5 reasons to watch "Journey To The West 2"
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When it comes to Chinese New Year blockbusters, you can't go wrong with Stephen Chow's hilarious brand of "mo lei tau" (nonsensical) comedies.
Although he seems to be spending his full time focusing on his efforts behind the camera these days than playing a role on-screen like he used to, his presence remains intact with his recent directorial efforts.
In fact, his last two movies, "Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons" (2013) and "The Mermaid" (2016) were both record-breaking box office hits in China. This year, fans and audiences alike can rejoice with his long-awaited sequel to "Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons".
Needless to say, his upcoming Chinese New Year epic has been generating lots of hype so here are the 5 reasons you should watch it in cinemas this 28 January 2017.
1. Two Hong Kong cinema legends unite.
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Believe it or not, this is actually the first time that Stephen Chow and Tsui Hark are working together as a team behind the camera lens. Unless of course, if you would like to count Tsui Hark's brief cameo appearance in "The Mermaid" last year, then make it twice. Although Stephen Chow isn't directing the sequel this time around - but still retains his credit as both scriptwriter and producer - rest assured he remains heavily involved in the overall creative process. Tsui Hark, in the meantime, knows his fantasy genre well enough and besides, he is no slouch either when it comes to comedy. Remember "All The Wrong Clues", "Aces Go Places 3" and "Working Class" back in the 80s?
2. Law Kar-Ying reunites with Stephen Chow
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Back in 1995, Law Kar-Ying was best remembered for his legendary role as Tong Chang/Longevity Monk alongside Stephen Chow in Jeff Lau's two-part "Journey To The West" saga called "A Chinese Odyssey". Twenty two years later, it's nice to see the veteran comedian reunite with Stephen Chow to provide the Cantonese voice work as the master of Kris Wu's Tang Monk in "Journey To The West 2: The Demons Strike Back".
3. An all-star cast
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Back in 2013, "Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons" was dominated by the likes of Zhang Wen, Shu Qi, Huang Bo and Show Luo. Although this time around the sequel boasts a different cast, it still features some of today's recognisable Chinese actors. Among them is Kris Wu, who played the legendary Tang Monk made famous by Law Kar-Ying in the two-part saga of "A Chinese Odyssey". The Chinese-Canadian actor had previously appeared in Stephen Chow's "The Mermaid" and can be seen as one of the stars in "xXx: Return Of Xander Cage".
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Then, there is Kenny Lin, replacing Huang Bo as Sun Wukong a.k.a. The Monkey King in the sequel. Lin already has a number of high-profile appearances to his credit, which includes two Tsui Hark-directed movies "Young Detective Dee: Rise Of The Sea Dragon" (2013) and "The Taking Of Tiger Mountain" (2014), as well as "The Sword Master" and "The Great Wall".
4. It's going to be an epic CGI-heavy blockbuster!
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Tsui Hark is no doubt the perfect fit to direct an epic fantasy movie like "Journey To The West 2: The Demons Strike Back". With a huge budget that reportedly cost 400 million Yuan to make, you can bet Tsui Hark will go all out with his abundance of creativity where special effects are concerned.
5. Get ready for some belly-aching laughs!
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Stephen Chow's last two movies, "Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons" and "The Mermaid" worked very well because of his heavy involvement in making sure all the Cantonese voice dubbings were on par with his signature comedy. Likewise, expect the same in this sequel when it finally hits our local cinemas on the first day of Chinese New Year.
"Journey To The West 2: The Demons Strike Back" opens in cinemas nationwide on 28 January 2017.
