This review may contain spoilers
The Monkey King 2 takes place 500 years after the Havoc in Heaven, a sequel to The Monkey King starring Donnie Yen. In this film Aaron Kwok plays the hairy hero to good effect. The Monkey King 2 boasts a strong cast with Feng Shao Feng as a righteous monk and Gong Li as a deadly and deadly alluring demon. The story didn't always serve them well but it was entertaining. When a bumbling monk accidentally unleashes the Monkey King, Sun Wu Kong is given the task by the goddess of accompanying the monk to a temple and retrieving some holy scriptures. If he accomplishes the task his binding golden crown will be removed. Standing in their way is the White Bone Demon played to perfection by the ethereal Gong Li. She has several creepy demons to help her and if you have a fear of snakes, best to avoid this movie or use the fast forward button in some scenes. Another triggering thing is the death of children and torturing of children, let the viewer beware.
This version of the Monkey King is the most understated I have seen, and to be honest a relief. Some actors take their monkey performance over the top. Maybe all those years trapped in the Five Elements Mountain gave Wu Kong time to reflect. I quite enjoyed Kwok's performance which was emotionally compelling even through the hair and makeup. Sheng's monk could be overly righteous at times but did bring up the ethics of killing even when it meant self-preservation.
The side-kicks weren't fully developed though Pigsy did give some comic relief. And the big blue guy, Sand Demon Sha Wujing got to show his stuff in a battle with a near endless supply of skeleton warriors. As I've stated previously Gong Li made the White Bone Demon a formidable and believably malevolent villainess.
Sammo Hung choreographed the fight scenes and the high flying fighting was right up his alley. This was wire-fu on steroids but also quite fun and visually interesting. When dealing with an array of demons and other supernatural characters in a fantasy film the super-powered fighting made sense.
The sets, costumes, and CGI were all top notch. The final battle was creative and something to behold. The drawbacks for me, were some lulls in the story and an ending scene that put the onus on the Monkey King to kill when throughout the entire movie, the righteous monk had berated him for killing even to save lives. I enjoyed this Monkey King more than most in this genre, even with its flaws it was an entertaining movie.
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Decent movie though not great !!
While this movie shares similarities with Part 1, the crew seems to have overlooked the fact that the audience is already aware of the girl’s supernatural abilities, eliminating any element of surprise. Additionally, the sheer magnitude of her powers,far greater than in the first installment makes certain scenes feel over-the-top, almost like an animation.The expanded cast comes at the cost of character depth. The Girl, in particular, feels underdeveloped (she has only 8 to 10 lines in total), and JaYun’s screen time is disappointingly limited. In Part 1, JaYun’s intelligence and quick thinking saved her friend, but here, the Girl fails to prevent two tragic incidents despite later demonstrating overwhelming power—a lapse in logic that weakens the plot. Moreover, her excessive use of force against minor threats feels unnecessary, unlike the first film’s more calculated approach.
Genetically enhanced individuals are typically portrayed as not just physically superior but also highly perceptive and strategic. However, the Girl lacks clear objectives or situational awareness, making her decisions feel inconsistent.
Just few Suggestions:
Limit the scale of powers to maintain tension and realism (otherwise, it risks becoming like X-Men). Strengthen character arcs, especially for the Girl, to make her more compelling.
***
Despite these plot-related criticisms, the acting performances were exceptional across the board!
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Average movie, almost nothing in common with original novel
First of all, if you have read the original Jin Yong novel and are expecting this movie to follow at least 60% of the plot, then don't, A LOT of things and premise have been modified although they retain the character names.I came in for the producer Lu Yang, as a standalone movie, I think this can be watched as an average Chinese action flick, almost everything is average and to fill in your wuxia craving, and the only well known actor to me is Ray Lui of HK 80's wuxia camp.
Personally not recommended, the quality is farrr below Brotherhood of Blades by Lu Yang years ago, but it's up to your own tastes.
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You can avoid trouble, but you can't avoid fate
Another telling of a Monkey King tale, this time 500 years after the fall of the gods. Wu Kong has been reincarnated into a human form still carrying the revered Bodhi Buddha Relic he swallowed in his monkey incarnation. Be forewarned, Return of Wu Kong is a low budget, poorly told and poorly acted story.Wu Kong, in the form of Shi Sheng, a wanderer who follows his overzealous demon hunting master has no idea of his former life. When the two run afoul of the god Du'er on their way to delivering the relic to the Great Leiyin Temple, Shi Sheng finds himself alone. Shi doesn't know what he is carrying but his diminutive master did. An old traveling companion, Sha Wujing comes to his aid aware he is Wu Kong. He picks up a female demon named Xiao He along the way. A blind Bodhi gives him half of the Monkey King's golden cudgel telling him he needs to find the other half for his memories to return.
