Third Pair

The Monkey King 2

Dir: Soi Cheang
Scrs: Ran Ping, Ran Jianan, Elvis Man, Yin Yiyi
Presenter: Filmko
Cast: Aaron Kwok, Gong Li, William Feng, Xiao Shenyang, Kris Phillips
2016 | Colour | Blu-ray | Cantonese | Chi Subtitle | 119min

Apart from elevating technical prowess, Journey to the West must be imbued with a modern sensibility to resonate with today’s audiences. In his second endeavour of the same series, director Soi Cheang gives the classic scene of beating thrice the White Bone Demons a complete facelift. The core plot remains the same: the demons disguise themselves as humans to seduce Monk Tripitaka (William Feng) and, after being beaten into their true forms by Monkey King (Aaron Kwok), they leave human corpses behind, leading the monk to mistake Monkey for being a murderer before banishing him. In the film, even though the monk is no smarter than he is in the novel, he readily sacrifices himself which earns him due respect. The White Bone Demon, played by world-famous actress Gong Li, is a sympathetic antagonist driven to villainy by her tragic past. In this second instalment, fight scenes and special effects appeal not only to the senses, as the demon’s design and the effects portraying her entry and exit exude feminine grace and allure.

Courtesy of Filmko Pictures (Hong Kong) Co., Limited

# Post-screening talk with Yee Chung-man and Eric Tsang (moderator)

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