Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

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Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

PG-13

2014

1h 50m

Adventure

Comedy

Fantasy

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94%

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35 Reviews

69%

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2,500+ Ratings

A Buddhist disciple (Zhang Wen) battles demons by using a book of nursery rhymes to appeal to their inherent goodness.

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Critics Consensus

As sweet, silly, action-packed and ridiculous as director Steven Chow's best work, Journey to the West serves up dazzling action sequences while playing its disparate elements against each other with thrilling abandon.

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Ronnie Scheib

Variety

May 14, 2014

Another exquisite, snail-paced cinematic perambulation from Tsai Ming-liang and Lee Kang-sheng.

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Grady Hendrix

Film Comment Magazine

Apr 21, 2014

A kung fu comedy, a Chinese fairy story, a Buddhist action movie, a prequel to a mega-series that makes James Cameron's ambitions look puny, Chow's Journey to the West is everything that is good about China's mega-blockbuster inclinations.

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Richard Brody

The New Yorker

Apr 14, 2014

Liang's ravishing conceptual film achieves a rare blend of sensuous delight and documentary specificity.

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Vadim Rizov

Filmmaker Magazine

Jan 24, 2023

...it’s quite good and — out of cultural context — winningly idiosyncratic...

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Aug 29, 2019

3/5

Mutates from touching, to funny, to downright violent in mere seconds.

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

Aug 14, 2019

8/10

Filled with comedy, but also boasting extensive action and unexpected moments of horror.

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Torin F

@nonlinearize Sep 5, 2026

JOURNEY TO THE WEST (2013) comes as a massive disappointment after Stephen Chow's brilliant and incomparable Kung Fu Hustle. This film takes an unconventional but ultimately predictable approach to the Monkey King legend, and while it's cool to see these Eastern tales finding crossover appeal, this one is tedious, melodramatic, and undermined by a lot of shoddy CGI. And at nearly two hours, it's about two hours too long.

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Eddie M

@StackerEd Nov 11, 2021

Classic Stephen Chow... pure entertainment and a great take on a classic Chinese tale. Constantly hilarious, full of action, a love story, dramatic, and sad at the same time. No character is safe or spared and a hell of a cinematic experience IMO. Just a great watch if you love Stephen Chow's work, especially Kung Fu Hustle which it reminds me a lot of... anyway, definitely pop it on one day if you haven't seen it!

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dustin d

@RT12543299 Apr 3, 2020

Journey to the West has the same beats as Stephen Chow's earlier film, Kung Fu Hustle, but isn't quite as funny or heartfelt. However, it is still plenty entertaining, and like his earlier films, is sustained with visual and emotional variety. The movie holds no punches. It contains some truly disturbing images and not even cute children are safe from the demons, assuring the viewer the stakes are real, even if the action is over-the-top and cartoony.

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Sep 18, 2019

Affectionately made and well-paced, Journey To The West: Conquering the Demons never fails to entertain, delight and humor the audience, balancing comedy, action and romance in this attempt at a prequel to a beloved classic.

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Feb 17, 2019

I was intrigued by this movie, as it has stephen chows name to it. It didnt disappoint but it did miss the mark for me. Still I didnt mind it and it just adds to his repertoire

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Sep 10, 2018

I liked [kinda] "Kung Foo Hustle." Wasn't aware of this one. Lokking forward to this on my wihlist

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Stephen Chow

Director

Chi-kin Kwok

Director

Shu Qi

Miss Duan

Zhang Wen

Xuan Zang

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Sun Wukong

Yu Xing

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Synopsis

A Buddhist disciple (Zhang Wen) battles demons by using a book of nursery rhymes to appeal to their inherent goodness.

Director: Stephen Chow, Chi-kin Kwok
Producer: Ivy Kong, Zhonglei Wang, Dajun Zhang
Screenwriter: Stephen Chow, Chi-kin Kwok, Yun Wang, Xin Huo
Distributor: Magnet Releasing
Production Co: China Film Group Corporation (CFGC), Chinavision Media Group, Edko Films, Bingo Movie Development, Film Workshop, Star Overseas, Huayi Brothers Media
Rating: PG-13 (Partial Nudity|Fantasy Violence|Bloody Images|Some Sexual Content)
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 7, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $17.7K
Runtime: 1h 50m

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