joker. And the events are some of the most over the top, funny and most insane things to happen in any movie.

First off, the comedic writing is on point. Perfect timing, perfect delivery, and really funny dialogue. Such as, the fact that this film was made in a time that the crotch gag was getting old, and they still made it work several times in this film. The film's comedy is just always perfect.

I also enjoyed the characters as well, all of them have their own brand of funny to them. And have very funny lines. To cut this short, the characters were all unique and entertaining to watch.

And the film as a whole is just a completely chaotic and ride. And I loved every second of that crazy ride. The film's literally impossible to predict. I couldn't predict the events of the film.

The Visuals: The visual style of this film is not all that impressive. But I don't think it's supposed to look very good. I think having the fake sets and bad costumes adds to the comedy value. Granted, it made me laugh a few times.

Conclusion: A Chinese Odyssey Part One is a great example of Chinese film making, and just a good comedy film. It might be one my favorite films, and it's a movie I can always come back to and re-watch.

Possibly the best Monkey tale yet!

[Movie-Misfit · 10/10 · 2 July 2014]

Stephen Chow Sing Chi's take on the Monkey King tale (A Journey West) is insanely confusing in parts, but strangely all makes sense at the same time.

Maybe it's because there is so much going on, maybe it's because it's thick with Chinese fantasy and myths, or possibly it's because you are left p*ssing yourself laughing at the entire cast you just give up trying to concentrate!

Bottom line, this is one of the best Monkey King tales I've ever seen.

When have you never laughed hard at Chow Sing Chi and Ng Man Tat? I wouldn't say ACO is a great cross-over movie to introduce new fans to Chow, but it does need to be seen for anyone interested in the famous tale of the Monkey King.

Not just because of its stars, but because of the epic-like quality of (both) movies, which are huge in scale, production values, story, and fantastical action, with Chow Sing Chi as the Monkey King, Ng Man Tat as Pigsy, Law Kar Ying as Prince Tripitaka, giant Spider Women, the Bull King, and much more including the beautiful Anthea Chu and Karen Mok as Chow's love interests.

This film rocks!

A Stephen Chow movie with a drop of sentimentality.

[Hokit · 8/10 · 25 April 2005]

WARNING: Spoilers within.

Like many of Stephen Chow's movies, "A Chinese Odyssey" generates an even mix between humor, martial arts and Chinese-style special effects. Lightly based on a classic Chinese mythology, it centers around the "journey" that a powerful yet misguided monkey 'king' (Chow) is forced to choose between - a life of complex emotions or abandoning it all to accompany the Longevity Monk's (Kar-Ying Law) journey towards the West.

The movie is divided into two parts: the first serves as a background on "Joker's" life as a human bandit; the second highlights his struggle and unravels some interesting secrets that reveals a long forgotten past. Throughout his journey, Joker encounters magic spells and mythical creatures while finding a way to cram in Chow's trademark slapstick humour.

One element that sets "A Chinese Odyssey" apart from Chow's standard fare, though, is its willingness to showcase raw emotions. Although his satirical humor in widely appreciated, few of Chow's films are known to put aside screen time which depicts its characters as emotionally relatable to.

Thankfully, "A Chinese Odyssey" serves as something of an anti-Chow project. It allows its viewers to sympathise with Joker's ordeal. It's a step away from the accident-prone heroes who are there for the single purpose of enticing a few chuckles. Demonstrating his humanity throughout the film, Joker nonetheless manages to deliver without sacrificing the fanfare that made Chow a household name.

Too often we're offered films which veer towards one extreme. They're either focused entirely on comedy or riddled with so much cheese, they appear lame instead of the tear-jerker promised. Not so "A Chinese Odyssey." It delivers with consistency and therefore appeals to fans of different genres.

Not that good

[princebansal1982 · 3/10 · 30 May 2011]

I watched this movie mostly for Stephen Chow. He has a genius for comedy and his timing is perfect. However it is a huge step down from the movies he has directed himself. He has directed some of the funniest and weirdest movies I have seen. I am yet to be disappointed by any of the movies he has directed.