Shi Sheng and Sha decide to help some villagers after the sand demons kidnapped a child for their even supper. That story gets set aside when they run into Pigsy, now called Zhu Wuchang. He runs the town where all the fallen gods live as well as the residence of the other half of the golden stick.
If the story to this point wasn't convoluted enough, the writer's said, "hold my beer". I won't spoil anything more, but the story was already messy and turned into a dumpster fire as it went along.
The lack of quality fight choreography showed. Most fight scenes were filmed close up, cut off, blurred and edited with a hacksaw. Or the fights were covered over completely by taking place behind curtains or other items or completely chopped off showing only the results.
This film was obviously low budget. The sets, costumes, and CGI were rudimentary at best. It was at its best when filmed out on the photogenic sand dunes.
Most of the actors were adequate. Louis Fan was the most accomplished actor out of the bunch. He Lan Dou, the actress playing Xiao He, mugged a lot for the camera and it didn't help that her character was written to be either cute or annoying. Most of the characters were vastly underwritten to the point of being akin to photos pinned to a bulletin board.
By the time the final showdown arrived to save the world, I was ready to be put out of my misery. The ending was just as underdeveloped, maybe more so, than the rest of the movie. If you are a Louis Fan fan or a Monkey King completionist, it is watchable-barely. If you've never watched any version of Journey Into the West or any Monkey King movies, this would not be a good one to start with as the makers assumed the viewers would be familiar with the story and glossed over important information. Thankfully, the movie is only 85 minutes long. As the blind sage said, you can avoid trouble but you can't avoid fate, however, you can avoid this movie.
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The emotions of youth
I started this for wu lei and honestly kinda went in blind not really knowing anything but thinking it was a silly rom com. I WAS WRONG... ended up crying and having way more emotions than I thought I would. Personally, I think wu lei's youth centered films and dramas are incredible he always ends up delivering emptions and having you reeled in the whole time. The story was so great the way it focused on the emotions and turmoil of youth and dealing with change and accepting realities you don't want to. Ming was never shown but she didn't have to be I quite liked how it focused on wu lei's characters feelings rather than actual dialogue and meeting between these 2 characters. The main's unrequited love line was so.. I cant put into words but I was DEVESTATED but it really hit the message and emotions home. I LOVED the ending scene and how it was carried out it was so fitting and heart warming. Really enjoyed this movie and highly recommend!!! nothing but praises to the director and actors. Personally I don't think I'll rewatch this maybe in a few years but living through it once is enough to acquire a fondness to this movie :)Was this review helpful to you?
She's a surgeon!??!
I REALLY struggled with this one. First, the female was so self-absorbed it wasn't even funny. She only cared about herself and furthering her career. She was not a likeable character, and everything she did smacked of self-interest in trying to save her own skin. Because everything she did was to benefit herself, I didn't buy the relationship until the very end, and even then, I was unable to point to when she started to like him. This also left me with the feeling that everything she did was a lie.The male lead, however, was a man stuck in his grief, and the actor did an excellent job. I really enjoyed watching him coming out of that grief, yet he was really able to capture that survivor's guilt. I probably would have rated this even lower, if not for him.
I also took issue with a lot of the medical things. First, there is no way they would let her be a surgeon with the medical condition she had, especially since it's often brought on by stress. Then, the whole thing with the patient in the hospital that this story revolves around (don't want to give anything away) - there is no way the hospital could have or would have let that situation play out that way, and for that extended period of time.
To sum up, worth watching for the male lead actor/character. Thankfully it was a movie and not an episodic drama.
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A perfect mix of humour and dark
This movie wasn't at all what I expected. I chose it based solely on the fact that it starred Park Seo Joon. I briefly looked over the synopsis, but the trailer wouldn't load. I went straight in to watching it, and was definitely not disappointed. This is my first review, so bare with me.The drama featured a perfect mix of humour and seriousness. The film starts off with the background to the leads and how their friendship formed, which was not at all boring. The MLs shared a close bond, that as a lonely k-drama/k-movie lover, I was very envious of. A comical duo played extremely well by the actors, a very genuine portrayal of friendship. The humorous and bromantic moments shared by the ML's made up for the angst or negative emotions or moments further along in the film. The MLs were well-written, their 'personalities' were something I'd say the world needs more of. Kind, caring, genuine, and trustworthy.
