Two dueling "Monkey King" movies in 2013

[Tim Chuma]

The Journey to the West story is a story that is popular in China and other countries and has been remade dozens of times for TV and film, a friend tried to collect the versions, it was an expensive hobby.

2013 sees two competing versions of the same story.

The Monkey King
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1717715/
Starring Donnie Yen, filmed in 3D for IMAX. Part 1 of 3 and a hell of a lot more justification for doing this than the Hobbit. This movie concerns the Monkey King's fight against Heaven and having a bet with the Bhudda. Out June 2013.

Odyssey
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2017561/
Supposedly starring Stephen Chow, but he has stated "I am too expensive for my own movie". Released for Chinese New Year.

A clip from the first time Stephen Chow played the role of Monkey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT0u6RRZ3fQ


The most well known version of Monkey at least in Australia/England
http://www.greatsage.net/

Also famous for having 70s group Godiego do the soundtrack (who famously appeared in "House").
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gOmmuZGxko

Monkey intro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2huJqFsFDE

Cloud summon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K25QkogsjH0

Yes, this was responsible for us kids beating each other with broom handles in the 80s.

It's been so long since Kung Fu Hustle, CJ7 was a bit of a disappointment to be honest. Looking forward to seeing the movies in a cinema as I can manage it if I am sharp-eyed with the screening timetable.

 

[Ldude893]

Hell freaking yes, Stephen Chow! As a Hong Konger, I love his comedy films ESPECIALLY Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer.
I'm curious, though, do people watch Hong Kong films in the states with subtitles or actual dubs?

 

[Sixcess]

Monkey intro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2huJqFsFDE

Oh, the nostalgia.

I always remember watching this, and The Water Margin on BBC2 - classic stuff.

 

[M K Ultra]

These sound way more exciting than those 2 dueling Banjos movies in 2014

 

[GistoftheFist]

Good to hear the martial arts movies aren't coming from the West. Sadly, English-speaking countries just can't get them right. Kung Fu Hustle compared to The Forbidden Kingdom is just no contest. I always watch the movies with subtitles, they usually pace it so when there's action you don't have to look at the bottom of the screen for subtitles anyway. Heck, i'd say most if not all of Jackie Chan's movies made in the US are crappy. Usually, you get a good story but the action is lacking, whereas when a movie is made and released in the east you get a slightly weaker story in exchange for great action.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Stephen Chow made a Journey to The West movie?!? AWESOME!

Although that he's not going to star in it is a bit crappy. Still, I am sure humourous violence and hamfistedly adorable lovescenes will abound.

 

[saintdane05]

So, is there going to be a new Dragon Ball movie wit h it?

 

[Queen Michael]

I've read the boo-ook, I've read the boo-ook...

And the movies seem good. Looking forward to them.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Very interesting...although it seems to have come out of nowhere. I can't wait to see both to be honest! This past year we had what, 2 or 3 Snow White movies right? I joked with a friend about 2013 being the year of Sleeping Beauty (then again, I only know of Maleficent...which I think is a 2014 movie...)

 

[Tim Chuma]

Stephen Chow starred in a large amount of movies in the 90s.

Love on Delivery is very silly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4-Lqj_dlDU

Also God of Cookery is a send up of Iron Chef
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-bsPK7mlEE

There is a 1960s opera version of Journey to the West that is very silly, Pigsy walks around with his belly out the whole three movies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQaXNqo9QDg

 

[Tim Chuma]

Finally found a trailer for the new Stephen Chow movie with English subtitles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh3m_WJJkmA

Is releasing for Chinese New Year and English speaking countries by later in the month.

 

[Kopikatsu]

Hell freaking yes, Stephen Chow! As a Hong Konger, I love his comedy films ESPECIALLY Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer.
I'm curious, though, do people watch Hong Kong films in the states with subtitles or actual dubs?

We have dubs.

 

[Tim Chuma]

Has taken $102 Million in 7 days in China
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-box-office-journey-west-422272

Will be screening in the multiplexes on release in Australia at least at limited locations with subtitles.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Ok that 1994 version of the Monkey King with Stephen Chow was hilarious! I may asked my parent to seek out the dvd of it when they go to their trip to China soon. That newer version with him in it does look like a Stephen Chow film (the humour).
Judging that Donnie Yen version film poster alone, I suspecting that version is going to be more epic as in epic story telling (like that film Shaolin)

Also you could of mention Damon Albarn stage version of the tale, Monkey: Journey to the West.

 

[Tim Chuma]

Pretty good although it would have been a lot better with Stephen Chow playing the main role.

The Monkey King does not turn up until near the end and is a stone cold killer.

Shu Qi steals every scene she is in and seemingly they left one of the bad takes in even though she denies it, would be hard to fake that reaction she has when dancing with Sun Wu Kong.

Saw it in 3D (also has an IMAX version), would be easier to watch in 2D due to the subtitles.

 

[Kopikatsu]

Hell freaking yes, Stephen Chow! As a Hong Konger, I love his comedy films ESPECIALLY Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer.
I'm curious, though, do people watch Hong Kong films in the states with subtitles or actual dubs?

We have dubs.

you may have dubs but i generally always watch movies in the original language with subs if at all possible.

dubs are really f'ing horrible and full of bad translations most of the time.
(and not just in Chinese movies. the dub in Troll Hunter for example is excruciating...)

after a while i don't even consciously read the subs kinda...

that said i am kinda "into" them...i have quite a stack that i've collected over the years.

back when i was a teenage gamer (roughly around the time of the dinosaurs ) "Kung Fu movies" (and "Monkey") were one of the things that sat alongside console and arcade gaming as thing we were all "into"...nowadays its seem to have been somewhat kinda have replaced by Anime in "the gaming scene"...but i'm really still quite "into" them...them and Wuxia movies now...[small]i'm secretly in deeply unrequited love with Zhang Ziyi[/small]...

been looking forward to the Stephen Chow one far more than the Donnie Yen effort tbh.

btw has anyone seen the new Wong Kar-wai Ip Man film yet ?

Well, the dub added an extra level of hilarity because they intentionally didn't even bother trying to sync the voices up to the mouth movements. So like, a guy will say 'Yes, very much.' and then just keep talking silently for another three seconds.

 

[Tim Chuma]

Dubs are a moot point since this movie was originally recorded in one language and has separate dubs in Chinese and Mandarin. Not sure if there will be an English language version for cinema/DVD release. Kung Fu Hustle had an English dub version, but you could easily swap back to Chinese with subtitles.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Eh, nothing's going to be as good as the 80's series for me.

Though that show could be mind-numblingly depressing at times.

 

[Tim Chuma]

The 70s Fuji TV Japan series was a different retelling of the story, they toned it down a bit and didn't kill off Tripitaka, which tends to happen in a lot of the versions when the main characters get sick of him.

Only half the episodes of the second series were originally dubbed into English, but they dubbed the remaining ones when the series was released on DVD a few years back also with the option to hear the original Japanese version. They boil Tripitaka in a pot in one of the "lost" episodes. Even with the restored episodes they still never get the scriptures in the series.

I did enjoy the 60s Shaw Brothers version of the story with Pigsy's giant beer gut
http://hkmovies.timchuma.com/monkeygoeswest.htm
http://hkmovies.timchuma.com/princessironfan.htm
http://hkmovies.timchuma.com/caveofthesilkenweb.htm
http://hkmovies.timchuma.com/landofmanypefumes.htm