Journey to the West: Demon Chapter
2017 / 109m - China
Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
3.5*/5.0*
Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back poster

Watches

April 15, 2017

3.5*/5.0*

Stephen Chow hired Hark Tsui to continue his work on the Journey to the West saga. The trailer is hilarious (it's basically just Tsui and Chow bickering), the film itself a good step up from Chow's earlier film. It's clear that Tsui was a much better fit for this type of CG/blockbuster material, but a masterpiece this is clearly not.

The film offers up yet another part of the famous Journey to the West book. I honestly lost track of how everything connects and what bits I've seen. It doesn't really help that the film feels very episodic. In any case, the monk and his disciples continue their journey, while facing the dangers they encounter on their travels.

This film is first-class entertainment made with a sizeable budget. Tsui knows how to keep everything in check, the pacing is absolutely mental (with every five minutes something new and crazy happening), the comedy is decent and the CG is solid. It's what I want from this kind of film, as long as you don't expect anything too out of the ordinary, you'll be good.