ReviewFilm review – Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back finds Stephen Chow and Tsui Hark on autopilot
While packed with cartoonish mayhem and never less than watchable, big-budget sequel to Hong Kong filmmaker’s 2013 hit lacks comedic edge
2.5/5 stars
In the 2013 film the Tang dynasty Buddhist monk Xuan Zang conquered the three demons that would subsequently become his famed disciples (the Monkey King, pig demon “Pigsy” and fish demon “Sandy”); the coolly, if confusingly, titled The Demons Strike Back follows the quartet in the early stages of their journey to the west, as Monkey King and co. repeatedly try to protect Xuan Zang from demons – including the well-known spider and skeleton types – presumably eager to feast on the monk’s flesh.
Throwing continuity to the wind, Tsui takes on a revamped – and lesser – cast that made the Wen Zhang-Shu Qi pairing in Conquering the Demons look like romantic comedy gold. While Sword Master star Lin Gengxin is passable as a sombre Monkey King, former K-pop idol Kris Wu Yifan, playing an ironic Xuan Zang, remains one of China’s least convincing actors even after his Hollywood debut in xXx: Return of Xander Cage. Yao Chen and The Mermaid’s Jelly Lin Yun, as Xuan Xang’s antagonist and love interest, are both underused.