Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

earl wayne The Monkey King: or perhaps more fittingly- how not to utilise your slew of fan-favourite, award-winning actors/actresses, sky-rocket budget and effort- lackluster at best.For those who have no knowledge of the tale or are simply looking for a dumb, uproarious, action romp- look no further- as senseless as it is it should entertain fine.I must warn those people that know of the original tale, or those who are looking for a blockbuster film done right- consider slamming yourself under a mountain for 500 years before seeing this cinematic atrocity. Forget the juvenile acting, forget the meagre costumes, forget even the headache- inducing CGI-fest: what truly went wrong with this 'Journey to the West' adaption is the storytelling and story itself.Spoilers Below: The adaption fails to create a journey worth investing in, opting for a show of big name actors that bring nothing to the table. The very essence of the story that consolidated it into Chinese legend for over 400 years was flagrantly overlooked- instead of keeping the spirit and notions of the classic, the adaption changes the very themes of the story into some Frankenstein's's monster. Most offensively, is the fact that 'The Monkey King' was cheaply converted into a much- clichéd prophesy story, which entirely misses the point of the monkey king's free will and rebellion towards heaven: in arrogance, and just because he can. Or the fact that Master Puti seeks our protagonist out after been notified by higher-ups- completely robbing the monkey king of his determination, direction and growth.The worst out-of-characterisation, is perhaps in the end, where Sun Wukong obediently and matter-of-factly accepts his defeat, and accepts punishment under the mountain. What. Famous characters are flagrantly misrepresented. There is a line between 'reimagining' characters and 'completely butchering them beyond recognition'Princess Iron Fan is not a submissive house wife. Bull Demon King is not a calculating, all-powerful contender for the heavenly throne. Er Lang Shen is not a scheming, political traitor. The Jade Emperor is not a tolerant, liberal, front line ruler. And for Buddah's sake, Sun Wukong, the Monkey King should not have a romantic interest.By no means am I implying that the only way to achieve an adaption is a word by word transcription of the original old text, changes must inevitably be made. But no thematic adaption has missed the point so completely like 'The Monkey King.'There are many things amiss in this movie attempt, but other than the stated above, the movie simply fails to engage. No emotional connection is made with any character, save perhaps the lead in the very least.Donnie Yen, I still love you, you tried, really. Everyone else...under the mountain.

George Clarke With director Soi Cheang delivering such dark thrillers like the amazing Dog Bite Dog and Shamo, etc, I was quite curious as to how this adaptation of the world famous story was brought to the big screen.I mean, it hasn't been that long since the awesome Jackie Chan, Jet Li vehicle, The Forbidden Kingdom with Jet Li as the Monkey King.And then there was the awesome Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons, from the fantastic Stephen Chow Sing Chi.And now, The Monkey King with the incredible Donnie Yen as the titular hero...First of, even at 2 hours long, The Monkey King feels somewhat longer. Saying that, it is a visual feast that sometimes wins with its CGI and quite often doesn't, reminding me of the fist attempts at Hong Kong effects-filled movies like, Storm Riders and A Man Called Hero.Often slow burning, with average fantasy action scenes and wire-fu, The Monkey King is rife with amazing characters from Chinese mythology, including one of my favourites, little Nezha and his flamed wheels on his feet!Cast wise, Chow Yun Fat looks as cool as always as the Jade Emperor, and the gorgeous Aaron Kwok plays the Bull King - although looks slightly bored in doing so. And then there is Donnie Yen.I love Donnie. Always have, for about 30 years now, and feel that since his explosion in the US, critics have been harsh on him for his choice in roles - no matter how many he is dishing out.As the Monkey King, I think Donnie pulls of an amazing job, making me sometimes wonder who I am looking at. His performance is pretty damn good, working through a host of emotions and physical roles alongside a bevvy of great characters.Overall though, I think the film just falls short of amazing. I feel it is something that needs to be seen in 3D to be appreciated more, but also feel that it was an unneeded remake of sorts, that didn't offer anything exciting but the use of its visual flair.Action fans will be disappointed, but I hope this film finds a place in the family friendly section of all film fans and can be seen at least once..!

dewi-taylor I really enjoyed this movie despite its obvious shortcomings. It it a good live-action remake of the 1965 animated feature of the same name (well worth checking out if you're a fan of art films). Donnie Yen does OK as the lead but western fans of his previous films may be left confused and/or disappointed a long time before the 120 mins of 'Fantasy Action' ends - It really helped that I was already familiar with the story as a lot happens in that time. I wonder how the second part will compare with the excellent Journey To The West: Conquering the Demons (2013) as the story from that follows this one - that's not a spoiler is it?

Ucare Although it is true that the big part of the original (huge) book was about the Pilgrimage mentioned in the Synopsis, there are two things you should know: the pilgrimage was more an adventure full of battles, monsters, magic powers, and epic Characters, rather than just a pilgrimage; and this movie concentrates on the first part of the book, before the pilgrimage (actually the Monk does not even appear), on the genesis of the Monkey King. The book was written by a great Taoist monk and it is full of hidden knowledge which not everybody can consciously understand, but it is so well done, so full of adventure and action and funny things, so intriguing and entertaining, that in the centuries it became one of the (if not the) most important books in the popular Chinese culture. There are many layers in it and it was made in such a way that almost anybody can enjoy it. The Monkey King became an extremely popular character, and even Dragonball comes from that book! This film is a bit strange, the special effects are not the best, and some things in the realization will need a bit effort from the western audience, but it is OK, you must understand that as said this is a Chinese story and obviously not made with the western people as main target. But whether you are interested or not in the background of the story, the film is pleasant and entertaining and you can surely enjoy it :) Now I just hope there will be other movies with the rest of the book!