This is almost as weird as his better movies, but there are no laughs, just a few smiles. It is short at 87 minutes, but it seems very long. All the scenes seem to be going on longer than necessary. Plot makes no sense either but I guess I never expected it to.

Stephen Chow has given a good performance as always, but the movie just doesn't seems to click.

Sexy Spider Woman - A Chinese Odyssey, Part I (1994)

[prettyface · 21 June 2001]

This movie was about Chinese monkey god acted by Stephen Chow Sing Chi. other useless casts were Ng Man Tat and Karen Mok Man Wai. Athena Chu appeared a little and she was beautiful. But you got to really watch out for this very exotic super beautiful devil Spider woman played by Yammie Lam Kit Ying. She has a rose tattoo on her body. She went to the desert and kicks the bandit's entire butt. Her sister Karen Mok who falls in love with Monkey God betrayed her. When Yammie wanted to kill the Monkey God, they tricked her and almost crushed her neck. Another time she was tricked and accidentally has sex with the ugly Ng Man Tat. She was angry and she cried thinking `The world is unfair, I am as beautiful as flower, how can I got pregnant with this ugly man?'

A movie not meant for western viewers

[Genkinchan · 8/10 · 10 March 2021]

Let me start off by saying I watched Kung fu (2004) just yesterday and I have been watching all of Ng Man Tat movies since I heard of his passing.. god bless RIP and ok I know that he is not in Kungfu that is not the point I'm stating here

The reason I wrote this review is not to mention the action and the CGI because if you talk about CGI and action Kung fu is one and still the have the affects after all this years ok back to what I'm about to say director Jeffrey Lau when he directed this movie it is meant for Hong Kong and asean market esp Cantonese speakers world wide that's why westerners did not get most of the joke, furthermore I been watching a lot of journey to the west movie since I was a lad back then tv series and movies adaptations

To say the least this is indeed a masterpiece on the subject.. they make the first alternate version of the movie and spins it accordingly even the new journey to the west directed by Chow did not hold a candle near to this masterpiece 1&2 esp 2

Let me get back to kungfu I think from Kungfu onwards a lot of his jokes and even action are totally different and leaning towards pleasing westerner and world wide audience. That's my two cent thanks

Odyssey you say?

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 2 May 2019]

Not sure if Odyssey is the right word, but then again which word would describe the movie better? It actually starts quite out there and gets even weirder later on. So if you are confused at the beginning, it will not get "better". Then again if you are into silly comedies combining Martial Arts and violence, then you are at the right place.

Some may have issues with that of course, laughing one second being shocked by blood and carnage in the next. Not to mention a plot and characters in abundance. Even if I tried to explain everything what was going on here ... and I'm not into spoilers - I wouldn't really be able to. Complex would be a nice way to put it. But what you think of the comedy and if it works for you, is something I can't decide for you. Monsters, Kings, Humans and love stories for the ages ... and an open ending that does not only suggest a sequel, but points to it ...

Heroic Wives and Annoying Husbands

[m-86378 · 9/10 · 18 February 2018]

You must cherish your time. Performers of Cathay amuses us with a show of seriousness. The begin of love.

Laugh til i cry

[s-62995 · 9/10 · 4 September 2016]

Based on the novel'Journey To The West',but not the original version,also not the traditional way the story goes.Born in China as a 90's,i've been reading the novel since i was 6,so were others,basically every kids here knows that the Monkey King--Son Goku was punished for his sins and forced to gain freedom by a tough way--escorting Tang Priest to the very west,also been through a lot suffering.Trust me,that is only halfway from my knowledge of Goku. Til this movie showed up and blew my mind. As a very foreign movie, some may consider it as a comedy,but it's actually a tragedy for Goku and Zixia.(or should i say Stephen Chow and Athena Chu?)So be sure to watch two parts to fully understanding the whole story,and the emotion.Like i said,LAUGH TIL I CRY.

very good

[qys1976 · 13 August 2001]

It is very popular in mainland university!

of course it is funny

It is really thought -thinking!

Enjoy IT!