Notable Cast: Eddie
Peng, Ni Ni, Shawn Yue, Oho Ou, Zheng Shuang, Faye Yu Fei-Hong, Quao Shan, Yang
Di, Wang De-shun, Quentin Zhang, Zhang Yi-Qian
The recent explosion of various Monkey King films from
China’s film industry can be a bit overwhelming to keep straight. It’s not that
there hasn’t always been an obsession with the Monkey King (and Journey to the West) stories in the
market, but lately it seems even more intense. Animated films and two major
franchises have seen releases in the last handful of years, so when a potential
new franchise was announced for the character it was a bit yawn inducing. The Monkey King franchise covered the family
friendly aspects of the character for his mischievous adventures and Stephen
Chow’s Journey to the West films
covered the more traditional stories nicely and with plenty of pizzazz in
blending comedy, action, and heart. So what could the latest film Wu Kong, directed by Derek Kwok and
starring A-lister Eddie Peng as the titular Monkey King, really bring to the
table? As it turns out, much more than expected. Based on a popular online
novel, Wu Kong forgoes the
traditional dynamics of the Journey to
the West story and goes for more of an origin of the character and the
result is actually quite impressive. It’s executed in striking fashion and the
film takes a more humane and emotional bent for the character that’s much more
adult oriented than The Monkey King,
which tried to pull off the same concept. For films that feature the Monkey
King as one of the lead characters, I have to admit that Wu Kong just might be my favorite of recent memory which comes as a
huge surprise to me.