Essence 〖Xiao Ji Movie Review〗What I Saw from 'Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons'

(A lot of the content in this post is pure nonsense, because Xiao Ji is not a professional film critic, so it is only a friendly support for the development of the movie section managed by Hui Jin and S.)
_____Movies constructed with the keywords ‘Journey to the West + Stephen Chow + Demon Conquering' startled many people from the very beginning. And those sections about movie news kept tirelessly engaging in all kinds of 'making things look mysterious'… and the result was just as some people expected. Build such a big pit, and it's meant for you to fall into it.\_____Thanks to the successful 'hype' by various stakeholders, 'Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons' naturally became a ‘domestic blockbuster.' Yes, a 'domestic' one. Without even talking about what the eagerly awaiting audience said after buying tickets and watching the movie, let's talk about the general idea of a 'domestic blockbuster': those who have watched some movies should have a deep impression of the 'level' that domestic films can reach, and some people probably have even built up 'immunity,' right? Looking back, there have been quite a few vivid examples before. All had very appealing trailers—well, just the opening appetizer was made very elaborate, whetting people's appetite. But then, with fork in hand and the napkin on, when the main course finally arrives, you realize it's just the very common 'chicken stewed with mushrooms' you'd find in a rustic home. Yes, a pseudo-blockbuster. This has almost become synonymous with recent Chinese movies. 'The Warring States' (is that the name? Kind of forgot, it's the one starring Sun Honglei as Sun Bin), 'Guan Yun Chang,' 'One Million Crocodiles,' and many others could be listed casually, and without exception, the trailers were done very well. But the disappointment and complex feelings experienced during the actual viewing, after realizing you were misled, trigger a desire to 'explode,' to curse the whole street and yet still feel unsatisfied. Perhaps after the movie's release, there were many negative reviews, and the blame could be shifted to the audience for having too high, unrealistic expectations. But does the production company realize that the audience's expectations are actually not high? The audience just wants to see something that matches their expectations and feel that the ticket price was worth it. Isn't this evident from the success of low-budget films like 'Love Is Not Blind' and 'Lost in Thailand,' which earned high box office returns? In contrast, so-called big domestic companies are always trying to make movies that can reach the level of Hollywood commercial blockbusters.The idea is good, but after starting, you realize it was just a sudden impulse, and you actually don't have that ability? Unable to back down but still wanting to save face, you can only grit your teeth and continue. Some even deceive themselves, thinking it's good, so naturally the audience will be satisfied, and boldly start 'promoting' it. And these people don't realize that if 'fooling' the audience is a blockbuster, the audience will naturally evaluate it by the standards of years of watching blockbusters. This is the fundamental reason why production companies 'work hard but get no reward' and receive a lot of criticism, and also why audiences hate fake blockbusters so much. \_____ Speaking of 'Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons', there are reports saying it is 'Stephen Chow's another labor of love, the legitimate sequel to A Chinese Odyssey.' I have no objection to it being described as Stephen Chow's work of dedication. In this film, I indeed saw a lot of the thought that Stephen Chow seriously put into it: the comedy is still widespread and always appears unexpectedly, but the audience will always respond to his trademark nonsensical humor; furthermore, any audience familiar with his previous films can consciously notice the 'revisits' or 'tributes' to scenes from movies he acted in that Stephen Chow deliberately 'hid' in the film. Additionally, in this movie, Stephen Chow consciously attempts breakthroughs and transitions to more genres, including sea monster and disaster themes. So, for someone like me, a curious observer, this point is noticeable: the depiction of Tang Seng's love in 'Conquering the Demons' is evidently much less than the emphasis on monster hunting. In previous works, the narration of love was the main focus of the film. Although Stephen Chow's 'attempts' might inevitably appear somewhat 'inspired by' others—for example, the water monster plot reminded me of 'The Host'—this also demonstrates Stephen Chow's improvement as a director, and makes his next film highly anticipated, because his movies have always maintained a good reputation. Stephen Chow might devote himself entirely to directing in the future, but undoubtedly, watching his films always gives a sense that he is also acting in them. \_____ As for the plot, regarding the comment calling it 'the legitimate sequel to A Chinese Odyssey,' I really cannot compliment it.Because of this movie, if we do a comprehensive rating, the superb 3D technology might score over 90 points, but when it comes to the plot... because the storyline has too many melodramatic elements and too much grotesque content, the cinema recommendations should be: except for those who can handle heavy content and have no concept of 'decency,' audience members must bring 'titanium-alloy dog eyes' and be prepared for a heart stress test... The movie's plot completely disregards the old gentleman Wu Cheng'en (author of Journey to the West, Ming Dynasty), as the original script of Journey to the West is entirely altered: Xuanzang is no longer a monk from the Tang Dynasty but a 'demon suppressor' with a sort of afro and a novel beggar outfit? The monsters that seemed to be randomly inserted end up being Zhu Bajie and Sha Seng? Although the movie seems to continuously justify its god-inspired storyline and aims to divert the audience's attention from the plot with more fantastical and shocking 3D visuals, it is still inevitably the kind of film that feels like 'Earth versus Mars'—disjointed—and gets labeled as 'unfaithful to the original,' with audiences who respect tradition being baffled and reacting with 'rebound-like' complaints. In the past, they could accept 'A Chinese Odyssey' because it at least had something like a 'main storyline,' but this time 'Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons' is completely an independently added 'side story,' even qualified as 'fan fiction,' so a large group of Chinese fans who respect the original obviously cannot accept it. However, Xiao Ji's opinion is: the two are works by different directors, and there really is no need for comparison. I also think the plot is unreliable compared to the classic, but why not just set aside the mindset of 'fitting it into the original' and appreciate this imaginative work? Just treat it as 'fan fiction,' that's all, because the standard for evaluating a movie should be the quality of the plot, not adherence to the original, right? A tree that has been planted and grown lush extends many branches; this is what already exists, and what flowers it bears depends on choice. All we need to do is select and enjoy the fruits. The difference is only in taste. \_____ 'Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons' is there, waiting for your commentary. That is exactly the significance of its existence.