Product Description: Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 08/30/2005
Amazon.com: This three-hour made-for-television epic based on the classic Chinese story Journey to the West is an engaging mix of fantasy and martial-arts adventure, and it features a veritable tsunami of special effects. The plot involves an American China scholar (played by Thomas Gibson) whose knowledge of Asian mythology becomes astoundingly useful when he is magically transported into other dimensions by terra cotta warriors who come to life. The American scholar soon finds himself face to face with a wisecracking Monkey King (Russell Wong), a mystical warrior whose martial-arts skills are matched only by his sarcastic one-liners. The mismatched heroes have only three days to find an ancient manuscript and thereby save the world from destruction, and they're assisted by the timely interventions of the Goddess of Mercy (played by Bai Ling). The rambling plot puts the characters into confrontations with tigers, dragons, and evil giants, and at times they're joined by such unorthodox allies as a human with the head of a pig. As his quest progresses, the scholar has to learn to think like a warrior, and there are innumerable obstacles put in his path. Even if the plot doesn't always seem terribly coherent, the computer-generated special effects are entertaining, and the film has no shortage of bizarre villains, flashy martial-arts scenes, and sardonic quips from the Monkey King. --Robert J. McNamara
Just aweful! ^ I borrowed this DVD from my uncle. Someone had given it to him and he gave it to me. Now I know why. This is probably one of the worst films of all time. It was so bad, I couldn't get past the first 10 minutes of it, and that was really pushing it. The script is horrendous and the acting is pathetic. I don't know who Ling Bai is and neither do any of my Chinese friends or my Chinese wife, but she is a terrible actress. I'm quite sure she is an unknown in China. The rest of the actors aren't any better. If anyone gives you a copy of this DVD, do yourself a favor and immediately throw it in the trash where it belongs. You'll be so happy you didn't waste any precious time watching this garbage.
Great fun for all ages ^ This is not real mythology, but it does mention several legit Chinese myths. Of course, it's not meant for a mythology or history lesson, it's meant for entertainment. This is not a great movie by any stretch. Having read the reviews already on here, it's not even a good movie to some people. It is, however, entertaining and fun to watch. Yeah, the story does wander off of the plot a few times, but it always meanders back. The acting is hardly Oscar caliber, but the actors are good enough to get the point across. Ling Bai is very good as the Goddess of Mercy. She is able to be sweet, sexy and heroic at the same time. The main selling point for me, though, is that my 9 year old granddaughter and I can watch this movie and enjoy it together. She likes the character of the goddess and that gives her a good female role model in the movies and that's not something a lot of movies offer these days (ie Mean Girls). A good, fun way to spend a couple of hours.
The Lost Empire ^ The movie is excellent. It was a very good price too. I have seen the movie before on the Si Fi Channel, and zI wanted a copy.
Fun and Adventure with the Monkey King ^ As a fun family movie to watch, this is a good one. There is action, romance, special effects, martial arts, good guys, bad guys, and beautiful goddesses. Thomas Gibson plays a splendid "scholar from above", a reluctant hero with a fairly decent backhand at racquetball. Russell Wong is perfect as the Monkey King, cocky and exceedingly sure of himself. The companions Pigsy and Friar Sand play very well as sidekicks. Bai Ling is flawlessly beautiful as Kwan Yin, the goddess who brings "the scholar from above" into the mystical world and save it from the evil Shu and the Five Traditional Masters. The dialog is quirky-an interesting mix of classical Chinese and 21st century slang. If you're looking for an historical deeply significant film, this isn't it. If you want a film that's fun to watch for the whole family, grab the popcorn and enjoy!
I enjoyed it ^ The special effects are cheesy beyond belief, but I found myself loving this movie.
I especially liked the romance between Kuan Yin and Nicholas Orton. Both actors seemed to be having fun.
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