Though the plot took darker turns, it touched on issues that are still problems today (a very real and might I say scary ones at that), and showed the difficulty law officials face when picking and choosing which cases should be prioritised. At many moments in the movie, I was angry and annoyed at the system of 'following protocol'. At times it appeared to me that it was conflicting morals and values.
The plot was simple and easy to understand, which is the beauty of this movie. It was easy to follow, and there weren't tons of tiny details crucial to the plot, you wouldn't get caught up in trying to piece it together. It was straightforward, and from the start you knew who the good/bad guys were. Because of this, it might be harder to rewatch, the plot would for most, easily remembered, yet this doesn't take away from the quality and enjoyment of the film.
There wasn't any gore. Some scenes, I did turn away, based on my fear of needles. But nothing hardcore or extremely bloody.
Midnight Runners is a easy-going movie, perfect for a Friday night. As I said earlier, it touches on darker subjects but is balanced out by the leading comical duo. Would definitely recommend. 10/10
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Another Masterpiece Destroyed by Reviews!
I was skirting around for a LONG time about whether or not to watch this short film. The low rating had me thinking it was going to be poor acting or maybe a boring story. Nope, not even a little bit. This had me crying full tears down my face and that tightness in my stomach I typically get from a long haul investment. But really, I have never been this engaged and invested in two characters so fast. This story I am sure isn't loved because of the ending. But it felt so incredibly real and raw, it's easily a must watch if you have an hour to spare.Fantastic acting in every scene. The fact that I could sense everything as it shifted throughout the movie, speaks volumes to their acting skills.
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Even better than the drama...perfect10!
I would suggest you watch this movie only *after* the dorama ("Eizouken ni wa Te o Dasu na!" - which is basically the same title as this movie's - only, in Japanese), as you'd miss out on a tremendously witty and funny series otherwise! Nevertheless, the movie can stand by itself, and since the first twenty minutes or so are basically a recap of the drama's most important moments, even those who haven't watched the drama can appreciate the flick.I normally am a bit wary of movies following dramas, as it's been my experience that most of those can't keep up the original quality and end up being a let down; but it certainly isn't the case of this "Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!"....quite the opposite, I personally found it even better than the drama itself - which it's quite a feat, given how the drama had already been almost perfect!
A solid script, some great acting, nice music, himalayan-high production value...what's not to like? Perfect 10!
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DEF worth the watch!! the plotwist GOT ME GRIPPIN MY SEAT
bro this movie was like so slow at the beginning, and i was so fooled cuz i was like lol this sucks. I was also comparing it to better days so i was like damn this shit bad. BUT THEN IT ALL LIKE STARTED MAKING SENSE AND I WAS LIKE OOOOOO OKOK AND BRUH. The acting is FIRE, but i personally don't think the main couple had much chemistry but it was bareable cus hs romance is usually not super like intense ykwim. I could really feel the emotion through their acting and honestly had to tear up. The story is kinda slow and doesn't make much sense at the beginning which makes it kinda cringey to watch but later on it progresses and ur able to assemble the pieces together in ur head. Also, im like not even gonna lie, the romance was not the star of the show, but rather the friendship. However, the movie focused so heavily on the romance that it did not live up to its potential. THE CINEMATICS ON THE OTHER HAND, OMFG THEY WERE BEAUTIUFL. I felt like each second of the movie could be paused and would be so beautiful and perfect that it could be like my computer wallpaper. It really helped immerse the audience in the young and youthful typa vibe. But overall, I would say its a great experience and def worth the watch if ur into coming of age films.Was this review helpful to you?
Heartbreaking
It was heartbreaking to see the relationship between Chen Qiuyiu and Biyun torn apart. I found it confusing at times because of the flipping of time zones of past and present events. What perplexed me is why Qiuyiu did not search for Biyun in his home region when before they separated he asked her to care for his mother, and if only Biyun had left an engraved message at Qiuyiu's mother's home as to where he could find Biyun. Sadly, Qiuyiu had changed his name making it near impossible for him to be found.The acting by the main leads was spectacular and as usual Chen Kun does not disappoint, and the supporting cast was also good. The film lighting was rather dark that sometimes figures were obscure and I am not clear whether it was intended for effects or was merely the poor quality of filming equipment during that time.
