On November 18, QQ reported that the short online film The Great Journey to the West , produced by Stephen Chow, starring actors Tưởng Long and Trương Thiên Ái, premiered but received negative feedback.
According to QQ , the film contains many elements that remind viewers of Chow’s 1995 work The Great Journey to the West, which is considered one of the high-quality adaptations inspired by Journey to the West. Although the film received criticism upon release, over time, the artistic values and the subtleties that Stephen Chow embedded in the film were gradually discovered and praised.
For instance, in The Great Journey to the West, the character Chí Tôn Bảo (played by Stephen Chow) mentioned having a twin brother, which explains the name of the main character in the new version, Chí Tôn Ngọc (Tưởng Long). The female lead, Nguyệt Quang (Trương Thiên Ái), also claims to be the sister of the celestial maiden Tử Hà (played by Chu Ân). Additionally, this character has three black dots on his feet, which serve to identify who is the reincarnation of Sun Wukong.
The film begins with Chí Tôn Ngọc wanting to join a gang, but to be accepted, he must cut off one of his arms. Consequently, Chí Tôn Ngọc feigns death and accidentally stumbles into a hideout of robbers. When discovered, he finds himself in a dangerous situation, but fortunately, the heroine Nguyệt Quang arrives to rescue him.
It turns out that Nguyệt Quang, having heard a prophecy, knows that the person with three black dots on his feet is the reincarnation of Sun Wukong, who will later put her in danger. Therefore, she goes everywhere, capturing individuals with this characteristic to find out who her true adversary is.
In the dungeon of Nguyệt Quang, there are many variations of “Sun Wukong,” including even a “Black Sun Wukong,” a baby monkey, and King Kong… After various misunderstandings and arguments, Nguyệt Quang and Chí Tôn Ngọc become companions on a quest to find treasures that help them recover their memories.
According to QQ , The Great Journey to the West is divided into 20 short episodes, each lasting 10 minutes. The film is criticized for being nonsensical, resembling a low-quality knockoff of the 1995 version of The Great Journey to the West. Stephen Chow and the producers tried to infuse dialogues and humor into the film. However, the nonsensical comedy style (vô ly đầu) of Stephen Chow is not something everyone can fully understand or appreciate.
Actors Tưởng Long and Trương Thiên Ái disappointed audiences with their performances and chemistry. Tưởng Long faced criticism for lacking charm and overacting, making it hard for him to follow in Stephen Chow’s footsteps. Trương Thiên Ái also could not compare to her senior Chu Ân in terms of both beauty and expressiveness.
According to QQ , even when not compared to the original, The Great Journey to the West is still of poor quality compared to current short films due to its bland content and lack of engaging plot development.
Moreover, before the film aired, many viewers did not support Stephen Chow’s remake of The Great Journey to the West. The public believes that Stephen Chow has lost his creativity and can now only recycle his past successful classic works for a new audience.
