68
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91Portland OregonianMarc MohanPortland OregonianMarc MohanChow's specialty is over-the-top slapstick action in the Hong Kong style, and the new film doesn't disappoint on either count.
- 80Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenLos Angeles TimesSheri LindenThe spectacular combination of slapstick, love story and superhero antics doesn't entirely avoid awkwardness, but mostly it defies gravity, like many of the stunts.
- 75Slant MagazineKenji FujishimaSlant MagazineKenji FujishimaStephen Chow's distinctive vision is evident in the seemingly boundless imagination of his scenarios, and in the film's sincere spiritual concerns and generosity toward misfits and outsiders.
- 75The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThe A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyShowcases Chow at his weirdest and most entertaining.
- 75New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickA huge hit in China — where it was released in 3-D IMAX — the handsomely filmed Journey To the West deserves better than the token 2-D theatrical release it’s getting in the United States to support its simultaneous arrival on video-on-demand.
- 70The New York TimesNicolas RapoldThe New York TimesNicolas RapoldMr. Chow has perhaps achieved more sustained and elaborate adventures, but he hits a sweet spot of comedy that never grows too self-aware or forgets the value of a good, clean demon whomping.
- Journey to the West may not rank among Chow’s classics, but it’s a crowd-pleaser that also serves as a reminder of what the director can accomplish when he’s on his game.
- 60The DissolveMike D'AngeloThe DissolveMike D'AngeloChow’s go-for-broke sensibility has been sorely missed, and a tale of demons is the ideal context for the gravity-defying, logic-impaired stunts he favors.
- 60New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanChow’s movies are always as sweet as they are silly, a combination he once again balances — alongside cool effects — with typically deft irreverence.
- 50Village VoiceNick SchagerVillage VoiceNick SchagerThe camera swoops and whooshes about but never generates any compelling energy — Chow's film proves endlessly manic but devoid of much mirth.