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Visitors Review

Rosemary 2012-05-24 01:40:54

Have question about the movie

Who played Pigsly - he was one of John Orton's animal companions.They did not use the 2nd line actors enough.The movie was far too long and they could have developed thecharactersthat help John on the way. Other wise it was very entertaining and thespecial effects were fairly good as well.

Bob Greenwade 2012-05-23 09:01:03

Enjoyable despite numerous weaknesses

Yes, the weaknesses of this movie are numerous. The acting is, for themost part, horribly wooden, particularly with the lesser supportingcharacters. The real-world history is way off (among other flawsalready pointed out in other reviews, "Journey to the West" is,according to what I've read at least, closer to 400 years old than 500,and the official objection to the manuscript was its nontraditionalform rather than its content). Some of the characters, particularlyfour of the Five Traditional Masters, are way underdeveloped.Portraying Confucius as a self-serving sycophant is just *wrong.*If you're already familiar with the original story of "Journey to theWest" and can't bear to see it butchered -- which is exactly whathappens here -- then follow the one-star ratings given here and avoidthis movie like the plague.For anyone else, this is a fun piece of work. It was hardly Emmy-worthyin any category (with the possible exception of Bai Ling's impassionedperformance as the Goddess of Mercy) and has numerous plot holes notworthy of David Huang, but the story travels on well with only a coupleof relatively minor diversions (well, I guess NBC wanted to make surethey had a good two-part miniseries), one can really care about thosecharacters that do receive proper development, and can wonder and worryabout the story's outcome.

Jim 2012-05-14 10:43:23

A good movie.

This fantasy movie is pretty good although it is way too long. It tends to excite you then bore you with long dialogues and then go back to decent action. Mostly special effects are big in this movie and they are well done. I liked towards the end that the movie started to have good messages to hear. Overall I'll say it's a movie to rent not to buy. The characters are ok and the action decent. Maybe it's because I'm not really big in fantasy movies but it was good.

axraupp 2012-05-13 22:11:05

The twisting of a Chinese classic

It seems to be from the producers of Cleopatra, The Odyssey, Jason & theArgonauts, etc. Great adventure and special effects.This is an adaptation of the Chinese classic "The Journey West" whichincludes the monkey god "Sun-wu Kong." I thought it was ok, but my wife wasangry at the misappropriation of the story. There were so many holes (the Monkey god had no makeup to look like amonkey, or crown, which Buddha uses to control him) and the story waschanged so much that she was upset. She said it was kind of like making aCinderella story with Cinderella being an unpleasant person.If this is the only way for Americans to get exposure to Chinese classics,then it is a good start.

2012-05-13 04:05:00

Steaming Pile of Racism

I have never, ever been more offended in my entire life. As a Chinese-Canadian, I was grown up on Monkey King fairy tales. But this.....this abomination is no tribute to Wu Ch'eng-en's original Epic. Besides for the fact onyl 1 of the main characters is even Asian, all the Demons seem to by. To top it all off, the producers forced David Hwang to focus the entire story on a white man/Asian Goddess romance.How pathetic.

2012-05-12 20:26:58

The Monkey King / Lost Empire

This is a wonderful film for all ages. NBC did a great job producing this film as it looks and feels like a full length studio motion picture. The only problem I see is it had been adapted for an American audience so some of the original content had been changed. However, the music, costumes, sets, and special effects are first class. I recommend this popular Chinese children's fable to anyone who enjoys The Wizard of Oz or Alice in Wonderland. Best damned made for TV adventure in years!

LSHwyldsyde 2012-05-10 09:11:28

Okay effects, but..

well, it was interesting, I've Never read the book, But I might have tonow. I only hope I can find it.as for this movie, I think the producers would have been better servedlooking at English-language dragonball fanfics for a script. I guess that is something, that I feel the writings of fans of thedubbed version of a television series based on a graphic novel inspiredby a book can be better than this movie.on the other hand, the special effects were alright. if they did drivethe old "The pen is mightier than the sword" message a little too hard.