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Life is a path of suffering that leads to death
The old phrase, “If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all,” applied perfectly for poor abandoned and abused Sumiko. Sumiko was thrown from one bad situation to another and another throughout the length of the film.Described as a masterpiece of the proletarian film genre, What Made Her Do It could be a difficult watch. The film was thought completely lost after WWII. A large segment of it was found in The Russian National Film Library during the 1990’s. The first section and last section are lost to the ages, replaced by descriptive title cards.
Young Sumiko was sent to her no good uncle when her father could not find employment and committed suicide unbeknownst to her. Her uncle stole her money and sold her to a circus. She made friends with Shintaro at the circus and they later escaped only to be separated. She ended up in a string of bad situations: a work house, evil employer, work house, evil employer, and ultimately a church home for wayward women which was as bad or worse than any prison.
Every single situation she ended up in was dreadful except for a brief happy one and even it ended in disaster. Exploited, starved, and upbraided, slowly she began to lose her ability to hold in her anger and resentment. When family, the government, and even religion failed her miserably she snapped and the answer came in a blaze of glory when the audience finds out what she did in What Made Her Do It.
What made her do it? The utter failing of society and its brutal treatment of people considered less than. Some may have blamed capitalist society or religion but more often than not, the dark side of human nature for any economic or social level during times of financial collapse or upheaval preys on those considered weaker. In this film, without family or friends, Sumiko had no safety net, no safe shelter from the storm, but she still had enough dignity and fire left to finally take a stand.
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Atypical, yet worthwhile thriller, driven by a unique variety & sensitive quality of women´s power
"The Day I Died: Unclosed Case" is a thriller. However, the KMovie takes its time. It is atmospherically embedded in the slowed down everyday life on an island. The focus is on emotionally approaching the protagonists. In this case, the key characters are all women, who are surrounded by other women. Men are only indirectly involved in the background of the story - among other things as those who stand for the painful wounds in the women's lifes.So you might think: a movie about women's power? As a matter of fact, that's true. However the actual power of women is not men´s power in women's clothes. In this movie, women´s power symbolizes in an idiosyncratic way how the usually devalued "weak" in the 'female' becomes "powerful" and effectively plays out its transforming and liberating quality, yet in a rather calm, descreet variety: silent, subtle, empathetic, unobtrusive.
The story is quite exciting, profound and complex. In the course of the investigation, the detective - strong, competent and at the same time hurt and vulnerable - is increasingly confronted with open questions in her own life. She slowly builds an emotional connection with the missing victim. Although the case seems clear and simple to everyone else, she cannot let it go. She is driven to shed light on injustice of some sort. Is she fighting for the missing victim? Is she fighting for herself? Either way, she finds the answers she's looking for.
In a touching way the strong presence of the two veterans Kim Hye-soo and Lee Jung-eun rounds an exciting story off. Script and direction are also in women's hands here. "The Day I Died: Unclosed Case" is not a classic crime thriller, but definitely worth seeing - with a unique variety and sensitive quality of women´s power.
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Foreplay, mostly.
Plot: A competent office lady accidentally discovered a BDSM item of her new officemate. It revolves around the introduction of BDSM and the new guy's life.Acting: Passable acting from all the cast.
Music: Nothing exactly memorable but appropriate for the movie/scenes.
Re-watch Value: Will not re-watch this one but it's a nice movie to watch on a super boring day.
Overall: I felt like the entire movie was a foreplay before the good stuff happened. It was fast paced with a few chuckles injected. Light movie with a brief information on how BDSM works for newbies or interested with erotica. 6.5 - 7 stars
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Call your grandparents!
This was a heartwarming comedy-drama that looks will make you think about your grandparents / elderly relatives.Cast and Acting: Spear-headed by veteran actor Park Geun Hyung and Oscar winner Youn Yuh-Jung, everyone pulls their weight in this film with the material they're given. Jo Jin Woong deserves a lot of credit here too. K-Drama fans will recognize many familiar faces and cameo appearances. Occasional loud antics on the side from the supporting characters, but these are typical and work well in showing how the connections we build with our neighbors could be stronger than we perceive.
Story: I won't spoil anything, but with the best Korean movies, the story unravels into something you may not expect. The ending is bittersweet and will not please some people, but it ties the plot together in possibly the most realistic way. Again, you might want to give the older people in your family a call once the credits roll, or think of your own situation once you reach that age.
Music: Appropriate for the scenes, but it never overpowered the action.
Overall, you can tell they put a lot of care into the production. Rewatch value may be low for some, including myself. 9/10
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