The Monkey King 2 (2016)

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

This film apparently takes place 500 years after the first film. The Monkey King is now played by Aaron Kwok and not Donnie Yen. Aaron played the Blue Demon in the first feature. Just go with it like the second Darrin in "Bewitched." A monk is tasked by the Mercy Goddess to obtain Buddhist scriptures in the west (Tibet?). Along the way he frees the Monkey King and also gets the help of two other "demons." They are confronted by Lady White or White Bone Spirit, an evil demon along with her minions. The sets looked surreal, a product of CG generation. The special effects were good and the real reason to watch the film as the plot was simple and the ending was not what I expected.The film contains a multitude of fights, looking like an RPG. There is also humor, the dialogue is mostly light with Chinese sayings or their derivatives sprinkled in. The film is 2 hours long and it does start to weigh on you.Guide: No swearing or sex. The female demons look almost nude. They appear to be wearing a nude colored body suit with ornate decorations in the right places. Yes, they looked sexy.

I really enjoyed it, it was a fun action fantasy romp, and I love the various Journey to the West stories. I didn't see the first Monkey King, it had such poor reviews so I didn't bother. Anyway, Monkey King 2 completely feels like its' own entity, it is a different story from the book and the Monkey King origin story has been told many times before. Aaron Kwok is a delight to watch. I can't say how he compared to Donnie Yen but he's so lovable. It's FUN, often funny. Gong Li is very hammy, and couldn't chew the scenery more, but it's within the tone of the film. It really is a riveting family adventure from start to finishIt contains the usual overabundance of CG which all these Chinese blockbusters have, but the quality isn't awful this time! Much better than some of the video-game level effects I've seen recently in others. There is a lot of practical wire-work amidst the wash of particle effects and glowy things. Most importantly, the charisma of the stars shines through it.I saw this on a trip to China, I don't know if it received, or will receive a release in the West, but it should. It will probably turn up in the Netflix graveyard at some point. It's better than most cookie- cutter American fantasy blockbusters, with, of course due to the nature of the source text, much better lessons and values sitting underneath the action than 'yet another Hero's Journey story' as Hollywood pumps out again and again.

Love the movie. Thought it was entertaining and my kids wanted to see it again. But we all agree Donnie Yen was a better choice for The Monkey King / Sun Wu Kong The Monkey King Havoc in Heaven's Palace was our first choice and favorite among the two so far. Havoc in Heaven's Palace seem to have more story structure and the kids liked the characters better and loved the historical fight scenes with Donnie Yen's Character. My wife seemed to like the most the musical score of the film and we purchased the soundtrack in which we listen to quite often.My Kids also each wanted there own Blu-Ray in which I purchased for all three of them. With anything the first is always the better of the two but recommend both.

Firstly, the plot progresses very very slow. The characters speak slow, actions are slow and the attacks are slow. As a result, i cant get sucked into the action atmosphere.Secondly, i think that teach of the characters are not being portrayed as they should have been. It just doesn't do the legend justice. the make up and dressing of the characters are also a little too over the top. Aaron Kwok tried his best to act, but the make-up and script failed him - the choice of words were...A lot of the actions were very unnecessary thus causing the characters to be portrayed in a different light. These unnecessary details were given way too much air time. I got bored at the 20 minute mark and gave up hoping for a good show at the 40 minute mark. Also, i am not sure if this is supposed to include comedy in its genre but i am seeing a lot of small silly actions (that would make one laugh in normal circumstances) right in the middle of a battle.Im just very disappointed. Some may disagree with me. but on the bright side, gong li killed her role. Wished she could be more menacing though.