2012-05-10 01:07:03

My fav. movie!!!!!!!

I actually have to say that this is my favorite movie of all time. It even got me into the book, Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en. It's a very well put movie and it has great special effects. I watch it about every single day I love it so much. It may be a very long movie, but it's well worth the time. And ya have to admit the Monkey King, Russell Wong, is quite a hottie! Well, that's all I have to say I guess!...BYE!

Bumblebie 2012-05-03 06:46:08

Fun pure fun

I first watched this movie on a Saturday morning and i really loved itOK its corny and the bad guys are more like the bad guys you see in acoco pops advert but its fun and i had a good laugh watching it, Idon't think this movie was meant to be serious or scary all i think itis a pure fun and lets you escape for a little while if people don'twatch movies to have fun anymore then there getting too serious andneed to lighten up a bit people take things too seriously and complainto much now this movie lets you laugh The only thing i would complainabout is the length of time its on for 3 hours but its worth it and Irecommend it to anyone who has nothing to watch on a rainy afternoon :)

Sentinel-15 2012-05-02 20:36:21

Prime entertainment

This is like a post-modern take on the legend of the Monkey King, where amodern human gets involved with saving the book that contains the originalstory. First of all, it is FUN!There are lots of interesting characters, lots of action, heroic charactersfighting the Good Fight... what more do you want?Just keep in mind that this is NOT the original legend(s) - whatever thosewere about - and it doesn't even try to be, so don't criticize it forthat.This is good old-fashioned entertainment, with lots of imagination andheroics. Enjoy!

2012-04-26 19:01:42

Not as good

If you live in the US all of your life, you might find this series exotic. For an Asian like me, The movie has a weak plot and slow on action and too much Drama, for a fantacy movie. The Monkey King and his techer are the only things that were quite ok because they are quite funny. For some reasons, the goddess speech's anoyed me so (I rather listen to Arnold or Jacky Chan). I thing they choose the wrong leading man, he should be doing a romantic or a comedy. Can't really point my finger on the wrong thing but I only can see this movie once, not like Merlin, Gulliver's Travell, Arabian night, the Odessey ot even the 10th Kingdom. How ever it is still a little bit better than Noah's ark or Alice and wonderland.(all because of the exotic Eastern story).

eversmashing 2012-04-25 23:41:58

So, so sad

Seeing this TV movie the day after I saw Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragonmadeit almost unbearable. Seeing something like this after a masterpiece likeAng Lee's film was painful. It shows how americanized the fighting is,withfake close-up shots, fading transitions, and strategically timed fieryexplosions in the background. In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, thefighting is about technique, not killing the other person and making itlookcool. Overall, I'd say The Lost Empire is just another in a long line ofsad made for TV movies. Nothing new.

avt2 2012-04-25 17:51:45

a humorous political allegory

This mini-series is a humorous parable about the evolution of Chineseculture into the modern age. It uses the classic Chinese tale "Journeyto the West" and shows its relevance in the modern age; the allegoryhere is that losing this book literally results in the loss of all theadvances of modern civilization. It is retelling of the classic story,but in a Buddhist context of reliving the events in another cycle tomake it relevant to the modern day. The story uses humor to make itaccessible to the audience, and also to make the point that wrapping uptradition with too much seriousness causes some of the meaning andlesson of tradition to be lost. Some of the acting is pretty good, withRic Young embracing contradiction portraying Confucius as a connivingvillain and Ling Bai portraying Kuan Ying operating on many differentlevels. The Wizard-of-Oz ending was a little simplistic but itunderlined how the story worked as allegory and parable. This is alight fluffy action story with a subtly complex political undertone,and an interesting interpretation of a classic tale.

2012-04-25 02:21:28

A Great Movie

First of all, while I can see where the other reviews are coming from in terms of considering this movie insulting, I have to disagree with them. Sure, in the book that this movie was based on, there were no white men. However, while this movie is based on the story (the idea behind it, at least), it's a completely different story. Sure, some of the characters are the same, but the basic story isn't, really and truly. And personally, I thought it was a really good movie. I considered the performances to be good. If you're looking for a movie that gives a really in-depth look at culture, this isn't it. If you're looking for an enjoyable movie to watch for entertainment, this is it. The story line is good, the acting is good; what more do you want? So stop being so picky and overanalyzing it.

