Day 227 - Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (Chinese)

"A young village girl plays by the river and her father frightens her by pretending to be a fish demon, although he is then killed by a mysterious underwater creature. A Taoist priest kills a giant manta ray and insists the demon is dead. Buddhist demon hunter Sanzang appears to warn the animal is not the true demon but is violently ignored. The demon reemerges and kills a number of villagers but Sanzang is able to beach the fish-like demon, which turns into a man. Sanzang then opens a book of nursery rhymes and begins to sing to the man. The man feels harassed and attacks Sanzang but another demon hunter, Duan appears and captures him in her cloth, turning him into a puppet. Sanzang reveals to Duan that his master taught him a humanist approach and to use nursery rhymes to coax goodness out of demons, a tactic Duan scoffs at. Disillusioned, Sanzang meets back up with his master and bemoans his lack of capabilities in comparison to more aggressive demon-hunters such as Duan. His master reaffirms his philosophy of trying to reform evil demons and sends him off again, telling him to find "enlightenment.""

Truly an interesting film that will make you laugh and have a good time. If you have seen Badges of Fury then you'll be used to Wen Zhang's type of comedic performance. He is even funnier in this film than in the other film. Wen Zhang is truly an interesting actor who is good at both dramatic and comedic roles. Shu Qi also stands out as her role doesn't require her to look pretty even though she still does. This is her most badass role since she actually practices martial arts and performs them on camera. I simply adore her ability as an actress to perform different types of roles in a movie as well being able to make it look natural.  I don't know any of the other actors by name sadly but they did a good job as well. The story seemed short despite the length of the movie but it was still good and has me interested on the story behind the film. I suggest this film to anyone that likes Chinese comedies that are easy and interesting to watch.


3/5