This film is a continuation of an epic retelling of the novel JOURNEY TO THE WEST that began with A CHINESE ODYSSEY: PANDORA’S BOX. Though released as a sequel, both parts basically comprise one long film. This second half is every bit as visually stunning, humorous and exciting as the first half. It is a well-rounded and wildly imaginative fantasy adventure full of wonderful characters and elaborate wire fu action.
In the previous chapter, Joker (Stephen Chow) had repeatedly used the Pandora’s Box to travel back in time a short distance in order to save his love, the beautiful devil Pak Jing-jing (Karen Mok). He finally succeeded, but was shortly thereafter thrust back in time 500 years.
Now he meets up with an immortal transformed from a candlewick into a beautiful woman named Lin Zixia (Athena Chu). She claims the Pandora’s Box and quickly falls in love with Joker, but he’s put off by her dual personality. Zixia’s gruff sister Qingxia (Ada Choi) also inhabits the same body and awakes at night. Zixia wanders off at one point and Joker stumbles upon himself, or rather his previous self as the Monkey King. The scene that opened the first half of this story plays out fully as Joker watches the Monkey King defy the Goddess, resulting in his demise. But Joker’s bumbling attempt to steal the Pandora’s Box that Monkey drops changes history when it causes The Longevity Monk (Law Kar-wing) to vanish out of time before he can sacrifice himself. The monk returns to join Joker on a series of adventures involving Old Black Mountain Devil, a vampire-like monster who drains people’s life force and King Bull, Monkey’s devilish “bro” who captures the monk and intends to eat him.
Confusion abounds as Joker meets up with Pigsy and his companion who plot to release their master, the Longevity Monk. Joker also encounters Zixia who is being forced to marry King Bull, King Bull’s wife who really loves Joker, and King Bull’s sister who is supposed to marry Joker. A battle erupts on all sides that leaves Joker in the care of three thieves and everyone else prisoners of King Bull. After briefly reuniting with Jing-jing, Joker finally accepts his fate to become the Monkey King again, become a devout Buddhist and complete his original task of traveling to India to retrieve Buddhist scriptures. But first, the reborn Monkey King must release his friends and fight King Bull in an epic battle.
Yes, this film gets a bit mired in numerous character interactions and sub-plots, but it doesn’t diminish the enjoyment factor. Rather, there is a textured richness to the film’s telling that rivals that of the classic Chinese literature it’s based on. This second half of the story builds on the first and presents new layers that continue to emerge right up to the end. It is also rare for a film this ambitious to end with such satisfying results.
The story takes on a more serious and reflective tone in its final moments, but scattered throughout CINDERELLA are wonderfully shot comic and action scenes that keep the viewer glued to the screen even when it is difficult to see where the story is going.
Actually, the surprise factor is part of what makes this feature such a delight. A scene where Law Kar-ying breaks out into song while imprisoned rivals the singing duet in SHAOLIN SOCCER for unbridled hilarity. There are a couple of other hugely funny moments, but much of the humor creeps up quietly. To compliment this anything goes motif, Ching Siu-tung delivers some of the best wire fu yet conceived of. Combined with awesome imagery, the film looks incredibly fresh and inviting from start to finish. The only regrettable flaw is the noticeable appearance of wires in several scenes. Had the film come out a few years later, doubtless computers would have been used to erase them.
There is very little to complain about on A CHINESE ODYSSEY and so much to praise. There is almost too much going on throughout the film, but I choose to consider it a selling point. Stephen Chow keeps the viewer grounded by transcending his onscreen persona that usually dominates all of his films and delivering a character with depth, who grows and changes throughout the story. There are so many ways in which a film based upon such a robust Chinese legend could have gone wrong, but Jeff Lau and his team pull it off magnificently. This is one of the last truly great Hong Kong films prior to the 1997 handover to China.
by Mark PollardRelated Topics:
A Chinese Odyssey 2: Cinderella (1995) • Stephen Chow
- iskandar