Bruce Gurney-Mawby 2012-04-22 18:32:40

It is worth watching and quite fun

I saw this program on Hallmark channel on cable TV I did not have high expectations of it But overall it was quite good for a made for TV effortIt was quite fun and seeing something with monkey pigsy and sandy againIt is worth watching and quite funIt was titled the monkey king that might have only be for the Australianrelease

2012-04-22 16:37:01

Racist travesty of an epic story

"Journey to the West" is a literary masterpiece which has been loved in China for nearly half a millennium. In contrast, "The Lost Empire" is a piece of meretricious rubbish which will hopefully soon be consigned to oblivion. Its makers seem to assume, rightly or wrongly, that its audience will be unable to relate to a "foreign" story unless a white guy is inserted, however incongruously, into the action. As if this were not bad enough, the idea of the "hero" comducting a romantic affair with Kuan Yin must be deeply offensive to many people of Chinese extraction. Since Kuan Yin is someimes compared, in her role as compassionate mediator, to the Virgin Mary, one can only imagine the response had the situation been reversed. This is an example of film-making at its very worst.

2012-04-19 15:42:13

DO NOT waste your time...

This review is from: The Lost Empire (DVD) This movie was so bad and yet I watched it all just to see if possibly it would get better. It didn't. The only one that can act is the damn monkey and even then the character development is slim. I always buy Halmark movies, they've been great (10th Kingdom etc) but this one is the worst movie they've ever endorsed. I read all the reviews and decided to give it a chance-save yourself the dissapointment. The movie could have been so good. The plot is quite good but the screenplay, acting, effects, are not. A goddess having a drink at the bar...come on, even I won't watch something that lame. Mythology is something I love but the way these people portray it becomes laughable, and disrespects the story it's trying to tell. Most of all you can't even like the hero because he is so annoying! Buy the Snow Queen, Jack and the Beanstalk, DEFINETLY 10th Kingdom, but don't buy this movie! (no, don't even think about giving it a chance because it has a cool cover)

2012-04-19 00:12:43

The Lost Empire no Longer Lost

This DVD was extremely fun to watch especially if you are interested in Chinese culture. The special effects are great for a TV movie as well as the make-up and costumes. It also has some great acting from chinese actors that you don't get to see enough of in other movies.

2012-04-18 05:35:26

What a waste of time...

Recently there has been a surge of interest in "fantasy" type films. With the huge success of "Lord of the Rings," I belive, people are exploring other movies, similar in nature. Well, if you're an adult and you're getting reacquainted with the fantasy genre, this is one to MISS. Ignore it. Keep on walking. Its really just for kids, at best. The story is predictable and it repeats itself, hour past hour. The special effects are good enough for Saturnday morning t.v. but that's about it. I suggest you look at "Arabian Nights" instead.

2012-04-18 02:41:32

Passable entertainment

OK, I rounded up to 4 stars. This really isn't bad, though.It's an idiom that most American viewers won't be familiar with. The major characters are Kuan Yin, Confucius, and a flock of other gods, godlings, immortals, buddhas, figures from myth, and other well-known figures and stereotypes from the Chinese pantheon. There are the flying heroes, improbable weapons, and acting at least on a par with the Dr. Who series. In other words, lots of viewers will see it as alien, disconnected, and amateurish, as well as being filled overly convenient miracles.But it's not in the Western idiom, so parts of it have to be taken in their own terms. And it has the look of a low-budget film, so you won't see effects on the Star Wars scale. And it is a bit cheesy and over-the-top, which is part of the appeal.The fights are bloodless, the romance is chaste, and all but the youngest kids will understand the characters. If you don't take it or yourself too seriously, there's a lot of fun in this one. //wiredweird