Magnet Releasing releases some of the most diverse genre films around. From amazing titles like Bad Milo! and Grand Piano, I am never disappointed. It is because of their great catalog, that I get excited to watch all of the trailers they include with their DVD and blu-ray releases. If I had skipped over these trailers, like most people would, I would have never found out about the fantastic action adventure fantasy movie directed by Stephen Chow, Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons.
Xuan Zang is a shy, kind-hearted demon hunter who isn’t in the ‘business’ for fame or fortune, but to save the lives of the people. His master convinces him to keep trying his hardest after Xuan Zang is discouraged by his lack of power. Along his continued journey to rid the world of demons, the young hunter is met by various other demon hunters, each one more flamboyant than the last.
Journey to the West has it all — action, adventure, fantasy, comedy, romance, and horror. I never even knew it was possible to squeeze all of those different genres into one film and all other films that I’ve seen try to be this ambitious, have more often than not failed miserably. On the contrary, Stephen Chow and Chi-kin Kwok have managed to make an entertaining film through and through.
Filled with an outrageous cast of characters and visually stunning set pieces and effects, this film is as close to a live-action fairy tale as you’re going to get. Better yet, it is like something you’d expect to read about in Xuan Zang’s 300 Nursery Rhymes book!
The special effects are fantastic, the acting was performed perfectly, and I was immersed in the story for the entire 110 minute runtime. I can see how a movie like this may not be for everyone. Hell, I usually don’t even like films with a lot of randomness going on, but for some reason, it all just works here.
Be sure to pick up a copy of Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons from Magnet Releasing and let me know what you think of it! The blu-ray includes behind the scenes featurettes on the special effects, choreography, and more.
I give it 4 golden rings out of 5.
