Fantastic!

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

Journey to the West is a different show from the new 2014 Monkey King movie but the new movie is not bad either.  Even though you incorrectly call the new movie a hot mess, that has nothing to do with the amazing and magnificent original novel that was written in the 16th century by Wu Cheng''en.  Journey to the West is one of the four great classical novels of China.  Please note the fact that Martial arts and kungfu which were invented and created from China is very impressive.  The beautiful ancient Chinese costumes of Asian Chinese men and women, great Chinese mythology and the Bhuddist monk are excellent in the high quality TV series.  Journey to the West is the best novel written about Bhuddism.  Even though the new Monkey King 2014 movie is being badmouthed by you westerners, please note the fact that the special effects and CGI that you complainabout have NOTHING to do with the really good TV series. How about complaining that Hollywood movies in the 20th century, including Harry Potter have PLAGIARIZED and COPIED the Asian Chinese concept of the original Monkey King flying in a cape with this magic staff that was invented first in the 16th century!!!  When you complain and whine about the new Monkey King movie with Chow Yun Fat who did a great job, the other guy, Soe Cheang did a good job with the 2014 movie!!! Please stop writing excessively negative and sad articles to sabotage the new 2014 Monkey King movie.  You bad racist people on IMDb.com are directly and indirectly badmouthing and sabotaging the good reputation of the literary genius, Wu Chengén and the magnificent Journey to the West novel.This IMDb.com website is just jealous of the Monkey King 2014 being a decent movie that deserves an 8/10 or at least a 6.5/10. Why don't you say that the X-men is the 3/10 or worst special effects of all times in the X-men. The western people or other people who evaluated this IMDb rating of 4.7/10 is ridiculous and highly unreasonable at www.imdb.com/title/tt1717715. This "4.7/10"is your opinion and your opinion is wrong and does not make any sense at all. The Hollywood Terminator movie is a 4.5 out of 10!!. If you can be so rude and unreasonable, is it okay for people to write and promote that The Terminator is the WORST movie of all time. It is really rude and NASTY of western/caucsian people to initiate these incorrect insults first against the new Monkey King 2014 movie.

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..!

Before starting my review, I would like to state that I grew up on old Hong Kong series. I have experienced many versions of Journey to the West, including the 1986 version(the one I enjoyed most).I have seen many bad reviews on this movie due to it's over-the-top cgi, bad translations, and poor plot. With the exception of bad translation, I have to disagree with the other two points.The CGI is a bit over exaggerated, but the viewer has to accept the movie's setting before they can actually enjoy the ride. It is not your every day thriller, but more of a mythology. Although there are a few scenes with 1-2 seconds flash of unpolished CGI, the CGI overall is not bad at all. Tying back to my experiences with Hong Kong series, most of them had aerial flights, small styrofoam explosions, and clunky lasers, but it did not deter me from how the series were overall great. As a recap, don't look at the CGI as a turn off, but enjoy it as an enhancement to your epic ride.The plot was a well condensed version of Journey to the West series. These series were often countless episodes, which is fine because they cater to a certain type of audience. However, The Monkey King(2014) is adapted and made for younger and foreign audiences. The film gives you the typical plot with the struggle of good and evil and eventually the good winning the fight.Yes, like other epics, the movie shows the up-and-coming of the hero(sun wu kong) that eventually triumphs evil, but the film has many underlying Chinese philosophies that can be realized with a little bit knowledge about Bhuddism, the dominant religion in Asia (where the movie was made). The end fight when Sun Wu Kong was hit on the head with his own weapon was literally a slap on the head for him to look back at his actions. That split of a second, which could be an indefinite amount of time for a deity, Chang'e taught him (with very bad translations) the costs of immortality.Enough of the philosophy talk and lets move on into the fun winks to the audience that have had the opportunity to watch the Journey to the West series. From the 72 tricks and 3 knocks on the head Sun Wu Kong received from his master to the released of the horses in heaven, there are many scenes where the movie stay true to the original series. Off course the film had to have it's own taste on the story, but it never deviates too far from the original. Events may be out of placed, but they were in the movies at specific time slots that would make sense to the new twist on a classic story.My tip before watching the movie is to just be open minded about the culture and have a fun time.

Okay, it's not exactly 'Lord of the Rings' but it's not as bad as the reviewers here say it is. People complaining about lack of depth and change in characters, most of them are deities so what do you expect. I thought the visuals, costumes, make-up etc were also excellent. It may appear as a kid's movie for some but thats a good thing, it can be enjoyed by all ages. I couldn't believe the guy that played Monkey King is the same guy who played IP MAN, wasn't an easy job but he pulled it off and other actors were also great. I'm actually looking forward to the sequel if it is in the making I would recommend it to anyone, don't believe the reviews they're just talking rubbish.